Skin Cancer And Tanning Booths

Find out about tanning beds and skin cancer and what a tanning bed burn has to do with it

There are plenty of statistics available about skin cancer and tanning booths. There is a false belief that as long as you don’t get a tanning bed burn, you are safe. That’s simply not true. You should be aware of the statistics about tanning beds and skin cancer.

Some of the statistics are quite alarming, others are common knowledge. If you are not taking precautions then you are asking for trouble. A little bit of extra care could increase your life expectancy.

Most all experts agree that UVB-radiation is unhealthy; and, when taken in large doses, it can be fatal. Years ago, the indoor tanning bed became the answer to every sun lover's prayers. It was touted as being safe because there was no UVB or minimal UVB exposure.

Recent studies, indicate this train of thought is wrong. UVB rays do cause burning, premature aging, wrinkles and a host of other skin damage including some forms of skin cancer. They may not however, be as dangerous as the UVA rays provided by tanning beds.

New statistics indicate that tanning beds give off at least twice as much ultraviolet (UV) radiation as the sun does. The rays from a tanning bed are long-wave (UVA) rays instead of short-wave (UVB) rays that you get from the sun.

Although UVA rays don't burn your skin like UVB rays do, they bore deep into your skin and cause more permanent damage. In fact, UVA rays are responsible for the most deadly skin cancer, melanoma.

Tanning lamps also emit UVB and UVA radiation. One brand of lamp was found to emit as much UVB as the noontime sunlight in the summer in New York.

Tanning beds are gone from being a fad, to being an important beauty aid for both men and women. There popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds. As a result skin cancer rates are increasing at alarming rates. The medical world won’t know for about 10 years, the consequences of the growth that has occurred in the past few years.

So before jumping on the tanning bed wagon, make sure you are pursuing that dream tan as safely as possible. Don’t overexpose, use a proper indoor tanning SPF lotion, and follow all manufacture and salon guidelines.

You can have the best of worlds, your health & a beautiful tan!

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