In America, there is a standard of beauty. The "typical" American beauty consists of the following physical characteristics: tall, blonde, thin, and tan. Girls bleach their hair, diet, and go tanning to achieve that ideal. The problem, however, is that to achieve that ideal figure many girls do harmful things to their body. One of the most harmful is tanning.
In a perfect world, it would be eighty degrees and sunny three hundred and fifty days a year. However, fall and winter inevitably come and as the green of the leaves and grass go away so do summer tans. Or at least, they are supposed to. With tanning beds and spray tans, anyone can look golden brown, or rather, orange, even in the grey and snowy winter. Celebrities like Snooki, Georgio Armani, and Paris Hilton wear "the orange look" all year long.
So what exactly are the dangers of tanning beds that many girls use to get that summer glow before Homecoming and Prom? In terms of its effect on our skin, a fake tan (from a tanning bed) is equivalent to a sunburn. Tanning beds exceed the safe limits of UV rays. Teens, who are the people who tend to use tanning beds the most are especially at risk because their bodies are growing at accelerated rates so their cells are more vulnerable to the penetration of UV rays. By tanning their skin on a routine basis, teens put themselves at a significantly higher rate of contracting skin cancer. The risk of skin cancer jumps up 75% in people who start regularly tanning before the age of thirty.
In fact, in February the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that laws should ban minors from going to tanning salons period. Just going outside in the sunshine is much healthier than going to a tanning salon, how the dangers of UV rays are still there so sunscreen should always be worn! However, sunless tanning is now a perfectly good alternative to tanning beds and tanning outside. Spray tans are low risk and inexpensive, as are tanning lotions and moisturizers that are available at any convenience store.
Prom is coming up, so teenage girls are prone to wanting that "healthy" summer glow. Just remember the dangers, and go sunless!
So what exactly are the dangers of tanning beds that many girls use to get that summer glow before Homecoming and Prom? In terms of its effect on our skin, a fake tan (from a tanning bed) is equivalent to a sunburn. Tanning beds exceed the safe limits of UV rays. Teens, who are the people who tend to use tanning beds the most are especially at risk because their bodies are growing at accelerated rates so their cells are more vulnerable to the penetration of UV rays. By tanning their skin on a routine basis, teens put themselves at a significantly higher rate of contracting skin cancer. The risk of skin cancer jumps up 75% in people who start regularly tanning before the age of thirty.
In fact, in February the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that laws should ban minors from going to tanning salons period. Just going outside in the sunshine is much healthier than going to a tanning salon, how the dangers of UV rays are still there so sunscreen should always be worn! However, sunless tanning is now a perfectly good alternative to tanning beds and tanning outside. Spray tans are low risk and inexpensive, as are tanning lotions and moisturizers that are available at any convenience store.
Prom is coming up, so teenage girls are prone to wanting that "healthy" summer glow. Just remember the dangers, and go sunless!
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