The Side Effects of Tanning

Despite incontestable medical proof that being exposed to UV rays may cause cancer of the skin, tanning beds remain a booming business with incomes reaching the two million dollar mark. The question : Is it safe? The industry movers believe that it is actually safe and beneficial as well. According to them, tanning is just a result of darkening of the skin due to exposure to UV rays. For fair-skinned people who gets sun burn, tanning beds just aids in the production of melanin in the skin. The assessment is arguable.

Dermatological groups do not favor tanning beds and does not encourage their use. Medical findings show that UV rays causes all three types of skin cancer : basal cell sarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma (the most deadly of the three). The DNA is directly damaged by the exposure leading to mutation. This exposure then activates oxygen molecules causing damage to the DNA and other cellular structures. Finally, the natural anti-cancer defenses of the body become incapacitated due to immuno suppressions.

Aside from skin cancer, there are other side effects of tanning beds. Artificial or natural exposure to the sun’s rays causes wrinkles as well as thick and leathery skin. Although skin ageing is natural as time goes by, tanning beds and sun exposure hastens the skin’s ageing and nobody likes that.

Eye damage is another possible side effect of using tanning beds and exposure to the sun. Findings show that it increases the risk of developing cataracts. While they can be removed through surgery, cataracts are still a serious condition. Aside from cataracts, pterygium, growth of tissues on the white of the eye, macula degeneration and damage to the retinal are other possible damages to the eye. It is advisable to always have protection in your eyes when tanning or sun bathing.

While tanning beds continues to grow enormously, a widespread campaign on the effects of UV rays on the skin has been undertaken by medical people around the world. The call is timely and desperate because the number of skin cancer grows every year. Tanning beds have grown more popular as ever despite the reports and warnings. Young females are at risk of possible skin cancer because of tanning beds.

While the side effects may take years to see, one thing is evident now, tanning beds will remain. Do not spend too much time in tanning beds. Be sure to have a protective gear in your eyes. Be extra careful.

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The Side Effects of Tanning