Tanning

[citizenoftheuniverse]

Summer is coming, and school is gonna end soon. This means that soon many people are gonna be in their yard tanning or even taking a holiday down south somewhere for their tan. Just a few weeks ago I was doing just that, sitting by the pool in Crete on holiday tanning. When I came home I decided to google how healthy tanning is, I already knew it increased your cancer risk, but I was suprised by how much! Though at first I was pretty satisfied with my tan, now after I know the risks I feel kind of creeped out. Tanning, at least in western culture, is generally seen as a positive thing. Tan people are seen as more healthy since they appear to spend more time outdoors than paler people. Still, I think people should think twice before they tan, and I think you should watch at least the youtube video below.

http://www.darksideoftanning.com.au/

What are your thoughts on tanning?

[Sandwich]

In my opinion intentionally tanning is really stupid. I think people ought to use fake tan instead - UV light increases your risk of skin cancer and also dramatically ages your skin. You'll be all wrinkled and covered in age spots about 20 years earlier than you might otherwise be!

Fake tan seems to me like an obvious solution if you want to look tanned, or simply being in the sun in moderation. Vitamin D levels are adequate without tanning, so tanning has zero positive impact (unless you cover yourself up a lot/have very dark skin in a country with very low light levels.. in which case somehow I doubt you'll be tanning yourself!).

So yeah, tanning is NEVER healthy unless you have a serious reason as to why you're actively sunlight deprived.

It's weird because some people (e.g. people of darker races living in the UK who are then also muslim and cover themselves up all the time) have got all sorts of Vit-D deficiency problems like rickets, osteomalacia etc. so the advice has to go both ways. I often think with this sort of advice that some people see it and use it to justify extreme sun-aversion when actually it's just about moderation and looking after yourself.

Aggressive skin cancer is a really horrible way to go, it has a high rate of metastasising to other areas of the body and malignant melanomas have some of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. Also, once you have a skin cancer, you're almost guaranteed to have others pop up and need to have constant surgery to remove them. Often people don't even notice them - a change in the shape of a mole, or a change on your back. Unless you have a partner to look at these things for you, how would you see a change on your back? Skin cancers aren't always just superficial, they can grow really deep and obviously you want every single last bit of it excised, so they really do have to take massive chunks out of you relative to the size of what you see on the surface. Cosmetically it's a definite step-down! I know a guy who got one on his ear and basically had to have his whole external ear and part of the inner skin removed. Who often thinks to sunscreen their ears?? Now hopefully you guys.

This whole argument is, of course, regrettably irrelevant to me as I go from white to burned in about 10 minutes of strong sunlight, so this intermediate tan stage is a no-go and when the sun comes out I just grab a bottle of sunscreen regardless

Incidentally it's a really good idea, if you put on face cream every day, to try and select one with a UV block in it. With any luck you'll delay a lot of the evils of ageing for a little while via this method! Unless of course you're a smoker, in which case your skin senility conversion is probably already starting, enjoy.

[Mahuta ♥]

Honestly? Tanned skin does look nice, I agree. But I don't see why you would go through all that just to change your skin color to something a little nicer. Whatever your skin color is, I am sure it looks nice! So why go through all the risks Sandwich mentioned when you still look nice. I mean yes you might look nicer but your skin will wrinkle way earlier than it's supposed to. If you're that desperate, go to one of those artificial tanning places where at least you wouldn't risk getting skin cancer.

When I walk down the beach and look tens of girls lying down exposing themselves to UV light, the first thing that comes in my mind: "Oh boy, there goes the beginning of skin cancer" exaggerated? maybe but you get my point.

That being said, I would once again like to emphasize that tanned skin does look nice, but so does any other skin color.

[iber2011]

I agree that tanning does cause skin cancer....but it's not like people are gonna stop. Skin color does matter here... a person with darker skin has an advantage...they can stay for a longer time than a person with lighter skin. I personally don't like tanning because i hate it when my skin starts to peel off...it's disgusting.

[Sandwich]

If you're that desperate, go to one of those artificial tanning places where at least you wouldn't risk getting skin cancer.

Actually, those are equally as bad if not worse than the sun because they're more comprehensive than sunlight in terms of reaching all areas of your body. The only solution to a tan which is 'safe' in terms of not exposing you to harmful radiation is a fake tan via spray tan or cream. Tanning beds etc. are nottt cool at all. Assuming that you meant tanning beds by artificial tanning, this is!

[Summer Glau]

I think that intentionally tanning for hours on end is a bad idea. I think a little bit of a tan in the summer is fine, it's hard to avoid exposing yourself to the beautiful sunlight at least a little bit and you will soak up some vitamin D A little bit of tan can look nice but not having a tan isn't really a bad thing xP

I tan very quickly (I don't get sunburns) so I try to avoid strong sunlight whenever possible. I don't really mind moderate sunlight that much though.

About Sandwich's point concerning people of darker races getting Vit D deficiency problems, it could also be because in some cultures, being fair is considered to be more 'beautiful' than being dark-skinned. People who believe this probably also buy lightening creams and whatnot to lighen their appearance as well as avoiding the sun xP

[Hexa]

Imo tanned skin doesn't even look that good.

And as said before it really isn't necessary for health.

[iber2011]

I think that intentionally tanning for hours on end is a bad idea. I think a little bit of a tan in the summer is fine, it's hard to avoid exposing yourself to the beautiful sunlight at least a little bit and you will soak up some vitamin D A little bit of tan can look nice but not having a tan isn't really a bad thing xP

I tan very quickly (I don't get sunburns) so I try to avoid strong sunlight whenever possible. I don't really mind moderate sunlight that much though.

About Sandwich's point concerning people of darker races getting Vit D deficiency problems, it could also be because in some cultures, being fair is considered to be more 'beautiful' than being dark-skinned. People who believe this probably also buy lightening creams and whatnot to lighen their appearance as well as avoiding the sun xP

I totally agree with you summer...here in India people seem to find white skin as "beautiful"...I don't know why but people prefer to not get tanned and yes there are plenty of those whitening creams. I'm not against tanning...i mean people really look hot with tanned skin...but I really hate it once my skin starts to peel off and I would have two different skin tone...kinda like a chameleon

[Chris Kuno]

Well I spend most of my time outdoors in the summer on the baseball field so I end up incredibly tanned and while it seems like I am immune to sunburns, it might end up biting me in the butt later in life. But heck yea tanned skin looks better than pale skin. What era is this? The middle ages where it was considered "poor" if you had tanned skin. Times have changed - get out in the sun! Besides its good for one to be outside. Just my 2 cents on things.