by Melissa Enson
Tulane Hullabaloo
Tulane University
As droves of people begin to patronize tanning salons to get a head start on their tan this spring season, one question lingers: Is it more important to have healthy skin, or skin that is bronzed and beautiful?
Despite the barrage of alarming media hype warning about the dangers of artificial tanning, teen-agers nationwide are visiting tanning salons in order to acquire a bronzed look.
In the Unites States alone, the indoor tanning business is a $2 billion a year industry. A one-time trip to the tanning salon may cost anywhere from $5-12, depending on the location and prestige of the salon. Most salons offer unlimited monthly tanning packages in which the customer gains more tan for the money.
As teen-agers undress, drench themselves in oil and climb into the tanning bed, they’re mere minutes away from acquiring a radiant, sun-kissed look. However, the bulbs in tanning booths emit ultraviolet rays that can cause wrinkling of the skin and growth of age spots, which may eventually contribute to the development of skin cancer.
Skin has a natural defense system to help protect it from UVA rays, namely the pigmentation that causes the skin to turn shades of brown or tan.
Whenever the skin tans, theoretically, the “ultra-violent” rays have already done their damage. So-called “safer lamps” typically produce three times the intensity of UVA rays that reach our atmosphere, leaving us no fail-safe method of tanning. The average 15-30 minute visit to a tanning salon is equivalent to spending an entire day at the beach.
Many students from Tulane University are frequent patrons of tanning salons.
Tulane sophomore Lauren Katz believes that people have a right to their own opinions about artificial tanning.
“As long as being tan makes a person feel better about him or herself, I don’t think it matters whether or not it’s real,” Katz said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
An anonymous junior said, “I go tanning at least three times a week. I just want to look good for now. I’ll worry about the consequences when the time comes.”
Although artificial tanning seems to be linked primarily with females, it actually has become very trendy with males as well. One male Tulane freshman, who chooses to remain anonymous, admitted to tanning about twice a week during the winter. He said he feels that tanning has become a phenomenon among males, and is not ashamed to admit he uses a salon.
“I see men walking in there all the time,” he said. “There are probably just as many men who go to tanning salons as women. Women are not the only ones who have a right to care about how they look.”
Cathy Jackson, 45, a New Orleans resident, has recently had several patches of pre-cancerous skin surgically removed from her face. Jackson began tanning outdoors with a reflector as a teenager. For the past 10 years she has gone tanning prior to family vacations.
“I tan in a salon so I won’t get burned the first day in a tropical climate,” Jackson said.
Even though Jackson has endured an uncomfortable medical procedure, she continues to tan outside, but refrains from tanning in salons.
“If you get injured in a car accident, it is not going to stop you from ever driving again,” Jackson added. “I know the dangers, and as long as I tan responsibly, I should not have any more problems.”
In addition to damaging the skin, tanning without proper eye protection can cause permanent damage. UVA rays are potent enough to pierce through the thin skin layer of the eyelid. Long-term exposure to UVA rays can cause cataracts to form on the lens of the eye.
As a result, tanning salons stock special goggles that protect the eyes from dangerous ultraviolet rays. If the goggle-string tan line distresses the customer, stick-on ovals are available for purchase, which also claim to offer adequate protection.
Besides the obvious risks associated with using a tanning bed, an additional hazard exists that few people are aware. It’s easy for germs to spread if an employee at a salon does an inadequate job of keeping the beds sterile. A hospital-grade sanitizer should be used to cleanse the beds after each use. Beds that have not been properly sanitized place a person at risk of acquiring fungal infections, bacterial infections and mite parasites.
Despite media reports warning against artificial tanning, those intent on achieving that year-round “bronzed look” seem willing to pay the price.
Melissa Enson is a Newcomb College sophomore. Comments can be sent to menson@tulane.edu.
