4
the Seahawk \ NEWS | February 6,2003
Tanning truths and myths revealed
Sarah Broders
News Editor
With Spring Break around the comer,
hundreds of students will begin tanning
routines. But without knowing truth from
myth, what you don’t know could hurt you.
When it comes to tanning, it is essential
to know the facts before beginning a rou
tine.
The two forms of Ultraviolet rays that
work in concert to produce a tan are UVA
and UVB. UVA rays are what tan the skin,
and UVB bum the skin. “The only differ
ence between indoor and outdoor tanning is
that indoors is a controlled environment.
Outdoors is going to change every single
day,” said Fred Knopp, owner of Tropical
Tans for 15 years.
As of yet there is only one way to tan
without risk of damage, which is self-tan
ning lotion. Although some tanning beds
limit the risk of melanoma, there is still a
risk. If used in excess, tanning beds can
result in a bum. “Any bum can lead to can
cer," said Jennifer Shores, a Forever Tan
employee of four years.
Professional tanning
salons help new tanners
understand these risks
by hanging informative
posters and having
applicants fill out appli
cations indicating their
skin type and tanning
experience.
“We also take a look
at their skin type and if
they have blond hair and
blue eyes and obviously
haven't been tanning,
then we’ll only put them
in there for a fraction of
the time,” Shores said.
There are several kinds of tanning beds.
The most common are low-pressure beds.
While the majority of the beds are horizon
tal, there are some vertical beds, allowing
the tanner to stand up while tanning. All
beds have a regulated amount of output; so
the 10, 15 and 20-minute beds all give the
same amount of tanning rays, Shores said.
The different times are mostly for personal
preference and convenience.
“The best way to
tan is to raise your time
slowly so you bum as
little as possible,
whether indoors or
outdoors,” Knopp said.
“Low pressure beds are
better for people to use
before they are going
on a trip.” This is
because the low-pres-
sure beds tan your skin
slowly, which builds
up a UV-protective
layer.
A little newer is the
high-pressure bed.
These beds use less UVB rays and use
more UVA rays. “There’s no burning, and
you tan real quick,” Todd Doane, owner of
Solar Eclipse, said. “Ultraviolet light A
penetrates deep into the skin and reaches
your dermis, giving you the tan. Ultraviolet
light B. that's the real harsh ray. So if you
can stay away from those, it’s good.”
“These beds result in less premature
aging and less dryness, but you don’t get a
KRT Carrpus
protective layer from these beds, where you
would get one from the low-pressure ones,”
Knopp said.
High-pressure beds limit the cancerous
rays; they do not eliminate them.
The last indoor tanning method is the
self-tanning lotion. Self-tanning lotion is
the only way to tan without any risk of
damage to your health.
Besides the traditional self-tanning
lotion, there is also a new method that
select salons offer, where the tanner is
sprayed with self-tanner by a machine to
avoid the streaking that the traditional
method can result in.
If done properly, tanning can even have
positive effects. “Anything in excess is not
good for you, but there are some positive
effects of some light,” Doane said. “For
example, if you suffer from seasonal affec
tive disorder you can get light therapy.
Sunlight is also the only true source of
Vitamin D.”
UV rays are also used in hospitals to
sterilize surgical instruments, water and air
in operating rooms because it has been
shown to destroy bacteria.
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