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Tanning Beds vs. Natural Tanning In a classic Twilight Zone episode, people are standing in line waiting to board an alien spaceship for an extra-planetary vacation, when a frantic women tries to intervene. She had been interpreting the text of the alien’s seemingly philanthropic book entitled, “How to Serve Man.” “I’ve translated it,” she cries in desperation, “it’s a cook book… it’s a cook book.” Although, we would never allow an alien race to “cook” us, we seem quite willing to do it to ourselves. Picture the a popular vacation beach with its rows of de-feathered, lotion basted human torsos baking in the sun -- rotating as each side is “done.” Just as the laws of nature preside in cooking the Thanksgiving turkey, they apply to tanning. Baked in a hot oven, raw meat will brown, will crisp and will dry out. It’s as true for human skin as it is for Mr. Turkey.
Clearly, we really do need a “how to” book for “cooking” people. That is what the tanning industry has developed in the manuals which tanning bed operators study to receive certification. It’s not as simple as hopping into a tanning bed and switching on the power. There is great deal of science behind the art of tanning people.
Like your turkey, you want to be unburned, golden, plump and juicy. To achieve this with your turkey, you must know the exact settings for your oven, your altitude and the quality and size of your bird. This is similar to what tanning salon operators need to know before putting someone in a tanning bed.
However, as serious as the results of “baking” in the sun may be, it is the hidden effects of sun, not the light, not the heat, but the invisible UV rays that cause the greatest amount of damage to humans.
The Damaging Effects of UV Rays
The UV rays, present in natural sun,
tanning beds,
tanning salons,
tanning booths, home tanning beds
or any other
tanning equipment
are armed and extremely dangerous to
human beings. · Cause eye damage, cataracts · Damage to the immune system · Cause premature aging of skin including wrinkles · Cause skin cancers leading to death
Most likely, you already have some skin damage from UV rays. Compare the back of your hands and your face to parts of your body that have never been exposed to solar radiation, perhaps your soft buttocks or inside your upper arm -- the skin texture is softer, younger.
The most dangerous effect of UV rays is skin cancer. The three types of skin cancer are melanoma, basal-cell carcinoma, and squamous-cell carcinoma. Malignant melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Possible Benefits of the Sun’s UV Rays
There are two kinds of UV rays involved in the tanning process - UVA and UVB. These rays affect the skin differently. UVA are often called the “tanning” ray and UVB are often described as the “burning ray.”
As a longer
wave, the UVA penetrates the skin more deeply, and does not
significantly damage the top layer of skin. UVB, with its
short wavy rays, reaches only the surface of the skin and
can cause damage. However, UVB is needed to signal the skin
to produce melanin, our natural browning protein. Therefore,
rather than the negative “burning ray” delineation, experts
prefer to call it by more productive names like, “melanin
producing ray” or “activation ray.” Why the Sun is Inefficient and Unsafe For Tanning Sunlight is about 95% UVA and 5% UVB, in general, but not consistently. Many variables affect this ratio.
o At noon, potentially damaging UVB rays are most direct o At sunset, the acute angle of penetration causes the ray to pass through more of the ozone layer, greatly dissipating it
o In June, in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is higher in the sky o In December, the angle is greater and very little UVB light penetrates the ozone layer
Sunbathers are gambling when they tan outdoors. It is somewhat like throwing the Thanksgiving turkey into a bon-fire and hoping for the best. Nature is wild and unpredictable. Have you ever wondered why there are tanning salons in beachside cities? Why would anyone pay for a tan when the sun is free? The answer is control! It is the same reason one carefully reads a recipe, checks the altitude, sets the temperature and knowledgably dresses and bastes the turkey. Science makes a calculated difference.
1. The Waves used by Tanning Beds o Tanning beds use both UVB (to stimulate the production of melanin) and UVA to darken the melanin produced. o The amount of each type of UVB administered is carefully monitored. o Although UVA is not closely associated to burning, some possible association has been made to skin cancer. It too must be carefully monitored. o UV rays use radiation, (energy producing light) which is not to be confused with radioactivity (unstabilizing atomic reaction). o UV rays are not microwaves and, in spite of our turkey allegory, do not literally cook the flesh or internal organs of humans. This is an urban legend.
o Sunscreen
products labeled, “broad spectrum” protect against both UVA
and UVB rays. Other products only protect against UVB. 2. Tanning Beds are subject to strict FDA regulations o A timer must limit exposure. o A label must explain recommended exposure distance from the sunlamp. o The amount of short-wave UV radiation emitted must be limited. o UV-blocking goggles must be worn. o A prominent warning about the dangers of overexposure must be displayed.
o Information
on proper use must be provided. What About Photosensitizing? Photosensitizing is the skins adverse bio-chemical reaction to the presence of light’s energy. Many applied or internalized agents can cause it. For example: You may stuff your turkey with celery dressing, but you never want to eat celery before tanning. It is the most potent of the photosensitizing foods because it has trace amounts of psoralen in it. Other photosensitizing agents include many medications, perfumes and cosmetics.
Every reliable
tanning booth
or salon operator has studied the
recipe for tanning human beings. They don’t want to cook, burn, dry, fry or wrinkle them. With careful
exercise of
the science of tanning, you can produce golden results while minimalizing the dangers. |
