Tanning

Sheesh I know we ALL look better when tanner I get it. I will not deny it or lie about it. EVERYONE is sexier when tan, it makes us look thinner, slimmer, sexier, healthier, fitter and just plain BETTER.

Now a days we have options other than tanning salons and beaches though...let's take a look at the TRUTH. I don't judge I am tempted by the tanning salon and the pool side tanning myself but having had some precancerous spots removed that came back and now have to be biopsied I wont cave, I wont I wont I wont......GOD I hate being pale though.....

Just like tanning outside, tanning indoors damages your skin. That's because indoor tanning devices emit ultraviolet rays. Tanning occurs when the skin produces additional pigment (coloring) to protect itself against burn from ultraviolet rays. Tanning is the skin's reaction to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When skin is exposed to UV rays, cells called melanocytes produce the brown pigment melanin, which darkens the cells of the epidermis. This darkening of the skin cells is the skin's natural – if imperfect – defense against further damage from UV radiation. Overexposure to these rays can cause eye injury, premature wrinkling of the skin, sagging skin, and spots, light-induced skin rashes, and can increase your chances of developing skin cancer. The sun's UV rays damage the DNA of the skin's epidermal cells, triggering enzymes that hurry to repair the damage. However, these enzymes don't always repair the DNA successfully, and the unrepaired damage can lead to mutations that increase the risk of skin cancer.

The most popular device used in tanning salons is a clamshell-like tanning bed. The customer lies down on a Plexiglas surface as lights from above and below reach the body. Many older tanning devices used light sources that emitted shortwave ultraviolet rays (UVB) that actually caused burning. Aware of the harmful effects of UVB radiation, salon owners began using tanning beds that emit mostly longwave (UVA) light sources. Some salons claim this is safe. While UVA rays are less likely to cause burning than UVB rays, they are suspected to have links to malignant melanoma and immune system damage. So, is the UVA ok? Maybe UVA is better but tanning beds are still bad?

Scientists have PROVEN by the early 1990's that UVA exacerbates the cancer-causing effects of UVB, and is the main wavelength behind photoaging. Recently, an Australian-U.S. study found that UVA may be more carcinogenic than UVB. It penetrates more deeply and causes more genetic damage in the skin cells (keratinocytes) where most skin cancers arise. The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization now designate both UVA and UVB as causes of cancer.

Study after study has shown that sunbed tanning increases the risk of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers.

BUT AGAIN everything in moderation right? BUT tanning beds are not about moderation are they?

I like self tanners.


STAY tuned because next week I will begin my own study of 10 body self tanners and 10 face self tanners and report to you their best results for my skin type and I will post pictures on my FB page when orangey lol