Cancer and Healthy

It was only in the middle of the last century that having a tan became desirable. Up until this point, people did not see tanned skin as a positive look but more than likely an indication that the person worked outdoors and was exposed to too much sunlight.

As people became more prosperous in the 1950's, leisure time became more of a lifestyle choice. People would spend time at the beach or have social activities outdoors. They had money and vacation time to go to warmer and sunnier climates.

Pretty soon an all over tan could indicate affluence or a healthy lifestyle (which is not completely untrue). Looking tanned became desirable to the extent that people would go to the beach or spend time outdoors purely to get a sun tan.

People wanted to look suntanned all year round regardless of the time of year. Others wanted to look tanned before they went on vacation. With these attitudes prevalent, the development of the sunbed began.

Since this time, sunbeds and tanning salons have proved to be extremely popular. Strangely enough they are even more popular than a regular suntan in regions where there is plenty of Sun (I guess there is no sand or wind to deal with).

But the question that many people that regularly use sunbeds often consider is are sunbeds healthy ?

The answer is very simple. Current research suggests that any kind of tanning, be it in the Sun or being exposed to ultra violet radiation in some other way will eventually lead to skin cancer. The level or duration of exposure to UV rays before a skin cancer develops will vary from person to person depending on their skin type and other genetic factors.

Many sunbed owners or tanning salon proprietors may point out that most sunbeds use UVA radiation to tan the skin. Whereas the UV rays that can cause sunburn are UVB radiation. Whilst it is true that sunbeds will use UVA radiation, research suggests that UVA radiation is just as likely to cause skin cancer as UVB radiation even if the skin is not burned.

The salient point to all this is that any form of tanning of the skin will lead to skin cancer at some point. Maybe you will be fortunate and never reach that point during your life but the aim of skin cancer prevention is to limit a persons exposure to the cause of skin cancer - ultraviolet radiation. That is why people should always wear sunscreen when outdoors. They should try to cover their skin with clothing and wear a hat and sunglasses when out in the Sun.

Lying on a sunbed once a week is like going in the sun with none of this protection. Under the circumstances, it seems like a potentially high price to pay to have a 'healthy' tan.