Tanning Beds free essay sample

â€Å"CANCER† a six lettered word that carries so much meaning to my family. On Tuesday, May 28, 2011 I arrived home from a long day at school. I could feel it in the air that something was different. Both of my parents displayed long, sad faces. As soon as my mother asked â€Å"can I speak to you alone? † I realized that something was definitely wrong. The words that escaped her mouth is something that I would never imagined hearing from my 48 year old mom. She explained that she went to the doctors office to have a spot on her nose examined. After the doctor received the pathology report, he stated that my mother had basal cell carcinoma, and that surgery was required. As a young 16 year old, I was terrified. My mom had skin cancer. Thankfully, after many procedures, and large excisions from the tip of her nose, the cancer was finally removed. We will write a custom essay sample on Tanning Beds or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With my mother growing up in the California sun in the 70’s, the importance of skin protection and sunscreen was not emphasized. â€Å"The darker the better† was a popular fad throughout this time. My mom used to lather her body with baby oil and lay out in the burning sun. I am sure she was not thinking at the time that the sun’s exposure would cause such a horrible diagnosis in the future. Now, my younger brother and I will be severely punished if we leave the house without applying sunscreen. Tanned skin should not be a fashion statement, because it will only cause negative effects in the future, such as skin cancer. As early as the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, women with fair skin were considered to be more attractive than women with tanned skin. Fair-skinned women were those who were upper class and spent most of their time indoors. Dark skinned women were associated with being field workers. Women would apply chalk to their faces to make them appear like porcelain. However, with the turn of the Industrial Revolution the trend for whiteness halted. With the working class now moving from the farm to the factories, pale complexions now belonged to the poor, whereas, the more wealthy types embraced some color by leisurely spending life outdoors. Moreover, in 1923, after catching too much Mediterranean sun, Coco Chanel returned to Paris with bronze skin. This ultimately started the chic movement of sunbathing. With Coppertone’s Quick Tan in 1960 and German scientist Friedrich Wolff’s invention of the sun bed in 1978, the popularity of tanning kept rising. However, in 1986, the first SPF 15 was introduced to the public due to medical warnings about too much sun exposure. Unfortunately, people in 1986 failed to take those medical warnings seriously. In today’s modern society, tanning is a basic beauty essential to many women. Many young women tend to resort to a convenient, efficient way of maintaining a glowing tan throughout the year, by the use of indoor tanning beds. However, many young teenage girls are unaware of the deadly effects that come along with indoor tanning. Over time, the effects of too much ultraviolet radiation emitted from tanning beds, can lead to wrinkles, age spots, cataracts, loss of skin elasticity, immune system changes, and skin cancers. In order to prevent young, uneducated teenagers from experiencing such side effects, tanning beds should be banned from minors. As mentioned before, the ever-changing culture has a direct impact on the choices made by the people of society. The media, such as television, magazines, and the Internet can play a major role on the attitudes towards tanning. For example, celebrities such as MTV Jersey Shore’s main star Snooki. She is famous for her acronym of GTL, standing for Gym, Tan, Laundry. These are the three things people must do on a daily basis, according to the orange skinned reality star. Furthermore, in 2006, Sarah Palin gained a lot of noteworthy attention by doctors, dermatologists, and fellow politicians whenever she admitted to having a tanning bed installed in the Alaska Governor’s Mansion. Many people thought that it would send a message to young teenagers that it was acceptable to make use of an indoor tanning bed. Lastly, many movie stars and famous celebrities admit that their secret to a â€Å"healthy glow† is by usage of tanning beds. All in all, there is a major cultural disconnection between the risk and desire for a â€Å"healthy glow. † The media and advertisements of a tanned appearance is ultimately influencing many young teenage girls. Young teenagers are easily persuaded, and many will give in to the heavy peer pressure of the media. Teenage girls will be influenced to have a mindset that indoor tanning will make more people will like and accept them. Or perhaps, with the use of indoor tanning, their self image will mirror the models in the advertising campaigns. However, there are many risks that are involved with the use of tanning beds. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, on an average day, more than one million people tan in tanning beds. Seventy percent of people who use tanning beds are Caucasian girls aged between 16 and 29. DeAnn Lazovich, a professor in epidemiology reports data in her journal, Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma, that â€Å"from 116 cities in the United States found that the average number of tanning salons exceeded the number of McDonalds or Starbucks. † This shows that not only are tanning salons becoming more popular, but with their increasing density, they are becoming more available to people. Overexposure to UV radiation can lead to premature skin aging, discoloration, loss of elasticity, eye damage, and immune suppression. Indoor tanning beds can cause cancer, in non-malignant and malignant forms. Non-malignant types of cancer grow in the first few layers of the skin. Non-malignant forms of skin cancer include basal cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas. Fortunately, these two types of cancer are not as deadly as melanoma, due to the fact that they rarely spread to lymph nodes and vital organs. Moreover, excessive exposure to UVA radiation can cause malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Skin melanomas also know as skin cancer is a disease in which skin cells lose the ability to divide and grow normally. Melanoma is life-threatening and deadly. In DeAnn Lazovich’s book Shedding Light On Indoor Tanning, she says that â€Å"melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, but non-melanomas can cause significant morbidity and ever mortality as well. † UV exposure from tanning beds can not only cause skin defects in the future, it can also cause deadly cancers that are sometimes hard to stop. Once the skin cells are damaged, the cancer starts spreading to other organs in the body. In a Radio SmartTalk with Scott Lamar, he featured Doctor Gavin Robertson, who has studied melanoma extensively. When asked about the main cause of skin cancer, Dr. Robertson said â€Å"sunburns are the primary factors of the cause of lethal melanoma, either being from UV rays from the sun or UV rays emitted from tanning beds. † Dr. Robertson further explained the deadly danger of melanoma, by claiming, â€Å"melanoma grows into the layers of your skin hitting blood vessels, and these cells circulate throughout your blood, and start to develop tumors in different organs such as the liver, lungs, and the brain. † Melanoma triggers mutations that make it very easy to multiply and to rapidly form tumors. If melanoma spreads to other organs in the body, there is a very low chance of survival rate. Tanning devices are carcinogenic. Many teenage girls are aware that indoor tanning can cause cancer, however they ignore this because of the worldwide belief that if, by chance, they do get skin cancer, they can easily get it removed. However, even with non-melanoma types of skin cancer, the removal of the skin cancer, can cause major deformities on your body. With these high risks of body deformities, and deadly cancers why would any teenage girl continue to make use of indoor tanning beds? Unfortunately, many teenage girls have higher motivations to tan that outweigh the risks of high levels of UV exposure. DeAnn Lazovih explains that â€Å"perhaps because tanning is commonly perceived as a cosmetic fad, its association with fatal skin cancer is not taken as seriously as it could be,† in Shedding Light on Indoor Tanning. One factor that motivates teenage girls is the importance of appearance enhancement. In today’s culture, attractiveness, fitness, youthfulness, and vitality are all very important factors to many young women. It is claimed by many that tanning will make someone appear â€Å"thinner† and â€Å"younger. † Many teenagers begin using indoor tanning beds to make themselves â€Å"better looking. † However, once again, teenage girl are only looking at the the immediate effects. If they were educated about the effects of indoor tanning, they would know that whenever they hit the age of forty they are going to have wrinkles and dark spots because they failed to protect their skin at a young age. An interview with Amelia Kaymen, a dermatologist in San Francisco, California, was conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News about the effects of indoor tanning. When asked how much damage is done before a person reaches age 18, she concluded that â€Å"at least 75 percent of the significant damage is done by the time you’re 18. † This proves that if tanning beds are banned from minors, there is a very high chance the percentage of melanoma and skin cancer would decrease. Another factor as to why indoor tanning is so popular is that many people that live in colder climates often find an efficient and convenient way to maintain a tan throughout the year. In addition to these factors, another main reason people still use indoor tanning beds is for mood enhancement. Whenever people are tan, they often feel better about themselves, because their self image is enhanced by the fact that they have a healthy glow. However, what teenagers do not understand, is that there are many other activities they can indulge in that much safer; such as running, seeing friends, or even applying a tan from a bottle. All of these factors contribute to the popularity of indoor tanning among teenage girls. Furthermore, many teenage girls become dependent on indoor tanning beds. This dependency can turn into an addiction. Tanning bed users only see the immediate effects of a bright, glowing tan. This is why many become addicted to tanning, also known as â€Å"tanorexia. † In Meg Cassidy’s Skin Cancer Kills she introduces Bryan Adlnoff, a professor in drug and alcohol abuse research to further explain the addiction people have with indoor tanning. Adlnoff describes that he â€Å"saw activation in the areas of these participants’ brains that are associated with reward-the kind of brain activity that keeps us coming back for more. † As people step out of the tanning beds, their first reaction is amazement and happiness. Despite the dangers, many teenage girls are only focused on the way the tan makes them look, making it hard to stop frequenting tanning salons. This makes people create a routine out of coming back to the tanning salons and tanning under harmful UV radiation. This is very harmful to their DNA skin cells, eyes, and immune system; however, the users are only looking at the immediate effects instead of taking time to realize what will happen in the long run. Addiction to tanning can be just as harmful to the body just as addiction to cigarettes and drugs are. Now the question is: why do owners of tanning salons continue to encourage people to use indoor tanning, despite the deadly side effects it has on people? First and foremost, tanning salons will always be in business as much as enforcers try to ban them. Tanning and cigarettes are very similar in this case. At the expense of health and safety, people will still stay true to their own mindset. However, tanning companies brainwash their customers by claiming that indoor tanning is a good way to get the daily intake of vitamin D. Vitamin D is also known as the â€Å"sunshine vitamin. † It is very important for bone health and colon cancer prevention, and it is recommended that one should be exposed to an adequate amount of sunlight. However, it is sometimes overrated, especially by tanning salon owners. In Alice Park’s article, Assessing the Risks of Tanning Beds, she introduces Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association. He defends indoor tanning by explaining that, â€Å"most people are vitamin D deficient, and one of the easiest ways to prevent that- it’s simple, it’s free, is to go out in the sun. Or go in a tanning bed, and your skin produces vitamin D. † While this may be true, ask any doctor and they would explain a more educated approach upon receiving vitamin D. In the interview, as mentioned before, with Dr Kaymen, she was once again asked â€Å"how can people balance the need for vitamin D with the risk of sun exposure? †, Dr Kaymen responded that, â€Å"it takes minute amounts of sunlight to manufacture enough vitamin D to stay healthy, and in fact a lot of our foods are supplemented with vitamin D so you probably don’t need to go outside at all. † Doctor Kaymen’s response is a lot more trustworthy because it is coming from a doctor. Despite the claim tanning companies make, someone does not need to depend on sun exposure to acquire the right amount of vitamin D. In addition, another myth from tanning companies is that they claim that indoor tanning is a safer alternative than sunbathing at the beach or out by the pool. Most tanning salon owners and employees are aware and educated of the dangers of indoor tanning, however they continue to encourage people to tan because they ultimately still need business. Sun exposure in general is very harmful to individuals, however the type of UV radiation that is emitted from tanning beds is a lot more direct than the UV radiation from the sun. In Sarah Glynn’s journal Tanning Bed Cancer Risk Double That of Summer Sun, she explains that a team of researchers at the University of Dundee, Scotland confirmed that, â€Å"the risk of skin cancer was six times higher from one of the tanning beds, compared to direct natural sunlight exposure. † This is yet another reason as to why teenage girls should stay away from tanning beds. Applying sunscreen continuously throughout the day as one is in the sun is acceptable. However, applying tanning lotion and laying in a carcinogenic tanning bed for fifteen minutes should be banned, especially from young teenagers who are not fully educated on the effects and dangers of indoor tanning. To repeat, with the over-empowering dangers of UV exposure from tanning beds, it is only in the best judgement as a society to put restrictions on the usage of these carcinogenic machines. Referring back to the interview with Amelia Kaymen, she said that most of the damage was done before a person reaches the age of 18. When asked if tanning booths should be illegal for minors, she responded, â€Å"I would agree with prohibiting a person under the age of 18 going without parental permission. † Fortunately, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, â€Å"on October 9, 2011, California became the first state in the nation to prohibit the use of indoor tanning devices for all children and adolescents under the age of 18. † Along with California, Vermont, Illinois, Texas, Connecticut, Nevada, and New Jersey also put an age restriction on the indoor tanning. Furthermore, â€Å"on May 6, 2013, U. S. Food and Drug Administration issued a proposed order for stricter regulations on indoor tanning devices. † Everyone who frequents tanning salons should be educated about the dangerous effects of indoor tanning. Everyone should be able to locate, read, and understand the warning labels on every tanning machine. Also, states who have not yet put an age restriction on indoor tanning should at least put restrictions on parent consent. Parents must have the right to know that their children are involving themselves in this dangerous type of behavior and activity, without fully understanding the consequences. Lastly, the indoor tanning companies need to step up and communicate the importance of UV protection, both in the tanning beds and outside in the harmful sun.