Most of us do things that we know shouldn’t. As college students, it’s only normal. We go out the night before we have a big exam, we order a pizza with our friends even though we know it’s “bad” for our health, etc.
But why are young females still tanning in tanning salons? You would think that with all the scientific evidence there is for the increased risk of skin cancer when tanning indoors that one would have to be crazy to step foot inside a tanning bed. So why haven’t we gotten the message yet?
The widespread use of tanning is not just unique to our campus. A study conducted in 2011 by the American Academy of Dermatology confirms this. The survey interviewed 3,800 girls aged 14-22, and yielded some very alarming results. Here are some of the most alarming statistics from the survey:
- 32%of respondents had used a tanning bed in the past year; of those, one-fourth used a tanning bed at least once weekly
- 81%of respondents had tanned outdoors either frequently or occasionally in the past year.
- 42%of indoor tanners are more concerned about wrinklesthan non-indoor tanners; 28.4% of non-indoor tanners expressed such worries.
- 65.5%of respondents said they think people look more attractive with a tan; 87.3% of indoor tanners gave that answer.
- Indoor tanners were four times as likely to say their mothers used a tanning bed, compared to outdoor tanners.
(http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/news/20110502/teenage-girls-get-tans-despite-cancer-risk)
What this survey indicates is that tanning indoors is still on the rise despite warnings from doctors and dermatologists. Because of the perception that being tan is synonymous with being “prettier”, it may be hard to foresee tanning indoors becoming less popular over time. The American Academy of Dermatology projects that 1 in 4 people will develop skin cancer if these statistics do not change.
Indoor tanning increases your risk of developing melanoma (the most deadly form of skin cancer) by 75%. Girls aged 18-22 were most likely to use indoor tanning salons, precisely the college female age bracket.
Did you know that there are an average of 42 tanning salons per city? Why is tanning so popular? And why do we, as college females, feel the need to tan weekly to feel good about our appearance?
Well not everyone on campus; there are so many girls on campus who are well aware of how preventable skin cancer in young women is.
Those with fair skin not only find tanning unhealthy but also uncomfortable. For those who do not tan easily, willingly subjecting yourself to a burn is painful and stupid.
“I went one time for three minutes and came out looking like a lobster, so I never ever went tanning again,” Mary Alex Japczyk, a sophomore here at Illinois, told Her Campus.
Jessie Whitman, also a sophomore on campus, also agreed that for those with fair skin, tanning is extremely harmful and pointless.
““From a pale person’s perspective, I have never supported tanning,” Whitman said. “I realize that it is completely not worth the risk.”
A lot of students consider tanning to be a huge waste of money also.
Freshman at Illinois Bridget Anderson noted that tanning can be a huge strain on your wallet.
“I have never tanned in a tanning bed,” Anderson told HerCampus. “I would rather have baby soft skin when I’m older than waste my money and risk getting cancer now.”
Sarah Trevor is a senior at UIUC that agrees: tanning is a money drainer that you’re your u for future health problems.
“The UV rays you’re being exposed to during tanning are way more powerful than the sun’s rays,” Trevor explained. “I just cannot justify throwing all that money away for a life-threatening stupid tan.”
Melissa Moriarty, a senior here on campus, reminded us that there are more health risks from tanning beds than just skin cancer.
“Fun fact: UV rays from tanning beds or naturally are also incredibly damaging to your eyes, especially because if you don’t use the right eye protection, it can cause cataracts and corneal and retinal damage,” Moriarty said. “People also get infections from tanning beds and skin rashes.
Another big reason why tanning is so prevalent on campus? Girls feel the need to get tan before spring break. But is skin cancer really worth a good tan in a couple pictures from your college spring break trip?
“Years from now, it won’t matter if you were tan ‘that one time in south padre’ or not,” Whitman said. “No one will think about the color of your skin.”
“Being tan on this campus is seen as being attractive,” Moriarty said. “But cancer is not so pretty when you are getting moles and skin taken of your body.”
If you’re still not convinced of how bad tanning is for your health, then think about how “clean” the tanning beds are that you’re lying in.
Allie Wroble, a freshman at Illinois, commented on this to Her Campus.
“My best friend used to work at a normal tanning salon and she said that the beds rarely got fully cleaned between users,” Wroble said.
Be weary of tanning salon employees encouraging you to use their services. Remember their job is to sell you a product, not to keep you safe and healthy.
Casey Baker, a freshman at UIUC told HerCampus about her experience with a tanning salon employee.
“I went tanning the other week because I had a giftcard and the lady told me that since I was already “pretty tan” (I’m about as pale as a white picket fence) that I should do level 2 for 15 minutes,” Baker said. “Of course I listened to her because I trusted her; well that was a mistake, I was so sunburnt that I couldn’t even sleep comfortably.”
Katie Shanel, a senior at Illinois, is studying to become a P.A. (Physicians Assistant) and has an interest in dermatology so she has read up a lot on skin cancer.
“I went to a tanning salon and an employee there told me that her doctor told her that tanning is good for your skin,” Shanel told HerCampus. “I laughed and walked out.”
Those who feel most passionately about how dangerous tanning can be have had family and friends affected by the dangers of skin cancer. Some have even been affected themselves.
“My mom has very fair skin and did not use sunscreen when she was growing up,” Anderson said. “She has had to have various potential skin cancer spots removed by the dermatologist.”
Kate Gaffey is a UIUC student who used to tan very frequently during high school.
“I was so addicted and now I have skin damage on both arms to show for it even though I haven’t gone in years,” Gaffey told HerCampus.
“My mom had skin cancer removed from her face about 5 years ago and was very lucky that she had been getting checked regularly by a dermatologist for suspicious marks and caught it before it was serious,” said Tara Dhiman, a UIUC senior. “She grew up in Uganda in the 60s when no one used sunscreen and now is obsessive about her kids using it.”
There are so many students on this campus who have similar stories: a close friend, a parent, or a sibling that has had to suffer because of sun damage to their skin.
Jessica Siwinski, a junior on campus, told HerCampus about her experience.
“My grandma and her siblings grew up in Jamaica, but were Chinese, so they had pretty fair skin,” Siwinski explained. “But growing up there, no one used sun screen, and they were always out in the sun.
“My great-aunt got diagnosed with skin cancer, and had to get a huge part of the skin on her face removed because of it (now leaving her with a pretty nasty scar),” Siwinski continued. “Her sister had gotten skin cancer later, and it spread to other organs and since they weren’t really educated in anything dealing with sun/skin care, it took a long time for either of them to catch it.”
Siwinski is really passionate about the need for young females to be educated about how dangerous tanning is. She also disagrees with the idea of a “base tan”: the idea that you need to go tanning in a bed before you go somewhere sunny for an extended period of time to prevent burning.
“The idea of “protecting” your skin by intentionally tanning it first seems hypocritical,” Siwinski told HerCampus. “One way or the other your skin is getting damaged, but I think the whole notion of intentionally harming yourself with tanning is the bigger argument than by happenstance getting a sunburn.”
Kelsey McGrath, a senior on campus, spoke about how her friend lost her battle with skin cancer. McGrath is also passionate about how to prevent
“It is simply insane to me that people would risk their lives for something so trivial as a tan, especially when products exist that give you the same glow without the cost to your health,” McGrath said.
“My friend passed away this year after a 5 and a half year battle with a rare form of cancer, and she was completely healthy before being diagnosed and didn’t deserve it, so I don’t understand when people make the CHOICE to go tanning, to increase their risk of a cancer that is completely preventable,” McGrath said. “Meghan (McGrath’s friend) couldn’t prevent her cancer, but you all can. Choose to be healthy! Choose to live!”
Hopefully students on campus will realize that there is so much more to lose from tanning than there is to gain. Students groups and health organizations are working hard to raise awareness about this issue. If you have not yet, please watch “Dear 16 Year Old Me”, a very powerful YouTube video about melanoma.