Is there such a thing as a safe tan? Do all skin types need sun protection?
It’s a Sunday in May, and junior Greta Christiansen lays out her towel and favorite skin oils. As she lays down facing the sun, the light gleams on her skin. Baking in the hot sun, she soon discovers her fresh tanlines thanks to the hefty UV index of 8. Switching to her back, she will continue to alternate like this for the next couple hours. Christiansen, a tanning fanatic, will be seen soaking up the sun more and more as summer progresses.
Tanlines: The goal of every teen tanning session. As it grows warmer outside, tanlines will be all the talk, and something every free moment will be devoted to.
“It’s like an accessory for me in the summer,” said Christiansen.
In addition to the tanlines, people tend to like the “glow” that tanning brings to their skin. Some even feel a mental lift.
“I just feel so much more confident when I’m tan, I think the sun gives me a serotonin boost,” said senior Max Anderson, “and it just reminds me of summer.”
Sun is known to release the hormone, serotonin. This regulates and balances our moods and ways that we handle situations. This happens when the sun enters the retina of our eyes and sends signals to our brain to make serotonin, in turn boosting our mood and making us appear more upbeat.
Greta and Max aren’t alone. Most high school students and teenagers around Minnesota will spend their summers laying out in the hot sun, which has its fair share of benefits but also downsides. With constant exposure to the sun, it is important to be educated on the topic of sun damage and what that exactly means for your health.
In reality, there is no such thing as a healthy tan, living “up North” in Minnesota doesn’t protect you, and people of all skin types and tones need to protect themselves from the damage that the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause. UV rays can lead to skin cancer, so everyone who spends a lot of time in the sun needs to protect themselves. Although the sun in Minnesota might not feel as intense as it does in Florida or Arizona, the UV can still be quite high. According to M Health Fairview, Minnesota is the third highest state in the nation in the percentage of people with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Although people believe that if you don’t appear “burnt” or “red,” it means you didn’t harm your skin, but even the darkening of your skin tone is a sign of damage. When skin color deepens, it is due to the pigment in your skin called melanin, which increases in production in response to the initial damage to your skin. This increase is your body’s way of trying to protect itself from further damage. Although you may not always burn after sitting in the sun, the UVs are still targeting your inner skin cells the second you step outside.
“When UV rays reach your skin, they damage cells in the epidermis,” a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) article states. “ In response, your immune system increases blood flow to the affected areas.”
After prolonged damage to your skin cells, melanoma is a possible outcome. As melanin is produced in the epidermal cells, so is the common skin cancer, melanoma. If excessive and intense enough, the damage done to your skin can result in excessive cell growth, which leads to cancer.
Even though skin cancer is highly hereditary, meaning you would be more likely if a family member had it, cancer can be due to strong UV exposure over time as well.
According to the American Cancer Society, “Most of the more than 1 million skin cancers diagnosed each year in the US are considered sun–related.”
With tanning comes the question of sunscreen and how important its application is. Without a layer of protectant, your skin is not shielded from the hot sun, which can lead to a more quick and extensive burn.
Due to winter seasons and snowfall, UV is lower during these periods, and laying out in the sun is not as enjoyable. As the winter season goes by, many resort to tanning beds. These beds emit the same UV rays as the sun, and over time, will deepen the color of your skin, but they are no safer than the sun.
Just because the heat of the sun isn’t present, the same damage is being done to your skin, and sometimes these UV rays are stronger than the UV from the sun. This leads to the rays penetrating your skin more deeply.
As a result of these strong UV rays, tanning beds can also increase your chance of getting cancer. According to American Academy of dermatology, “Indoor tanning can increase the risk of developing the two most common types of skin cancer – squamous cell carcinoma by 58% and basal cell carcinoma by 24%.”
In addition to the increased risk of cancer, tanning beds can cause serious burns and eye injuries due to the very strong UV rays.
Although outdoor tanning and tanning beds can over time create a warm tan, boosted mood, and increase in vitamin D. This is not worth the long-term risks and effects.
With the dangers of tanning outdoors, other methods of receiving the same “glow” have become just as popular. Forms of self-tan include tanning drops, foam, and lotion, and services like spray tans are utilized as well. These all involve the same ingredient, a compound, colorless sugar, called dihydroxyacetone. Although the color is thought to be a stain for your skin, it is just due to a chemical reaction between the proteins in the upper layers of your skin.
Although self tan is the safest option for tanning, it does take a little more time and attention to detail as the foam or lotion can appear streaky or splotchy when dried if not applied evenly.
“Fake tans can be really splotchy or orange, so you need to be careful when using them because they can lead people to look worse than they do if they had just kept their pale skin tone,” said Anderson.
Although spray tans are generally safe for your skin, according to Everyday Health, “Your lung health may suffer if you inhale the aerosols from a spray tan.”