Article: Dangers Of Tanning Beds Revealed...

The dangers of tanning beds are widely debated in both the cosmetic and health industries. The health industry would claim that indoor tanning health risks (such as skin cancer) are the same as those of a frequent sunbather.

However, the dangers of tanning beds are lessening. Many salons now boast tanning equipment that emit less or no harmful UVB rays and also prescribe a more limited exposure to ultraviolet light than whayt most experience outdoors. These timed tanning sessions minimize an individual's risk for health problems compared to tanning outdoors.

UVB rays, also known as the 'burning ray', are short-wave ultraviolet rays that affect the outer layer of the skin. UVA rays (the longer wave ultraviolet rays) penetrate the skin more deeply and are less likely to cause burning. UVA rays make up the majority of UV emitted from the sun and tanning bed bulbs (around 95%).

There are two typs of UV rays involved in the tanning process - UVA and UVB. UVB rays are the primary culprit behind health risks associated with both indoor and outdoor tanning.

In the 70's and 80's before the harmful affects of UVB were known, tanning beds had a much larger percentage of UVB in bulbs than today. With the increase in government regulations and the knowledge about skin damage caused primarily by UVB, most tanning beds these days have little to no UVB in the bulbs making indoor tanning comparatively safer than it was 20 years ago.

The argument against the dangers of tanning beds is that, unlike long sits in the sunshine, a visit to a salon allows the individual to be exposed for a specific period of time in a controled environment.

Employees of tanning salons should understand the dangers of tanning beds and take into account an individual's previous exposures, age, medical history and skin type. This information is then used to recommend the number of minutes for exposure in a tanning bed.

That kind of control is impossible to achieve outdoors, where variables such as the weather, the changes of seasons, reflective surfaces and altitude make the levels of UVB fluctuate. Comparatively, indoor tanning health risks are lower than the risks associated with outdoor tanning due to the controlled levels of UVB and indoor tanning provides.

In the last decade, many tanning bed owners have become more aware of the relationship between cancer and ultraviolet rays. As a result, tanning equipment that only emits UVA rays are a more common sight in salons today.

Still, those who are concerned about the dangers of tanning beds warn that there is still a link between UVA light and malignant melanoma, a dangerous type of skin cancer that is characterized by moles. Long-term exposure to either the sun or artificial sources of ultraviolet light can create a pre-cancerous condition in skin cells. Two types of cancer, basal cell and squamous cell, are thought to be caused by a combination both UVB and UVA rays. The sometimes fatal form of skin cancer, called melanoma, is thought to be triggered by over exposure to UVA rays.

It is interesting to note also that many of these studies on skin cancer cannot prove that exposure to UV, which caused the skin cancer, was indoors or outdoors. The recent legislation passed in California to prohibit children under 14 years of age to tan indoors without a doctors prescription was authored by California State legislator, Joe Nation (D-San Rafael). While Joe Nation did get skin cancer (melanoma), never once did he spend time in an indoor tanning facility, but rather played tennis tournaments in his youth and spent many long days exposed to the sun outdoors.

When it comes to assessing the dangers of tanning beds, perhaps it is best to remember that sitting in the sun outdoors is associated with the same risks. If you are concerned about the dangers of tanning beds and over-exposure to UV light, yet appreciate the convenience of indoor tanning, choose a salon with updated equipment that specializes in tanning with UVA rays.

An alternative to UV tanning is UV Free spray tanning.

Here is another article related to the dangers of tanning beds. But keep in mind that the authors are extremely biased. You be the judge...

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