With spring break just ending, and warm and sunny weather here, many people are grabbing their swimsuit and towels and heading to the nearest body of water. Not because it’s refreshing, but because they are going to try to get an “amazing tan”. Today in America’s society for people to be considered attractive they must not only be skinny, but now they must have a dark and tan skin. People go to the beach or the pool to lay out in the sun for hours to obtain their gorgeous sun-kissed skin. Unfortunately, a lot of people who do this do not comprehend how dangerous the effects of tanning can cause.
When people go to the beach and wear nothing but their swimsuit and oil to make the sun’s harsh rays even more intense, they are increasing their chances of skin cancer by a large amount. Although tanning outdoors is very harmful, many people have started to do indoor tanning for those few months where it is too cold and too cloudy to tan. What these people don’t realize is that even going to a tanning bed once increases your chances of getting Melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, by seventy-four percent. Making indoor tanning extremely dangerous for anyone to attempt.
Fortunately, there are some safer alternatives to tanning that still give you that desired glow. Sunless tanning products, also called self-tanners, can give your skin a tanned look without exposing it to harmful ultraviolet rays. Sunless tanning products are commonly sold as lotions and sprays you apply to your skin. Professional spray-on tanning also is available at many salons, spas and tanning businesses. The active ingredient in most sunless tanning products is the color additive, dihydroxyacetone. When applied, dihydroxyacetone reacts with dead cells in the skin’s surface to temporarily darken the skin. The coloring begins to wear off after a few days. Sunless tanning products might or might not contain sunscreen. If a product does contain sunscreen, it will only be effective for a couple of hours. The color produced by the sunless tanning product won’t protect your skin from ultraviolet rays. With these alternatives, people should attempt to lead a safer and healthier lifestyle. And to do that, people must always remember to wear their sunscreen!