Aug 09, 2024
I’m Megan Westfall, Oncology Nurse Navigator at United Hospital Center. I’m here to answer your questions about sun safety.
1. Are tanning beds a better alternative to being exposed to the sun’s rays?
Quite simply, No. I recommend avoiding artificial sources of UV exposure. In fact, indoor tanning, whether using a tanning bed, booth, sunbed, or sunlamp to darken the skin, exposes users to high levels of UV rays.
2. Are there other concerns we should know about indoor tanning?
Indoor tanning exposes users to intense levels of UV rays, a known cause of cancer.
It does not protect against sunburns. A “base tan” is actually a sign of skin damage.
Indoor tanning can lead to serious injury. Indoor tanning accidents and burns send more than 3,000 people to the emergency room each year.
3. So, one shouldn’t necessarily equate good health with tanned skin?
A tan does not indicate good health. When UV rays reach the skin’s inner layer, the skin makes more melanin. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color. It moves toward the outer layers of the skin and becomes visible as a tan. Any change in skin color after UV exposure (whether it is a tan or a burn) is a sign of injury, not health.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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