Getting a golden glow may require only a few visits to a tanning salon, but it takes years – often a decade or more – to see long-term damage. And because young women who begin using tanning beds at an early age don’t see skin changes right way, they’re often lulled into a false sense of security. Don’t be fooled, says Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic. Even if the impairment is not immediately visible to the human eye, those ultraviolet (UV) rays in the tanning salon are causing long-term damage.
“The damage is cumulative over time,” says Piliang. “The ultraviolet rays from tanning beds – both UVA and UVB – damage skin and DNA just like natural sunlight does.”
In normal skin, the collagen and elastic fibers help keep the skin plump and firm, says Piliang. But a tanning salon’s UVA rays tend to penetrate deep into the skin and damage those fibers. Once those structures are destroyed, the skin sags and becomes thick and leathery.
When you’re young, explains Piliang, the skin’s own antioxidants and the body’s repair mechanism can defend against this damage. But regular exposure to the UV rays from visits to tanning salons affects the body’s defense system. The damage builds over time – not enough to see after each tanning session, but clearly apparent in your 20s, if you’ve been frequenting tanning beds since your teenage years.
The Skin Cancer Foundation (www.skincancer.org) is a not a fan of tanning beds. On its web site, the organization says that these establishments’ UV light may lead to skin cancer. Basal cell and squamous cell are the most typical skin cancers resulting from excess UV-ray exposure, says Piliang, adding that people who’ve used tanning beds prior to their mid-thirties are at an increased risk for melanoma, the most deadly type.
Skin-cancer risk is also cumulative. The downward spiral starts with UV damage to DNA in the cells. Everyone’s skin experiences cell turnover, and normal cells have a brake that prevents that process from going haywire, says Piliang. However, she says, cells that have been damaged no longer have an operative “stop” mechanism, and the result can be unregulated cell division which can lead to skin cancer.
Unnecessary exposure to UV light at tanning salons also causes damage to happen faster, warns Lenora Felderman, a dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York- Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “The skin remembers the damage resulting from long-term sun exposure,” says Felderman. “There’s a good chance that a person who frequently uses tanning beds will manifest skin cancer at a much earlier age than someone who abstains from tanning, especially if she’s genetically predisposed.”
Felderman notes that a sun tan is short lived. You can get similar results from self-tanning products, and create the illusion of a tan with make-up, she says.
“Unfortunately, teenagers and young adults believe they’re invincible,” Piliang, adding that many believe that skin cancer, if it happens, will only hit them when they’re old “Many don’t even feel they need to put sunscreen on their face or chest, because they’re in the tanning salon precisely to get a tan.” And myths abound, such as believing that tanning beds create a “safe” tan, she says. Eliminating visits to tanning salon can help make your skin history a healthy one.
Coeli Carr is a health and fitness writer in New York City.
