The well-known side effects of tanning salons haven’t stopped Katelyn Gross from visiting them to darken her skin.
“I feel better when I have color,” she said.
Health professionals consistently remind tanning salon customers of the risks they’re running. Kathy Saichuk, University health promotion coordinator, is among them. She said frequent exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing melanoma, the most common cancer among women ages 25-32.
Tanning beds will soon be a little less busy in California, where the state legislature banned the use of UV indoor tanning beds for all minors under 18 years old as of January. That’s currently the strictest teen tanning law in the nation, and Saichuk said this could be done in Louisiana if the right politician was involved and support was strong.
But Gross, a mass communication freshman and employee at tanning salon Planet Beach on Highland Road, doesn’t think people would take such a law seriously.
Gross said she has always wondered why tan skin is considered more attractive than pale skin, and she subscribes to the theory of another tanning salon’s advertisement: “tan flab is sexier than white flab.”
Gross acknowledged that the statement was harsh but accepted that it is true in today’s culture.
Saichuk said that many years ago, being tan signified being a poor laborer, and it was not until after World War II that darker skin showed a sign of wealth.
Although melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, it is not the only form of skin cancer, Saichuk said as she pointed to a scar on her forehead where a cancerous squamous cell was removed.
“Whatever you do when you are young, your body will let you know you did it when you get a little older,” she said.
Saichuk said when she was younger, she coached outdoors and rarely took precautions to protect her skin. Now she visits the dermatologist twice a year to make sure she hasn’t developed any forms of cancer.
Saichuck said people are beginning to understand that sun damage is harmful in the short-term and long-term. Sunburns cause premature aging and wrinkling, which can’t be corrected, she said.
The ozone layer protects the earth from harmful UVA and UVB rays, according to Geoff Clayton, physics and astronomy professor. If the ozone layer is destroyed, it lets through more UV rays and can potentially cause more harm to humans.
Clayton said people can determine the potential harm by comparing the amount of UV radiation coming from the sun versus the amount produced from tanning beds.
“If there is more UV radiation coming from the tanning beds lights, then yeah, that could be more damaging,” Clayton said.
Clayton said getting some sun is healthy because it produces vitamin D in the body, but Saichuk warned that people only need about 15 minutes of sun twice a week.
Saichuk said tanning beds should one day be outlawed, adding that they emit more intense UV light than the sun does.
“They are in the same category of some of the other things we know are high risk for cancer, like tobacco,” Saichuk said.
Gross suggested that skin cancer awareness month should be promoted similarly to breast cancer awareness month to bring more attention to the harmful effects.
 
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Contact Jacy Baggett at [email protected]