http://www.detnews.com/2004/lifestyle/0410/06/d01-294691.htm
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Teens crazy about tanning
Indoor bronzing remains popular despite warnings of skin damage
By Kathleen Ryan / Special to The Detroit News
David Guralnick / The Detroit News
Jessica Edney turns to the tanning booth at Oasis Tanning and Cellular in Chesterfield Township after summer fades, sometimes with her mother. Neither is worried about skin damage. "I like how I look with a tan. I don't like the pale look," Jessica says.
5 things to know before you tan
Despite health risks from ultraviolet exposure, many consumers choose to use an indoor tanning facility. The following recommendations are from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
1. Limit your exposure to avoid sunburn. If you tan with a device, ask whether the manufacturer or the salon staff recommend exposure limits for your skin type.
2.Set a timer on the tanning device that automatically shuts off the lights or somehow signals that you have reached your exposure time. Do not exceed the recommended guidelines.
3. Use goggles to protect your eyes. They should fit snuggly. If the salon reuses goggles, make sure they are sterilized in order to avoid eye infections. Better yet, purchase a pair for your own use and bring them with you every time you tan.
4.Consider your medical history before you tan. Certain medications can intensify ultraviolet rays and cause burns. Check with your physician if you are diabetic, take birth control pills, antihistamines, tranquilizers or acne mediations.
5.For more information, visit http://www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, (877) 382-4357.
Source: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/online/pubs/health/.
Ultraviolet alternatives
Tanning sprays eliminate the cancer risk from ultraviolet exposure.
If you've been afraid to try sunless
tanning products because of flashbacks to orange streaks of the Man Tan days, fear no more. Sunless
tanning products have improved dramatically, and it's difficult to detect them from UV ray-induced tans.
By far the most revolutionary new product is the Mystic Tan system, a private, self-contained tanning booth with spray nozzles that distribute a mist of tanning lotion over the entire body. The Mystic Tan System:
* Utilizes dihydroxyacetone, an FDA-approved color additive derived from vegetable products, which coats the skin and gives a smooth,
bronze coating
* Takes less than a minute, dries fast and is safe for most people
* Lasts from three to seven days, and the average cost is $30
* Requires proper preparation for the skin, including exfoliating and moisturizing, prior to going to the Mystic Tan booth.
* For the location of a Mystic Tan system salon near you, visit http://www.mystictan.com.
If you prefer to "tan" at home, there are several self-
tanning products available. These lotions, foams and gels also utilize dihydroxyacetone and are relatively risk-free, except for an occasional allergic reaction for some people with sensitive skin. Visit http://www.tanningsite.com for a list of products and reviews.
-- Kathleen Ryan
Learn more
Read more about skin health, disorders and treatment, watch Webcasts presented by doctors
David Coates / The Detroit News
Dermatologist Shauna Ryder Diggs warns that skin cancer is on the rise in women, some younger than age 30.
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Jessica Edney, 15, found the perfect dress for her homecoming dance at North L’Anse Creuse High School in Chesterfield Township — a black strapless, with shoes to match.
So did Devin Broaddus and Rachel Kare, both 15 and sophomores at Regina High School in Harper Woods, who planned to attend several homecoming dances.
But there was one more thing the teens felt they needed — a perfect tan.
With the fall sun fading fast, they turned to a tanning booth to get it.
“I like how I look with a tan,” says Jessica, a junior whose homecoming was last weekend. “I don’t like the pale look. I tan outside during the summer, but I go to the tanning booth now to keep my tan until after homecoming.”
Metro Detroit tanning beds have been busy lately as teen girls prepared for homecoming festivities. This is in spite of well-publicized warnings by health professionals about the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) rays increasing the risk of skin cancer.
Jessica’s mother, Tracy Diem, occasionally accompanies her daughter to the tanning salon.
“I like to do it for special occasions,” she says. “And I also believe that you can build a base tan using a tanning salon before going on a vacation during the winter. We did that one year, and no one had a sunburn during the vacation.”
Neither Jessica nor her mother are overly concerned about warnings regarding exposure to UV rays, either naturally from the sun, or the artificial ones generated in tanning booths.
“We don’t do it that often, so I’m not that worried,” Diem says.
Broaddus and Kare feel the same way and work hard to maintain their summer tans.
By Kathleen Ryan
Special to The Detroit News
Jessica Edney, 15, found the perfect dress for her homecoming dance at North L’Anse Creuse High School in Chesterfield Township — a black strapless, with shoes to match.
So did Devin Broaddus and Rachel Kare, both 15 and sophomores at Regina High School in Harper Woods, who planned to attend several homecoming dances.
But there was one more thing the teens felt they needed — a perfect tan.
With the fall sun fading fast, they turned to a tanning booth to get it.
“I like how I look with a tan,” says Edney, a junior whose homecoming was last weekend. “I don’t like the pale look. I tan outside during the summer, but I go to the tanning booth now to keep my tan until after homecoming.”
Metro Detroit tanning beds have been busy lately as teen girls prepared for homecoming festivities. This is in spite of well-publicized warnings by health professionals about the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) rays increasing the risk of skin cancer.
Jessica’s mother, Tracy Diem, occasionally accompanies her daughter to the tanning salon.
“I like to do it for special occasions,” she said. “And I also believe that you can build a base tan using a tanning salon before going on a vacation during the winter. We did that one year, and no one had a sunburn during the vacation.”
Neither Jessica nor her mother are overly concerned about warnings regarding exposure to UV rays, either naturally from the sun, or the artificial ones generated in tanning booths.
“We don’t do it that often, so I’m not that worried,” said Diem.
Broaddus and Kare feel the same way and work hard to maintain their summer tans.
“I think I look better and healthier (with a tan),” says Broaddus of New Baltimore.
“I really like the way a tan makes me look for pictures,” says Kare of Anchorville.
Once the homecoming dances are over, they plan to give up tanning until February or March, then hit the tanning booths again in the spring, before outdoor tanning season begins.
They say their mothers pay for their tanning sessions, but they try to save money by purchasing monthly packages at their favorite salons, which provide unlimited visits at reduced rates. A survey of eight Metro Detroit salons showed that these monthly packages average from $20 to $40 per month.
But could tanning be costing them more later in life?
Harmful effects
“We already know that there are harmful effects to the skin as the result of tanning,” says Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs, a Grosse Pointe Farms dermatologist. “Young girls might not be seeing the effects now, but we know that 20 or 30 years down the road they’ll start to pay the price with wrinkles, freckles and worse.”
Of course, the “worse” is skin cancer, which medical experts say is mainly caused by overexposure to ultraviolet rays, be they from the sun or a tanning booth.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are 1.3 million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year in the United States, and 7,400 deaths from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
“The facts are there,” Diggs says. “We’re seeing skin cancers at younger ages, even under 30. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that as the rate of young girls using tanning booths increases, so does the rate of skin cancer among young women.”
The Indoor Tanning Association Inc. (ITA), based in McLean, Va., doesn’t agree, maintaining tanning in the controlled environment of a tanning booth actually helps to diminish the risk of skin cancer by reducing the chance of sunburn.
“The key is moderation ... and controlling exposure,” says Jeff Nedelman, a spokesman for the association. Indoor tanning is a $5 billion a year industry, he says.
While the medical community stresses minimizing exposure to sun and using sunscreen to protect skin, the ITA says its research shows nontanners sunburn more than people who tan indoors. The ITA advises slowly building up a base tan as a way to avoid sunburn. As the base tan deepens, exposure is controlled to maintain the tone of the tan or darken it, all the way avoiding burning.
Nedelman urges consumers to choose salons with a “Smart Tan” certification, issued by the Indoor Tanning Association. It indicates salon owners and employees have participated in education programs set up by the association.
While the vast majority of people who use a tanning booth are older than age 30, Nedelman says the ITA stresses the importance of parental involvement for clients younger than 18. “Whether a young person uses a tanning booth or not is a decision that should be left to the parents,” he says. “We expect parents to be parents.”
Plymouth dermatologist A. Craig Cattell, M.D., would like parents to read the official policy statement of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
“The AAD lists 10 points in their position statement on indoor tanning,” he says. “The very first point is that no minor should be permitted to use tanning devices.”
Cattell challenges the tanning industry’s contention that indoor tanning is safe and without harmful side effects.
“That is misleading,” he says, and points again to the official policy statement of the AAD, which states there is no safe way to tan. “We believe that these facilities should be barred from using terms like ‘safe,’ ‘safe tanning,’ and ‘no harmful rays,’ as those statements are simply not true.”
Regulation sought
While dermatologists and the tanning industry remain at odds over the safety of indoor tanning, especially for young people, many states are stepping in to settle the question for them. Currently 27 states have some form of legislation pertaining to the tanning industry, several with special provisions for minors. Legislators in California, a state where tanning is seen by some as a religion, recently passed a law that would bar anyone youner than 18 from using an electric tanning bed. The bill is awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.
Tanning salons in Michigan are not licensed by the state, but may come under licensing control of a city or township. At least one Michigan legislator wants to change that.
A constituent whose daughter had been severely burned while using an indoor tanning booth approached Michigan Rep. Frank Accavitti, D-Eastpointe, urging some type of state oversight. Accavitti introduced legislation, HB No. 5144, in October 2003. It would require tanning salons to be licensed by the state and adhere to specific rules and regulations, including written notification of the possible side effects from exposure to UV rays, a warning about side effects if customers are taking certain medications, and the requirement that minors must have a parent or guardian’s permission.
“I’m worried that there are too many inexperienced operators,” Accavitti says. “There are currently no regulations, other than what some industry groups place on their members. But there are no consequences for members who do not follow those rules. I think this is an industry that needs to be licensed.”
The bill still sits in the Commerce Committee and will not be acted on this session. Accavitti hopes to reintroduce it next session.
Diggs believes it will take more than a law to discourage teen girls from utilizing tanning salons.
“Tanned, oiled bodies seem to be all they see in fashion magazines and on television,” says the dermatologist.
But perhaps there’s another reason why year-round tanning has become so popular, with 28 million Americans visiting a tanning booth at least once a year, according to the ITA. A recent study showed ultraviolet rays are addictive and appear to trigger the release of endorphins, morphinelike substances in the brain that block pain and heighten pleasure.
Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., conducted the tanning booth study. For six weeks, subjects were offered three tanning sessions per week but were not told that some of the tanning beds emitted ultraviolet light, while others did not. The subjects consistently chose the beds with the ultraviolet lights, saying they felt in a better mood after using those particular booths.
As long as tanned skin remains in vogue, Diggs and Cattell recommend tanning lotions and sprays as safe alternatives to ultraviolet rays. They can either be applied at home, or at a tanning salon that offers the new spray techniques. Salon-applied sprays last about a week.
“These tanning lotions and sprays have improved dramatically over the ones from several years ago that turned people orange,” Cattell says. “These products contain dihydroxyacetone, which has no side effects for most people.”
Diggs agrees. “Though I prefer people just go with their natural skin tone, lotions and sprays offer a real alternative for those who want a tan look without any of the risks,” she says. “Even I can’t tell the difference anymore.”
But Diggs reminds patients that even with a “tan” from lotions or sprays, a sunscreen should be applied daily, as these lotions provide no ultraviolet protection.
“Sunscreen should be a daily habit,” she says. “And stay out of the sun, artificial or otherwise.”
Kathleen Ryan is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer.
The SIDEBAR
David Guralnick / The Detroit News
Jessica Edney turns to the tanning booth at Oasis Tanning and Cellular in Chesterfield Township after summer fades, sometimes with her mother. Neither is worried about skin damage. "I like how I look with a tan. I don't like the pale look," Jessica says.
5 things to know before you tan
Despite health risks from ultraviolet exposure, many consumers choose to use an indoor tanning facility. The following recommendations are from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
1. Limit your exposure to avoid sunburn. If you tan with a device, ask whether the manufacturer or the salon staff recommend exposure limits for your skin type.
2.Set a timer on the tanning device that automatically shuts off the lights or somehow signals that you have reached your exposure time. Do not exceed the recommended guidelines.
3. Use goggles to protect your eyes. They should fit snuggly. If the salon reuses goggles, make sure they are sterilized in order to avoid eye infections. Better yet, purchase a pair for your own use and bring them with you every time you tan.
4.Consider your medical history before you tan. Certain medications can intensify ultraviolet rays and cause burns. Check with your physician if you are diabetic, take birth control pills, antihistamines, tranquilizers or acne mediations.
5.For more information, visit http://www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, (877) 382-4357.
Source: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/online/pubs/health/.
Ultraviolet alternatives
Tanning sprays eliminate the cancer risk from ultraviolet exposure.
If you've been afraid to try sunless
tanning products because of flashbacks to orange streaks of the Man Tan days, fear no more. Sunless
tanning products have improved dramatically, and it's difficult to detect them from UV ray-induced tans.
By far the most revolutionary new product is the Mystic Tan system, a private, self-contained tanning booth with spray nozzles that distribute a mist of tanning lotion over the entire body. The Mystic Tan System:
* Utilizes dihydroxyacetone, an FDA-approved color additive derived from vegetable products, which coats the skin and gives a smooth,
bronze coating
* Takes less than a minute, dries fast and is safe for most people
* Lasts from three to seven days, and the average cost is $30
* Requires proper preparation for the skin, including exfoliating and moisturizing, prior to going to the Mystic Tan booth.
* For the location of a Mystic Tan system salon near you, visit http://www.mystictan.com.
If you prefer to "tan" at home, there are several self-
tanning products available. These lotions, foams and gels also utilize dihydroxyacetone and are relatively risk-free, except for an occasional allergic reaction for some people with sensitive skin. Visit http://www.tanningsite.com for a list of products and reviews.
-- Kathleen Ryan
Learn more
Read more about skin health, disorders and treatment, watch Webcasts presented by doctors
David Coates / The Detroit News
Dermatologist Shauna Ryder Diggs warns that skin cancer is on the rise in women, some younger than age 30.
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[ This Message was edited by: sun2go on 2004-10-06 22:24 ]