SYS: Save Your Skin

The last couple of days I've been working on a research paper for my Medical Sociology class about how society influences people to tan, which in turn leads to an increased risk of skin cancer. I've been reading scholarly article after scholarly article about how tanning leads to skin cancer, and its starting to freak me out. Tanning is rampant in our society. And as the weather starts to warm up, tanning salons will fill with people (mostly women) looking for that perfect bronze glow. Most people know the risks, but just assume "It won't happen to me." Sorry, people, but it will.

Love my pasty white skin

I've been blessed with pasty white British Isles skin, what researchers call "Fitzpatrick Skin". My junior year of high school I fell susceptible to the socially constructed view of tan as beautiful. I bought a 25 tan pass (yuck!) and started going once a week. I eased my way into it, and I actually started to TAN. This was a first for me, as I have a tendency to go from red to white to red to white. Tans are rare. The sad thing is, everything people love about tanning is true: I looked great, I looked skinnier, felt better about myself, etc. A number of weeks after I began my tanning campaign I had an appointment with a dermatologist (acne check-up). In the course of the appointment we got on the subject of moles and I mentioned I had a weird one on my back. As he looked at it, he noticed my tanner-than-natural skin. He had two things to say: first that mole on my back was dangerous, it had to be removed and sent to a lab immediately; second, how could I possibly decide it was a good idea to tan? He wasn't kidding about the mole, he sliced it out that day. That week I was a wreck. How could I have ignored the warnings? Even if you don't have "Fitzpatrick skin" like I do, tanning is a stupid thing to do, and I am usually a very rational person. Over the week I prayed to Heavenly Father that I wouldn't have cancer, and I promised I would NEVER enter a tanning bed again. At the end of the week I got a call: all was clear, but don't go tanning anymore.

I didn't go tanning for a long time--not even for my wedding. Last summer however, I fell again. Chris and I were going to Lake Michigan for our anniversary and we both wanted to look "good". So we decided to try JUST ONE visit to a tanning salon. The result: Chris's back was roasted; I was untouched, but racked with guilt. I had promised, then had broken that promise. That alone reaffirmed my conviction to never go tanning again, not to mention my poor husband's red back.

However, I like to have a little color just as much as the next girl. When the sun comes out and I start wearing shorts its nice not to have blinding white legs. Luckily, today's world has very acceptable alternatives to cancer-inducing beds. Self-tanning lotions have evolved a lot. Orange streaks are completely avoidable. My favorite is Dove Energy Glow. It doesn't make me look super tan, but it gives a little tint of color--me looking super tan is gross and unnatural anyway. Also, it doesn't leave streaks or show up orange. Just put a little on every night and you gradually get a little tint. Lots of products these days work that way. So avoid the tanning salon, use sunscreen, and check out the beauty section of stores to find a product that can give you a HEALTHY glow.

P.S. Interesting note for vacationers: tanning in beds before going on vacation is NOT SAFER. You may not feel pain from a sunburn, but you are just as likely, or more likely, to get skin cancer. Use sunscreen, please.

Reason #231 why you should wear sunscreen: