Written by Josh Doyle
As the sun headed south this winter, along with a good cross-section of birds and rich leisurely folk with condos in Miami, the rest of us were left to deal with the many wonderful features of a North American winter.
We all know what this means: a lot of wind, a bit of snow, and an almost complete lack of sunlight. Fortunately, we come armed with our own solutions for these problems like jackets for the wind and boards for the snow. But what does one do to replace that light in the sky?
Those of us who were unable to take off to warmer climates over the holidays have been left with a skin tone that is less than desirable.
The difference from frosh week to frost week is plain to see when looking at the faces of the students: bright tans give way to the pale skin that many of us were born with.
But living in a world with options, those who find this lack of colour undesirable can easily remedy the issue with a couple of trips to the local tanning salon. These salons are becoming more and more popular, and tanning salons have confirmed that this is a very busy time of year as Seasonal Affective Disorder sets in and the moods of Canadians change in relation to the lack of sunlight and Vitamin D.
However, along with the rise in tanning popularity comes a rise in the debate over the health risks. This could be why the United States government has recently decided to place a 10 per cent tax on tanning salons, a tax previously intended for cosmetic surgeries.
The process of tanning is one that your skin does naturally as a result of its interaction with ultra violet (UV) rays, usually emitted by the sun. This same effect is recreated when you visit a tanning bed, where the lights emit a similar spectrum of rays.
But don’t let the term ‘natural’ convince you that indoor tanning is completely ‘healthy.’
Your skin changes colour in order to protect itself, as darker skin allows less penetration of rays that can be harmful.
To one with only their health in mind, it might sound like a no brainer to stay away from UV rays, but the issue is more complicated than that. Tanned skin looks good, and although this can’t be considered a fact, it’s a common belief in our culture today.
Tanning indoors comes with its own set of health benefits.
First of all, there is the production of Vitamin D offered by exposure to UV light, a point commonly noted by supporters of the tanning industry. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin, and those of us living life indoors may not be getting enough.
“The benefits that have been linked to Vitamin D [exposure] are reductions in breast cancer, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis and diabetes,” said Sam, manager of Fabutan in Guelph, who chose not to give her last name. “Vitamin D is only ever naturally processed through UV exposure. If you take pills or supplements, there is a risk of toxicity whereby you can overdoes on the vitamin. When receiving Vitamin D naturally through the tanning bed, you’re actually able to produce it and store it in your kidneys naturally and then it can be used throughout the body.”
This all sounds good, but the debate comes with an intimidating list of risks as well, the most frightening of which is skin cancer.
Melanoma is a term often associated with sun exposure, and although it is less common than other forms of skin cancer, it is responsible for the most deaths.
Another downside to tanning is its effect on the appearance of your skin. After tanning to an attractive colour, skin tends to age at an increased rate.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours, just like it’s your choice to drink, or drive a car, both of which have considerable risks and yet are done frequently by a large percentage of students. The important thing is to be educated about what you’re doing, and perhaps to treat tanning as you should anything: useful in moderation.
“We (at Fabutan) constantly stress the importance of moderation,” said Sam, who explained that Fabutan, as the largest indoor tanning company in North America, is committed to educating its clients, prior to use. “Being an indoor facility, we want to properly monitor the length of time that people tan for. Fabutan is Smart Tan Certified, which makes sure that all the technicians are well aware of skin types and exposure times.
“We guarantee to our clients not to overexpose them. We are more interested in educational purposes than just the tan itself.”
The real story here is that the chemical sunscreen manufacturers have successfully convinced society that exposure to UV light will likely give you a deadly case of skin cancer, and that message of fear has lined their pockets with billions of dollars in profits. The chemical sunscreen message has penetrated as deep into our society as the titanium dioxide in a chemical sunscreen penetrates into our skin. Their message has gone unopposed and unchecked since the late 1970’s.
Only recently have the absurd claims from the chemical suncreen manufacturers come under scrutiny from the medical community. There is mounting evidence that any rise of incidence in melanoma is likely due to the use of the chemical sunscreen itself!
The same old drabble about how bad the sun is for you and if any sunlight should land on your skin you’ll age quickly and then die a horrible slow death from skin cancer is old, tired and outdated. There is definitely a story to be told. The sun is not your enemy. The chemical sunscreen manufacturers are. They are taking your money and giving you not only skin cancer in return, but all sort of other health conditions as a result of depriving you of vitamin D.