About 80 percent of people under the age of 25 believe they look better with a tan, according to www.kidshealth.org . Tanning is very popular and teens are especially getting involved in it. Since prom is just around the corner, all the girls are soaking up the “sun”.
Tanning is not such a necessary thing. Boys and girls are getting more involved with each other in younger ages than they used too. Tanning is something that is okay every once in a while, but when it becomes an addiction, it turns into a problem. Teenagers are so consumed with fitting in with current trends that they don’t realize all the harmful effects of tanning. Tanning can affect your skin and eyes. If you’re pregnant, then it can affect your baby.
Ultraviolet radiation is what causes sunburns by burning the upper layer of skin, or epidermis. The FDA has an estimated 3,000 hospital emergency room visits caused by indoor tanning. People should be exposed to the least amount of UVB rays as possible. Just tanning, not burning, does not mean that they are being saved from problems such as skin cancer.
On the other hand, the body produces a self tanning agent called Melanin. This is the natural way a body attempts to keep you from burning.
One simple and the most obvious solution is to use sunscreen. Sunscreen is broken up into two different types, active and daily use. The new seal on sunscreen informs teens of the perfect type of sunscreen needed.
Think twice before tanning. It causes multiple problems and can drastically affect lives.