Indoor Tanning

Nora Younger

What Is Indoor Tanning?

Indoor tanning is the use of a
tanning bed to receive large amounts of ultraviolent A and B rays (UVA and UVB). The exposure to the rays result in tanned skin.

Who Can Tan?

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, any male or female in North Carolina above the age of eleven is allowed to use a tanning bed with parental consent. Once the consumer has reached the age of eighteen, parental consent is no longer required.

What Is a UVA Ray?

According to www.skincancer.org, a UVA ray is known as a long-wave ray that penetrates 320-400 nanometers into the skin. As you can see in the photo to the left, UVA rays reach the epidermis layer of skin.

What Is a UVB Ray?

According to www.skincancer.org UVB rays:

Are also known as a shortwave

ray

Penetrate 290-320 nanometers

into the skin

Cause skin reddening and

sunburn

Primarily damage the outer

epidermis layer of the skin

What Is The Difference Between UVA and UVB Rays?

According to www.skincancer.org :

UVA rays penetrate the skin deeper than UVB rays

Even though UVA rays are less intense than UVB rays, UVA
rays are thirty to fifty times more prevalent. This means that the rays can penetrate through clouds and glass.

UVA rays are the dominant tanning rays which damage DNA
located within the skin

When DNA is damaged, the skin darkens in an imperfect

attempt to prevent future damage which results in a tan.

What Can UV Expose Cause?

Premature Skin Aging
Overexposure to indoor and outdoor UV rays can result in
skin discoloration and textural change. Skin can form dark spots and can become wrinkly.

Premature Skin Aging

What Can UV Expose Cause?

Eye Damage
Cataracts are the most common form of eye damage.
The lens of the eye darkens and is not transparent, creating blurred vision.

Eye Damage

What Can UV Expose Cause?

Skin Cancer
UV radiation has been identified as a human carcinogen
stated by www.skincancer.org UV radiation is considered to be the main cause of non melanoma skin cancers. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma strike more than 250,000 Americans a year. UV radiation plays a very important role in the lives of fair skinned people, melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and kills more than 8,000 Americans a year.

Skin Cancer
Users of tanning beds are 2.5
times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma.

Users of tanning beds are 1.5

times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.

The first exposure to a

tanning bed increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75% which is stated by skincancer.org.

Interesting Facts About Tanning Bed Use

According to the research of
Dr. Heckman, 90% of skin cancers are caused by UV radiation.
Why do people continue to indoor tan even when all of these startling facts are presented to them?

Approximately 40-60% of
college students have used a tanning bed at least once.

Woman 20-39 years old tend

to be the most frequent tanning bed users.

Interesting Facts About Tanning Bed Use

According to Scott Hensley, a reporter for NPR, 5.6% of
adults had used a tanning bed in 2010.

30% of woman in the 18-25 age range have used a

tanning bed in 2010

58% of white woman who tanned indoors tanned 10

times more than a woman who tans outdoors

40% of white men who tanned indoors tanned 10 times

more than a man who tans outdoors

Why Do People Still Tan?

My Opinion As A Ex-Tanning Bed User:
Tanning in a tanning bed is convenient. You do not have
to lay outside in the sun in the middle of the day. You go on with your daily routine and when youre done, you can go to the tanning salon. It takes less time to get more tan. I did not have to sit out in the sun for 3 hours to get one skin tone darker. I only had to go to the tanning bed once, totaling only 30 minutes including travel time, to receive the same tan.

Why Do People Still Tan?

You can choose to not get into the tanning bed in a bathing
suit, leaving no tan lines behind. During the winter months, you cannot get a solid tan from the sun. Tanning salons are open year round. I primarily tanned during the winter months and when there was an important event coming up. Its all about convenience.

How Are People Protected While Tanning Indoors?

There is no safe way to
indoor tan.

Users are legally required

to wear tanning goggles while they are tanning, but that does not protect them from getting cataracts or other eye damage which was stated by the FDA.

What About The Vitamin D?

Stated by Elizabeth Carruth, a
credible student at Vanderbilt University, the vitamin D that is omitted from the UV rays can easily be replaced by food.

Did you know that the amount of

vitamin D released from the UV rays is MORE than the amount that is needed on a daily basis?

Vitamin D can be found in foods

such as cereal, dairy products, and fish!

Addictiveness
Researchers at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center, (nydailynews.com), have discovered that the addiction to tanning is equivalent to drug addictions.

When the tanning bed lights up,

parts of the brain that are associated with reward and addiction became very active.

Even With All Of These Terrifying Statistics, How Are Salons Still Open?
According to the FDA, more
specifically the Skin Cancer Foundation, the tanning salon industry: Serves over 28 million people Generates at least 5 billion
dollars a year Has over 30,000 tanning facilities across the country Every year, the numbers rise.

Why Is My Topic Important?

My topic is important because people do not realize
how dangerous it is to tan. Even though indoor tanning is fast and convenient, they are putting their life on the line for a deeper skin complexion.

Being tan is not worth the medical risks, we should

learn from the science that is right in front of us.

People are losing their life on a daily basis to

overexposure to UV rays, why should we OVEREXPOSE ourselves to it for beauty?

Why Is My Topic Important?

I want to further my knowledge about the negative
effects of tanning. After conducting research, I discouraged my loved ones from using tanning beds. I also stopped using them completely. I will never step foot into a tanning bed ever again.

The damage that I have already caused to my skin can

and MAY come back to haunt me in my future.

I want to be able to encourage younger girls to never

use a tanning bed. I am now equipped with the statistics to support my belief.

Why Is My Topic Important?

I want to be able to defend the counterarguments that
people have when it comes to tanning. With the statistics that I have gathered, not one excuse will be acceptable.

Tanning beds kill people. It may not be instant, but it will

eventually. Everyone is dying but we should do our best to stay healthy for as long as possible.

Are My Sources Valid?

Elizabeth Carruth
This source was a
research paper that Elizabeth has written and published as a student. Her research was organized and was back up by multiple sources. Her paper was published by Vanderbilt University, the university she attends.

Elizabeths projected
audience would be students. Her paper serves as a informational warning to people who do use tanning beds. It also serves as a informational piece for those who want to learn more about the dangers of tanning.

Are My Sources Valid?

The FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a very reliable
source. There is a large general audience for this source. Because this is a federal agency, the information that is presented is validated and is posted by public officials.

Are My Sources Valid?

Carolyn Heckman
This source is a published journal. It has been peerreviewed which significantly increases the validity of the information that it contains. The general audience for this source would be intellectuals interested in learning more about dermatology and how UV rays effect the skin. The age demographic can range from 18-40. There is a lot of useful information within this journal.

Are My Sources Valid?

NPR Article by Scott Hensley
This article is credible due to the fact that it was published
by NPR. NPRs general audience consists of older adults, particularly ones who enjoy listening to audio news and viewing online news articles.

Are My Sources Valid?

The National Conference of State Legislators
This source is reliable because it deals with laws and
legislation. On this website there are laws regarding indoor tanning that must be followed. The general audience for this source would be a tanning salon owner looking into the laws that they must abide by or a consumer that is interested in using a tanning bed and are wondering the limitations within their state.

Are My Sources Valid?

The New York Daily News
This source is a popular news channel in New York. The
information that they publish is credible and is viewed by residents in New York on a daily basis. The general audience for this specific article would most likely be a person who reads the medical portion of the newspaper. A person who enjoys reading research about recent studies, not age or gender specific.

Are My Sources Valid?

The Skin Cancer Foundation
The skin cancer foundation is credible because they
publish information that only involves skin cancer. The organizations mission is to spread information across the country about how to prevent skin cancer, support and research for those who do have skin cancer, and new research that has surfaced in regards to skin cancer. The audience for this source is a wide range of individuals. Some of which include: people with skin cancer, those who are trying to avoid it, or students that are conducting research.