Tanning where the sun don't shine

RWU student struggles with skin cancer from indoor tanning

By: Owen Kauppila

Posted: 11/13/09

Summertime memories are slowly drifting to the backs of students' minds at Roger Williams University as the leaves fall and the temperature plummets. With those memories goes the bronzed skin tone that so many students worked tirelessly to achieve during the peak summer months.

Some students accept their predictable fair tone until the next warm season rolls around while others attempt to regain their summer glow by using the services of tanning salons.

RWU senior Ashlee Soares was one of those students. Soares tanned two to three times per week in preparation for important events during high school and frequented her vacation home in Florida twice a year, exposing her body to immense amounts of sunlight annually. These bursts of tanning ceased come fall of this year.

"I was diagnosed with Stage I Melanoma skin cancer in September 2009," Soares said. "Doctors were pretty sure indoor tanning was the main cause."

Stage I Melanomas are referred to as 'localized tumors,' meaning the cancer hasn't spread to surrounding lymph nodes or other areas in the body. Although this form of Melanoma is fairly low-risk, it is still dangerous and had to be taken seriously in Soares' case.

"When the results came back that I had Melanoma, my heart dropped," Soares said. "I knew my life would change and that it was something I had to protect myself from forever. I never thought I would get skin cancer. Everyone thinks 'it won't happen to me,' but when it does it's always too late."

The light bulbs used in most tanning beds and tanning booths emit UVA rays. UVB rays are considered more harmful for the sole reason that they are prone to produce burning, most commonly known as sunburns. However, it could be argued that UVA rays are as bad or worse than UVB because they penetrate deeper into the skin, which leads to consequences that appear further into life.

This ultraviolet radiation is what causes the changes in cell DNA, and in combination with excessive exposure, eventually can develop into cancer.

The Nemours Foundation reported that "according to a recent study, radiation from just 10 indoor-tanning sessions in two weeks can suppress a person's cancer-fighting immune system."

Amy Pimentel, manager of the Bristol and Newport Hot Bodeez tanning franchises, said, "I do try to educate and make our customers aware of the risks as much as possible."

When asked if there was a limit to how much an individual could tan per day, she responded, "customers are limited to one tanning session every 24 hours.

"Do I suggest it? Absolutely not," she said, "but if they absolutely wanted to they could tan seven days a week."

Risks of getting cancer from indoor tanning are common sense to those who use tanning salons. Articles published about survivors or patients dealing with skin cancers are littered throughout teen magazines and health booklets; even tanning salons publicize the effects of tanning to their customers.

Soares said that she was aware of the risks.

"The salons keep a posted sign in each room that warns of the risks of tanning and skin cancer," she said, 'but not many people go in there to read them when they are using a salon."

Most employees of tanning salons are required to read up on the latest research and data collected about the effects of tanning indoors during their training. Pamphlets, flyers and newsletters are mailed to salons in order to raise awareness behind the dangers of UV radiation and tanning in general, which Pimentel "makes all of [her] employees read."

Whether or not the consequences of tanning are clearly delivered to the public, teenagers, adults and even some elderly continue to visit salons such as Hot Bodeez to build up their bronzed tone.

"College students are a good 85 percent of our clientele," said Pimentel. "People ages 18 to 25 make up our market group, but you'd be surprised at the number of older men who come in."

For high school and college students like Soares, other factors affect their decisions to tan, such as friends, proms, other school-related events, self-confidence and the overall comfort.

"Friends' influences in high school was a major factor," said Soares. "Everyone thought tan meant pretty; the darker you are, the better."

"When it comes time for the weekend and everyone's going out," Pimentel said, "they want to look good."

There's no doubt that image plays a large role in swaying teens and adults to tan under UV lights, but some people tan for more less materialistic and more enjoyable reasons: it feels nice.

"Tanning is comforting in the colder months during the winter," said RWU senior Joelle Riccio, "especially living in Rhode Island."

No matter the reason behind using indoor salons to develop a tan, students should consider less-harmful options that some tanning salons offer, such as spray tanning.

Spray tanning is a healthy alternative to attain a sun-kissed glow without the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. The active ingredient in spray tans, DHA, reacts with cells on the surface of your skin to darken the skin temporarily. Although a spray tan doesn't always last as long as a UV-produced tan, customers can avoid the long-term effects associated with indoor tanning.

According to RWU sophomore Katelyn Galvin, "spray tanning gives more dramatic color, and I don't have to be afraid of getting skin cancer."

When asked why she chose spray tanning over normal indoor tanning, Galvin said, "Statistics."

And statistics truly are stacked against the UVA rays used in tanning salons. Pimentel noted that too many people focus on the negative aspects of tanning rather than the positives, such as the fact that "[customers] get more vitamin D production out of one tanning session than from spending a day out in the sun."

This could be based on the fact that tanning beds are controlled areas that force the UV rays directly to your skin without obstacles such as clouds or the Ozone layer.

Soares' choice to use tanning beds throughout her high school career led to negative consequences that now restrict her ability to expose herself to the sun.

"I can never go in the sun for long periods of time," Soares said. "I have to continuously get checked by my dermatologist every 4 months, and I always need SPF 50 when coming into contact with the sun."