Every year more than one million people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the United States. In spite of this fact, hundreds of thousands of people routinely visit tanning salons. - Are tanning booths less dangerous than tans from the sun?
The truth is that the UVA rays that are emitted from the Ultraviolet light sources in tanning salons are two to three times more powerful than the UVA rays which occur naturally from the sun. Scientists and most lay people agree that solar radiation is damaging to our skin. The first result of sun damage that we notice is that our skin may become pink, red, or blistered from a severe burn. Types of photosensitivity including drug reactions and sun poisoning may also be initiated by tanning salon exposure. People who tan not only accept, but expect their skin to pass through these damaging changes. They suppose that these damaging skin changes are the path to a deep, golden glow. They just want to appear healthy. Consequently they often accept the pink, red, and even severe burns and blisters, as necessary tribulations that must occur. - What are the long-term effects of UV exposure? Over time, the effects of too much UVA exposure can lead to eye damage, immune system changes, cataracts, wrinkles and premature aging of the skin, and skin cancers. Just look at your own skin and compare areas such as the front of your hands and your face to areas that are almost never exposed to solar radiation. The dissimilarity in skin texture, tone, wrinkles, ect., that you see are caused by exposure to the sun.
▪ Cancer of a skin is the most common form of cancer and approximately 90% of all skin cancers can be traced to UV exposure.
This disease most often occurs on the face, and almost never on the buttocks, inner thighs, or under the arms. Skin cancer has three main types: melanoma, basal-cell carcinoma, and squamous-cell carcinoma.
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