The ‘Healthy’ Glow
Written on April 11, 2008 by Holly · Filed under Health & Fitness
It’s spring, which means summer is just around the corner and women are getting ready to get their bikini bodies. But what if women, with their exercise schedule and healthy diets, are backtracking and while they think they are being healthy in their efforts to maintain that perfect beach body, are really just harming their health more?
If you go to a gym, you most likely utilize most of the facilities and activities that they have to offer. Work out equipment, maybe some private classes with a personal trainer or being part of a weekly class, if they have a nutritionist on staff, you most likely consulted with them about maintaining some healthy eating habits or have gotten a quick snack from them. Just before taking your shower, getting back into your street clothes and going home, how many women hop into the tanning bed for that healthy summer glow; because lets face it, who wants to be a color just a few pigments darker than chalk? But what you don’t know is that tanning beds, a $5 billion/year industry, are harming you more than you may think.
Personally, I used to frequent tanning salons because I suffered from chronic insomnia and I found that while accompanying a friend of mine on her tanning trip and deciding to try it out for myself, that a tanning bed was the only place where I could fall asleep. While I didn’t strive for the perfect tan, I do know women who became absolutely obsessed with tanning, making appointments at two or three different tanning facilities just so no one told them that they were tanning too much because they would go to a variety of different places. It looked as if they were going once a week, but they were really visiting these facilities three times a week or more!
Tanning, while incredibly bad for your skin to begin with, as the ultraviolet radiation can cause wrinkles, dark spots and premature aging; indoor tanning can also put you at a 55% higher risk for melanoma.
Dermatologist Louis Barich, MD, has reported that “Essentially, 20 minutes in a tanning bed can do as much damage as five hours of natural sunlight.”
So before hopping into that tanning bed for that healthy glow, go outside and get some fresh air instead–but be sure to put the sunblock on! While being pasty white may not seem very attractive to you, think about how you would feel about wrinkles, dark spots and ultimately, skin cancer.
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Thank you for this insightful post.
I’ve often wondered about, and even done some research into potential dangers of tanning salons. I once heard of an instance where two teenage girls were tragically killed in an automobile accident. While the coroner was performing toxicology tests, he observed something he had never seen before — the internals of both girls were ’singed’, as though they had been cooked. Upon further investigation, the prevailing theory about the mysterious internal burns was that the damage was most likely caused by tanning beds, as both girls were regulars at the tanning salon.
As the mother of a college-age daughter, that story scares the you-know-what out of me.
Your post is scary but true. I remember when I was visiting a friend in Australia. At the time I was still going to tanning beds to keep my summer tan since fitness models need to keep a bit of a tan to give their muscles the appearance of more definition. So when my friend went to the local suntan studio I tagged along. I was surprised that they made me sign a waiver saying that they would not be responsible if I got skin cancer because I was using tanning beds.
That was a wakeup call and when I got back to America I stopped going to tanning beds. It’s been 5 years and I now have some worrisome moles that I have to keep checking up on. As a fitness model I have to look good, but tanning is no longer an option.
Its frightened but true. Now -a-days its very difficult for women to go out. And if it is in their tight fit bikinies, then its very dangerous. Women are very particular about their fittness and shape. In my opinion its not the fault of women but the generation itself, which doesnot respect the women.
It’s just a really sad trend. A lot of white folks –young women in particular–are not happy with with natural skin color. Excessive tanning, and that is pretty much what is going on at tanning salons, is not only highly dangerous, but will age the skin remarkably. All these young girls in another 10-15 years are going to deeply regret the heavy tanning they did as youngsters. The problem needs to be addressed at the top. Pop culture reinforces the ideal look for these girls: tanned, thin, and with augmented breasts. It’s not healthy–physically or mentally–to place these impossible ideals on our children. Pictures of heavily tanned people reaching their 40’s and 50’s might set them straight, but somehow I don’t think so…
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what escapes my logic is dat why anyone want to bask in artificial ultra violet rays which are downright harmful and its effects could be irreversible.
I used to work with a girl who tanned 3 times a week. She’s now trying to conceive and unable to do so. Doctors have told her that her tanning so much could have resulted in her being infertile.
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If only I could direct this blog to my sister and open her eyes a little. She bought her own tanning bed and put it in her garage. She uses it for 40 minutes every two days, 4 times a week basically. It worries me but she’ll make her own mistakes, I suppose.
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Wow I never knew this but then as a “woman of color” I have never even seen a tanning bed. HOrrible stuff. Love yourselves!
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I recently went to Mexico and did the pre-tan thing to get some color so I didn’t burn so bad by using a stand up tanning bed. I was unaware of how dangerous this really was, but I am hoping that the few weeks I fake tanned is long gone now. ….. I prefer the real sun
In Australia New South Wales, there will be a new law in effect (I believe in 2009) that will forbid fairskinned people and the under 18s to use tanningbeds. I have never used them and use decent protection when out in the sun. If I want a tan I’ll use a selftanner.
I’ve always had my questions about tanning beds and the long term effects. I’ll have to say though it is quite interesting that going to the tanning bed allowed you to fall asleep easier. I never thought about their being any positive effects other than a sleek brown tone.
All of this artificial burning because thats all it is can not be any good at all for your health. I understand it makes people feel better about themselves if they are tanned but at what price?
I’ve never been tanning in my life. My mom and sister used to go. I don’t know if they do anymore. But you’ll never find me in one.
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Some people definitely take tanning too far when using beds and other facilities. I am of the opinion that natural tanning simply looks better and helps you look more toned than the tan you get from a tanning bed; the light hits you at unnatural angles when using them. If used in moderation, and by that I mean once a week or every two weeks, then I think most health risks are at bay, but those who choose to use them excessively are putting themselves at serious risk.
The pure definition of tanning too far: check out Digg’s second most popular image of the year. Its sickening, all the orange people.
Tanning beds, and the natural sun can be very dangerous, and I agree that there is a line between excercise and diet for true health reasons and diet and exercise for vanity. I see so many people do things that are “healthy” but end up making things worse…those who take steroids, and to some extent the sun bathing and tanning booths. Cancer is on the rise, and is the nice bronze look worth the cancer?
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It’s that time of year to basque in the sun. I’ve never used a tanning salon and have only tanned naturally. Each year I get older my time in the sun is decreased. I guess I’ve heard to many stories from friends getting “cancer removed” or getting “this spot checked.” Nice insightful post!
I would never get in anything that looks like a casket to begin with, let alone knowing that it’s unsafe.
I do tan, 30-45 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a week, but I use the sun to do so. Still not exactly healthy, but it does make me feel good.
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It just makes no sense why a gym would have tanning beds. A gym that has tanning beds sounds like a contradiction to health
Hi there Holly,
The only way I’ve ever tanned is on the beach. In some areas of the world, the sun is more harmful and tanning on the beach is increasingly risky. Some of the problems with increased sun exposure is loss of skin elasticity, cancer and melanoma to name a few. But sunlight is not all bad, a little sunlight gives us vitamin D and is healthy for the skin. Tanning beds may be a risk free but costly method of tanning but in the end it’s up to the individual.
Thanks,
Sarah.
Agreed… those things are ovens and if you use them you are just asking for melanoma.
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This is the trend that cant be stopped. Actually, its growing. Arent these people using their heads at all? There are so many articles, TV shows and organizations who provide negative sides of this - isnt anybody seeing that?
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I used to do tanning beds when I was in my early 20’s. I am now in my early 40’s and if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have done that. It is not good for you at all.
If you want something good for you, go out in the sun a little bit each day. There is so much research nowadays on how good pure Vitamin D is for you. It helps you not get sick, etc.
Thanks for the article.
Hope
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