writergal Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'm surprised that no one remembers Tan Lady who got in trouble for bringing her child to a tanning salon. Kristen Wig even mocked her on SNL's Weekend Update. Hilarious too! Tanning beds are dangerous, period. Yikes. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
thefooloftheyear Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 You're conflating a whole lot of things that shouldn't be compared. We have evidence that drinking alcohol in moderation provides health benefits. Coffee has also been tied to some health benefits, and even carrying a few extra pounds has shown to be beneficial in some studies. Weed is even less harmful than alcohol. And you can't talk about moderation and then mention abuse of prescription drugs. As for the cell phone thing, you can't give weight to a single anecdote when cell phone radiation hasn't been shown to cause cancer. On the other hand, UV exposure confers very little benefits (5 to 15 minutes in the sun a few times a week is enough for vitamin D production), and smoking has zero health benefits. You can't apply the "everything in moderation" argument to things that cause more harm than good. Moderation is easy to aim for with things like coffee and alcohol, but the threshold between "beneficial" and "harmful" for things like UV exposure is very low in comparison. The thing to keep in mind is that UV damage accumulates over a lifetime and is not reversible. UV causes adjacent thymines in DNA to stick together, and sometimes this damage isn't repaired properly by the cell. Sometimes, if the cell can't repair the damage, it'll simply die, and when enough cells do that, you end up with sunburn. If you're burnt, then you've caused enough damage to enough cells that the percentage of cells mutating and dying are high enough in number to cause you noticeable pain. Sometimes, the cell doesn't die, so when the two thymines stick together and don't get repaired, they create a bump that can cause errors in DNA replication, and that mutation gets passed down as the cell replicates. There's no way to get rid of it once the mutation has been passed on. It's a matter of statistics and luck as to whether any given instance of mutation is going to lead to a tumor. Bottom line/tl;dr -- UV light is a mutagen, and the "use in moderation" level is quite low. Tanning beds are directly harmful to your health every time you use them. And, no, "I use them and don't have cancer" isn't any better of an argument than "My grandpa smoked cigarettes from age 15 to 90 and he didn't get sick." Please..... The way some of you are talking, one should never leave the house.. And, "a few extra pounds" being beneficial is like 5-10 lbs...Id be willing to bet most of the people crowing about how dangerous exposure is are carrying far more..but I digress...And yeah...weed is safe...I know... Again....read the original post... She is taking a trip and doesnt want to shock her probably lily white winter skin with intense exposure..I dont see how the risk from that usage is that dramatic as to cause all of the uproar.. TFY Link to post Share on other sites
sweetjasmine Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Please..... Great rebuttal. The way some of you are talking, one should never leave the house.. No, not really. Just pointing out that UV light causes damage and that actively seeking out high levels of UV exposure in a tanning bed is harmful to your health. And, "a few extra pounds" being beneficial is like 5-10 lbs...Id be willing to bet most of the people crowing about how dangerous exposure is are carrying far more..but I digress...And yeah...weed is safe...I know... What does this have to do with the fact that UV light is a mutagen that can cause cancer? If I were to weigh 300 pounds, would it make UV light less of a mutagen? Because if I can save some lives... She is taking a trip and doesnt want to shock her probably lily white winter skin with intense exposure..I dont see how the risk from that usage is that dramatic as to cause all of the uproar.. How is what I wrote uproar? I explained the basic facts of the formation of UV-induced thymine dimers and how it can lead to formation of tumors. That's not "uproar." That's information. That's science. The idea that "base tans" can prevent sunburn is A MYTH. If someone's tanning at a salon to prevent sunburn, they're not doing themselves any good because it's not going to prevent them from getting sunburned. Even if you want to ignore the health risks involved in tanning, it's a waste of money if you're paying for a product to protect you from something that it can't possibly protect you from. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author autumnnight Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'm going to spend 15 minutes in a tanning bed 4 times. Then I'm going to use sunscreen on the cruise and enjoy wearing shorts and a bathing suit. I spent my teen years in the 1980's using wesson oil for tanning oil with all my friends. I don't think one hour of tanning and some time suncreened on a cruise ship is going to make or break me. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
guest569 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Well, melanomas are 'dramatic'. I'm not saying you should wear a burqa and stay indoors. Advising someone to use a tanning bed (deliberately damage their skin) is very stupid. It's not worth the risk. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
amaysngrace Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Well, melanomas are 'dramatic'. I'm not saying you should wear a burqa and stay indoors. Advising someone to use a tanning bed (deliberately damage their skin) is very stupid. It's not worth the risk. Yea my Aunt died from that. It traveled to her brain. The strange thing is she was an RN and was the only one who insisted on using sunblock on her family when we all went to the beach. The rest of us used baby oil and got "brown as berries" as my Gram would say. Link to post Share on other sites
Author autumnnight Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'm so sorry about your grandmother amysngrace 1 Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I wonder if skin cancer rates are lower in women who wear burkas. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Yea my Aunt died from that. It traveled to her brain. The strange thing is she was an RN and was the only one who insisted on using sunblock on her family when we all went to the beach. The rest of us used baby oil and got "brown as berries" as my Gram would say. Sorry to hear that amaysngrace. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Pauduro Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) I personally wouldn't use a tanning bed. People lay out in the sun way too long, this is not using common sense. Observe your dog or cat, see how they do. The majority of sun tan lotions contain harmful ingredients, that "cook" into the skin while laying out in the sun for hours on end. Try pure coconut oil or finding a clean organic lotion (read the ingredients). Don't be scared of the sun and the lies they've preached about causing skin cancer. Sun is life, ancient civilizations knew this. We absorb natural vitamin D from the sun, however laying out lathered in chemicals blocks this natural absorption from taking place. Low levels of vitamin D and cancer, look it up. But, please don't take any synthetic vitamin D supplement. As a kid I grew up in Europe in a fishing community, the fishermen didn't use anything on their skin, their bodies adapted as spring turned into summer, and they used common sense like our cats and dogs do! Cannabis oil concentrate, a.k.a Rick Simpson oil cures cancer and the US government has known this since 1974. Watch: Run From The Cure. Edited March 13, 2015 by Pauduro 2 Link to post Share on other sites
sweetjasmine Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'm going to spend 15 minutes in a tanning bed 4 times. Then I'm going to use sunscreen on the cruise and enjoy wearing shorts and a bathing suit. I spent my teen years in the 1980's using wesson oil for tanning oil with all my friends. I don't think one hour of tanning and some time suncreened on a cruise ship is going to make or break me. You asked whether tanning beds are dangerous, and the answer is yes because UV exposure beyond low levels is harmful and causes damage to DNA. The damage caused by UV light in cells that survive with DNA transcription errors is irreversible. UV light is a mutagen and has been shown to cause cancer. It's also a myth that being tan protects you from sunburn. Whether you decide to go tanning is your own personal choice (I'm not 100% vigilant about sun exposure myself), but it doesn't change the answer to your original question. 5 Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I'm going to spend 15 minutes in a tanning bed 4 times. Then I'm going to use sunscreen on the cruise and enjoy wearing shorts and a bathing suit. I spent my teen years in the 1980's using wesson oil for tanning oil with all my friends. I don't think one hour of tanning and some time suncreened on a cruise ship is going to make or break me. Nobody is advising you to skip the trip, all we are saying is that 'pre-tanning' prior to your trip is not going to prevent sunburn, and causes damage in and of itself. So instead of increasing your risk only slightly for great reward (increased risk in exchange for enjoying a cruise trip), you are increasing your risk more significantly for no additional gain. So, to answer your question, yes, tanning beds are 'dangerous' to an extent, and having a tan does not reduce the damage caused by the sun. Naturally dark-skinned people do have increased protection against sunburn and certain types of skin cancer, but that is due to the increased melanin in the skin. Getting in a tanning bed does not offer that protection. http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/tanning What you do with this information is up to you, of course. Edited March 19, 2015 by Elswyth 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author autumnnight Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 The trip is next week. I went to the bed twice, but I was itchy after the second time so I'm not going back. I bought some 100 spf and a very cute hat Link to post Share on other sites
carhill Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 It's interesting that, in the not too distant past, passage on a ship for leisure and having lily white skin was a sign of wealth and breeding and social status. Enjoy the cruise! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Hope Shimmers Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 You're conflating a whole lot of things that shouldn't be compared. We have evidence that drinking alcohol in moderation provides health benefits. Coffee has also been tied to some health benefits, and even carrying a few extra pounds has shown to be beneficial in some studies. Weed is even less harmful than alcohol. And you can't talk about moderation and then mention abuse of prescription drugs. As for the cell phone thing, you can't give weight to a single anecdote when cell phone radiation hasn't been shown to cause cancer. On the other hand, UV exposure confers very little benefits (5 to 15 minutes in the sun a few times a week is enough for vitamin D production), and smoking has zero health benefits. You can't apply the "everything in moderation" argument to things that cause more harm than good. Moderation is easy to aim for with things like coffee and alcohol, but the threshold between "beneficial" and "harmful" for things like UV exposure is very low in comparison. The thing to keep in mind is that UV damage accumulates over a lifetime and is not reversible. UV causes adjacent thymines in DNA to stick together, and sometimes this damage isn't repaired properly by the cell. Sometimes, if the cell can't repair the damage, it'll simply die, and when enough cells do that, you end up with sunburn. If you're burnt, then you've caused enough damage to enough cells that the percentage of cells mutating and dying are high enough in number to cause you noticeable pain. Sometimes, the cell doesn't die, so when the two thymines stick together and don't get repaired, they create a bump that can cause errors in DNA replication, and that mutation gets passed down as the cell replicates. There's no way to get rid of it once the mutation has been passed on. It's a matter of statistics and luck as to whether any given instance of mutation is going to lead to a tumor. Bottom line/tl;dr -- UV light is a mutagen, and the "use in moderation" level is quite low. Tanning beds are directly harmful to your health every time you use them. And, no, "I use them and don't have cancer" isn't any better of an argument than "My grandpa smoked cigarettes from age 15 to 90 and he didn't get sick." This is a great post, and completely spot-on accurate. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I bought some 100 spf and a very cute hat why don't they have a 1 million spf? Link to post Share on other sites
Hope Shimmers Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 why don't they have a 1 million spf? Actually there are no data that SPFs over 50 are any more effective, and there ARE data that say they may be more damaging because people assume they can stay in the sun for twice as long as SPF 50 and therefore more damage occurs. The FDA is trying to pull them off the market or change the labeling on anything over 50. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
samantha_t85 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 There is so much on this thread that makes me laugh. I am as pale and porcelain as they come, and have never set foot in a tanning bed. I just returned from spending two weeks in Aruba and even with my "lily white skin" I haven't a single burn to show for it. I love that there is no gray area between frying your skin in a tanning bed for a "base tan" (a well-known misnomer) and wearing a burka. How ludicrous! My routine was this: apply SPF liberally after my morning shower. Around noon, apply a second application. In mid-late afternoon, reapply to exposed areas, particularly face and shoulders. When we were on the beach I alternated between laying in the sun and laying beneath the shade of a palapa. I never wore a hat but I do have a fringe that covers my forehead and I always wear sunglasses, so I believe that helped. None of this routine "interrupted" my trip - I had a wonderful time! Re-applications took 5 minutes at most and I enjoyed being able to spend my entire vacation outside without any skin discomfort. So, no, don't go tanning and don't wear a burka. Just be a smart and sensible person. It's really not that difficult... Link to post Share on other sites
Wackkkk Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Sunblock if you don't want to burn, no? Link to post Share on other sites
Arieswoman Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Here's the lowdown from the UK ;- Sunbeds : Cancer Research UK Interestingly enough, there are now cases of rickets being found in Islamic women in UK because they have spent all their lives wearing burkhas or other occlusive garments. These prevents sunlight reaching the skin and consiquently stops the production of vitamin D. A case of "all things in moderation" as they say... Link to post Share on other sites
Diezel Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I have never understood the concept of getting a fake tan so you can get a real tan. It sounds absurd to me. Link to post Share on other sites
elaine567 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Here's the lowdown from the UK ;- Sunbeds : Cancer Research UK Interestingly enough, there are now cases of rickets being found in Islamic women in UK because they have spent all their lives wearing burkhas or other occlusive garments. These prevents sunlight reaching the skin and consiquently stops the production of vitamin D. A case of "all things in moderation" as they say... A study showed that 50% of people in the UK are Vitamin D deficient. Sunlight Over 90% of vitamin D is derived from ultraviolet B light and the rest is obtained from the diet. In a fair-skinned person, 20-30 minutes of sunlight exposure on the face and forearms at midday is estimated to generate the equivalent of around 2,000 IU of vitamin D. Two or three such exposures to sunlight each week are sufficient to achieve healthy vitamin D levels during the summer. For people with pigmented skin and the elderly, the amount of sunlight exposure should be increased by a factor of between 2 and 10 in order to achieve the same level of vitamin D synthesis. Between October and April each year, 90% of the UK does not get sufficient exposure to the ultraviolet B necessary for vitamin D synthesis and so people are then reliant on dietary sources of vitamin D.[5] Vitamin D Deficiency including Osteomalacia and Rickets | Doctor | Patient.co.uk Link to post Share on other sites
Author autumnnight Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks for all the input. I feel bad because now it is moot, as I did not go on the cruise. Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. John Adams Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Sorry about the cruise..... Link to post Share on other sites
stephancoehn Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Spend you tanning bed money on the best via ibn Sunblock. You can afford it and have money left over to by a hat. Learn about three common skin problems DR's remove that get blamed for excessive exposure to tanning, focus on the cost and post ip instructions there should be something in there about sunscreen. Link to post Share on other sites
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