Tanning Myths Busted!

 

It is summer again. The time when certain folks break out the oil, lie in the sun for a deep dark skin while other slather sunscreen on.  Where I live, we've had lots of rain with breaks of sun but it looks like the sunny weather is here to stay and that means it is easy to get sunburned. Of course, there is information flying about regarding summer tanning that is inaccurate and today, we are going to look at the myths circulating out there.  

One of the biggest myths that stays with us is the one regarding a base tan. It is said that if you get a base tan either by. being out in the sun, or using a tanning bed, you can protect yourself from getting sunburned.  Unfortunately, a tan indicates the beginnings of damaged skin since the darker skin is an indication of your skin redistributing its melanin as a way of protecting itself.  In addition, the base tan does not offer any real protection.  On the SPF scale, a base tan ranks about a 3.

Another myth is that you need to tan so you get enough Vitamin D. In northern states, a person's exposure to the sun is much more limited and your body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D but it is just as easy to get enough vitamin D through a well balanced diet combined with supplements.  Using a balanced diet combined with supplements is a much better way since you are not exposing your skin to damage or possible sun screen.

There is also a myth that says indoor tanning is better than tanning outside but this is not true.  Indoor tanning beds also bombard the skin with both UVA and UVB just as if you are outdoors. UVA rays are responsible for the wrinkles and fine lines that develop in the skin while the UVB rays are associated with skin cancer and sunburns. Unfortunately, there is the belief that because tanning beds tend to expose you to more UVA rays than UVB rays, they are much safer to use but that isn't correct. The extra exposure to UVA rays means the DNA found in the skin can be damaged which in turn can lead to skin cancer.

It is also believed that if you have darker skin, you don't need to use sunscreen.  Although the darker skin contains more melanin, it does not offer protection from ultra violet rays so skin can still be damaged.  The same applies to people who easily tan in that they are still exposing their skins to damage and they are at a higher possibility of getting skin cancer.

Of course, there are those who believe that you cannot get a nice tan if you use sunscreen religiously. Although sunscreen does cut back on the amount of rays reaching the skin, it does not totally block the UV rays responsible for tanning.  In the same vein, people believe that as long as you don't sunburn, you won't expose yourself to the increased possibility of a potential case of skin cancer.  Most people see sunburns as the only visible form of damage but any tan is considered damage.

So today, we've explored some of the myths connected with tanning.  I hope you no longer harbor any of these.  I know the myth about a base tan was prevalent when I was a teenage but as an adult, I know better.  let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great week.