Sun tanning and Tanning Booths

A tanning booth uses ultraviolet (UV) light bulbs that emit UV radiation that causes the skin to tan. This result is similar to the sun’s effect on the skin.

An increased risk to cancer comes to those who use tanning beds, which is based on studies on individuals that have had skin cancer. It is now a well known fact that an increase in UV radiation also causes an increase in risk of skin cancer. This is why Dermatologists and Physicians recommend the general public to limit their exposure to natural sunlight as well as tanning booths.

The US Food and Drug Administration do recommend that tanning booths should be avoided. This doesn’t mean that everyone who uses a tanning booth will have an adverse health effect, just as people who go out in the sunlight unprotected from the UV will not all suffer harmful effects. We all need to be aware that some harmful effects like skin cancer take many years to appear.

Many health studies have been done on large groups of people and the experts have found that there is a significant increase in the risk of harmful health effects from UV light. The risk of harmful effects is not 100% even if you are exposed to UV every day, and the risk cannot be reduced to zero even if you completely eliminate UV exposure. But what you can do is minimize your risk by taking reasonable measures such as avoiding unnecessary or excessive exposure.

Ultraviolet radiation does not penetrate to any significant depth in the body, which is why the majority of cancer resulting from UV rays is majorly skin cancer. You should know that if these skin cancers aren’t caught in enough time they will carry throughout the rest of the body.

The eye also absorbs ultraviolet light wavelengths. If there is a significant exposure to the cornea, it can eventually cause a corneal burn that is quite painful but does repair itself over time. If the lens is exposed to ultraviolet light in a significant amount or chronically, cataracts can form.

I would recommend using sun block, but even with its aid you can still develop cancer. Sunblock will help lessen your exposure to UV rays, but is not totally effective in preventing skin cancer. One of the primary reasons is that it wears off and needs to be reapplied. If sunscreen is not applied often enough, it may give a false sense of security leading to even more time in the sun. A rough guide of when you should renew your Sunblock is roughly every 10 minutes.

When looking for a good Sunblock you should buy the more opaque the sunscreens. Not all sunscreens are equally effective. Some sunscreens are manufactured to block short-wave ultraviolet (UVB) radiation, which damages the skin's surface and causes redness and burning. Yet it is the longer-wave ultraviolet (UVA) radiation that penetrates deeper into the skin. Unfortunately, UVA radiation is less likely to cause noticeable sunburn symptoms, even though it severely damages the elastic fibers and collagen and is significant in producing malignant melanoma. The best sunscreens block both UVB and UVA rays. Both avobenzone and benzophenone are good UVA blockers. For maximum benefits, sunscreen must be applied evenly to cool, dry skin 30 minutes before sun exposure. Waterproof and water-resistant sunscreens are best since effectiveness is not reduced by perspiration.

Will general clothing worn outdoors stop ultraviolet radiation?

While outdoors one needs to know that different fabrics have different protection levels, the tighter the weave the greater the protection level. In addition, dark colors of the same material tend to absorb/block more ultraviolet (UV) radiation than light colors. Many fabrics tend to have a lower protection factor when wet. UV absorbers can be added to materials by clothing manufactures to enhance UV protection and those are sold specifically as UV-blocking clothing (and they are generally more expensive).