Legacy

When dark bumps began to appear on Megan Britt’s scalp in the spring of 2008, the 18-year-old high school senior and tanning addict began to rethink one of her favorite hobbies.

Britt’s mother, a cosmetologist, was cutting her daughter’s hair when she noticed black spots developing on her scalp. Britt never received medical treatment or saw a doctor, but after one year away from the tanning bed, the apparently benign spots have faded.

Britt said she took this vacation from tanning partially because of the skin discoloration she developed. But the main reason she hasn’t been visiting the acrylic bed is that she no longer has the time. “I just have mixed feelings about [tanning],” she said, shaking her head.

When Britt worked at Tropical Tans in Mandeville, each shift began with the sounds of calm music and a waiting room of bronze, smiling faces. Customers would flip through complimentary fashion magazines, all featuring glowing models on their covers. Tan noses deep in the pages, they rarely glanced up at the poster mounted on the waiting room wall — one that depicted several melted, red and black eyeballs, warning customers of the hazards that accompanied their hobby.

“You have to wear goggles to prevent loss of night vision and other diseases. In training they showed pictures of [unprotected] eyes that were absolutely disgusting,” Britt said with a cringe. The same images decorated her salon. “It’s not something you want to look at while you work.”

Aside from the risks of losing night vision and developing cataracts, tanning beds form a potential link to skin cancer. Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin primarily caused by overexposure to the sun.

The American Cancer Society’s website, Cancer.org, explains that skin cancer is the most common type of all cancers, and that over 1 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are reported each year (with basal cell carcinoma as the most common). Squamous cells are found in tissue that forms the skin and the lining of hollow digestive and respiratory organs. The cancer that forms in these tissues is known as squamous cell carcinoma.  Basal cells are round cells found in the outer layer of the epidermis; cancer that arises here is known as basal cell carcinoma.

The ACS also explains that melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is “almost always curable” if caught in early development, but spreads easily. Once melanoma has spread to other parts of the body, chances for survival are slim. Melanoma begins in the melanocyte cells — the cells that produce the melanin pigment for skin and hair — and can be found in brown or black moles that may become cancerous if left untreated.

The ACS explains that there are certain factors that heighten one’s risk for developing cancer: overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, pre-existing moles, fair skin, family history of melanoma, past history with the disease, a weakened immune system, old age and even gender (men are more likely to contract melanoma).

The American Cancer Society states that more than 20 Americans die each day from skin cancer, primarily melanoma, despite numerous warnings about the dangers associated with tanning.
Kelley Watson, a 19-year-old cosmetologist, began frequenting tanning beds at the age of 13 in order to avoid looking “pasty” for cheerleader tryouts. Despite knowing the potential risks involved with tanning, she said she feels it is “nothing to worry about.”

Former Miss LSU 2007 and native Floridian Liz Dunn understands the pressures high school cheerleaders face to blend in with their tan squad. Dunn explained that she was a ginger kid whose mother often swaddled her in oversized t-shirts to protect her from the sun. But as a sophomore in high school, she made the cheerleading squad and became self-conscious of her “white legs.”

“My parents made me write a paper on the benefits of tanning for them to let me go,” Dunn said with a grin. Dunn gave a compelling argument about the differences between UVA and UVB rays, but won her right to tan by presenting an ultimatum: she would either tan in a bed or on the beach.

It is a common misconception that tanning in salons is safer than doing so in natural sunlight. Jared Angelo, mechanical engineering freshman, was first lured to the tanning bed at age 17 to get a pigment boost for a beach trip. Angelo believed that getting a tan in the tanning bed would prevent a natural sunburn. He continues to tan indoors since he spends most of his weekends fishing or taking his boat out with friends.

“My friends would rag on me,” he said, “but I know a lot of guys that tan. My friend’s dad does it for when he goes out on the boat,” Angelo said.

He also advised other males not to get discouraged by how peers perceive them. Angelo sees tanning as a precaution for outdoorsmen, but Dr. Mary Lupo, New Orleans dermatologist and founder of the Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology, does not feel indoor UV rays are safer than natural rays.

“UVA tanning, which is the long wave UVA lights in these booths, is very dangerous. This longer wavelength penetrates deeper into the dermis, causing more deterioration of collagen and elastin. But that is not the medically dangerous part, that is the cosmetic problem,” Lupo explained.

Sun bathing exposes the skin to UV rays that increase the risk of skin cancer, whether or not one gets burned. The ACS warns that tanning beds may inflict more harm than actual sunlight because some salon beds emit higher UVB and UV radiation. Indoor tanning also does not nourish the body with Vitamin D as do natural UVB rays.

“The UV damages DNA and causes skin cancer, and it suppresses Langerhan cells, which are the T immune surveillance white blood cells of the skin. This results in the skin losing the ability to fight virus, fungus and skin cell mutations that cause skin cancer,” Lupo said.

Liz Dunn no longer uses tanning for cosmetic purposes, but continues to tan solely for the calm sensation it gives her.

Dunn has not stepped into a tanning bed in nearly a year, but said she always took the safety specifications seriously, wearing her goggles and most of the time even covering her face with a t-shirt while in the bed.

“I don’t want wrinkles or damage on my face. You can always find make-up to match the rest of you,” Dunn said. “Tanning gave me change and self-confidence. I will continue to tan in the sun and protect my face, but I could have repercussions one day.”

While Dunn worries about the “repercussions” she may face, Watson’s opinion on the subject remains unchanged, despite the fact that skin cancer is common in her family.

“Everyone is going to die eventually somehow, so I might as well die pretty and tan,” Watson said. (In order to gather sources for this piece, I created a group on Facebook.com. One user shared his opinion that “Tanning made ugly people pretty.”)

Watson continued, “It really doesn’t matter to me if I save a few years of my life if I stop tanning. Style is changing, like with clothes, so maybe this is a trend and will go out eventually.”

Dr. Lupo, however, feels that the dangers associated with this trend are comparable to the harmful effects of smoking.

“Frankly, I think the entire industry should be treated like the tobacco industry,” she said. But why hasn’t the same legal action been taken against the tanning industry, like against Phillip Morris USA?
Britt, now an elementary education freshman, explained that tanning salons are not often sued because customers must sign a waiver stating “they know cancer is possible” prior to tanning.

The Louisiana Center for Environmental Health Sanitation Services explains that Louisiana is only one of five states that currently mandates classroom training like the preparation Britt received for her job at the salon.
The American Tanning Institute, the leading association in the training of salon owners and staff, provides access to information for all devoted indoor tanners on their website, Tanningfacts.com.

According to ATI, “solar elevation, latitude and altitude, clouds and haze and ground reflection,” are all examples of uncontrolled elements that prove indoor tanning is safer than outdoor tanning. ATI argues that the variables involved in indoor tanning are heavily regulated, while there is no regulation with outdoor tanning because of exposure to uncontrolled elements.

Tanning is not only costly to consumers’ health, but also to their wallets. ATI estimates that 28 million people keep the tanning industry alive; the total revenue impact of these tanners is around $5 billion. The Skin Cancer Foundation reported in 2004 that “more than $1 billion was spent on treatments for non-melanoma cases of skin cancer.”

Britt said that lotions used to enhance the skin-darkening effects of tanning range from $20 to $60, and only last about two months. That money adds up to an extra $360 per year spent on searing one’s skin.

“They really don’t do anything,” Britt said about the tanning lotions. “One lady [who came every day] never bought a lotion and she was brown.”

Aside from the money spent on lotion, tanning packages in Baton Rouge salons typically cost about $40 per month.

In 2005, The American Academy of Dermatology conducted a survey in which teens were asked whether they would quit tanning after they learned about the harmful effects of the activity. Nearly 80 percent of those polled acknowledged the dangers associated with tanning, but felt the benefits outweighed the risks.

LSU participated in the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment in the spring of 2008. This assessment provides the largest comprehensive data set on the health of college students.  The survey also measures “Preventative Health” or the precautions made by students to ensure their safety. The results showed that only 13.6 percent of students reported using sunscreen daily.

As long as fashion magazines display advertisements for skin renewal creams juxtaposed with glossy images of golden celebrities and models, impressionable consumers will continue to ignore the risks associated with tanning. Similarly, as long as people continue to spend money on becoming darker, they will also pay the high price of reversing the aging process kickstarted by their favorite pastime. Even if the public has been warned repeatedly of the dangers associated with tanning, they will pursue their addiction — at any cost.