What are the dangers of tanning?
UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds, or from sun lamps may cause skin cancer. While skin cancer has been associated with sunburn, moderate tanning may also produce the same effect. UV radiation can also have a damaging effect on the immune system and cause premature aging of the skin, giving it a wrinkled, leathery appearance.
But isn't getting some sun good for your health?

People sometimes associate a suntan with good health and vitality. In fact, just a small amount of sunlight is needed for the body to manufacture vitamin D. It doesn't take much sunlight to make all the vitamin D you can use ­ certainly far less than it takes to get a suntan!

Are people actually being harmed by sunlight?
Yes. The number of skin cancer cases has been rising over the years, and experts say that this is due to increasing exposure to UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds, and sun lamps. More than 1 million new skin cancer cases are likely to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.

But aren't the types of skin cancer caused by the sun, tanning beds, and sun lamps easily curable?
Not necessarily. Malignant melanoma, now with a suspected link to UVA exposure, is often fatal, if not detected early. The number of cases of melanoma is rising in the U.S., with an estimated 38,300 cases and 7,300 deaths anticipated this year.
Why doesn't the skin of young people show these harmful effects?
Skin aging and cancer are delayed effects that don't usually show up for many years after the exposure.

Unfortunately, since the damage is not immediately visible, young people are often unaware of the dangers of tanning. Physicians and scientists are especially concerned that cases of skin cancer will continue to increase as people who are now in their teens and twenties reach middle age.

But why is it that some people can tan for many years and still not show damage?
People who choose to tan are greatly increasing their risk of developing skin cancer. This is especially true if tanning occurs over a period of years, because damage to the skin accumulates. Unlike skin cancer, premature aging of the skin will occur in everyone who is repeatedly exposed to the sun over a long time, although the damage may be less apparent and take longer to show up in people with darker skin.

Who is at greatest risk in thesun?
People with skin types I and II are at greatest risk. Which skin type are you?

Oncologist David Fisher and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School realized that the compound forskolin may be used in a cream to produce melanin in the skin for a truly natural-looking tan, according to the December 2006 issue of Popular Science.The usual alternatives to tanning booths and outdoor tanning never seem to suffice in a tanorexic's search for a healthy tan.

These tanning creams, foams and sprays stain the skin a sickly orange, despite their supposed "golden" finish; however, because melanin is naturally produced in the skin as a defensive reaction against harmful untraviolet rays and causes tanning, forskolin could produce an attractive, natural tan.Tanorexia has become increasingly common, consistent with contemporary ideals concerning beauty. Ironically, people used to think that tanned skin was really quite ugly.

Darker skin tones were exclusively those of the working and lower classes - a brand, if you will, of their hard circumstances laboring outdoors. Back then, being pale was ideal.Quite apparently, our views have shifted dramatically. It almost seems as though we have decided that the unhealthier a person is, the better. Think about it: Society went from idealizing a healthily plump and fair-skinned individual to preferring a really thin and tanned woman. Even the way we perceive hair as beautiful has moved us in a destructive direction.

Many people are bleaching their hair so that most of the hair we idealize is about to fall out of the person's head. The corset used to be the absolute worst. To keep up with the cultural dictations about beauty, women would strap themselves in corsets - maybe breaking a rib or two. Now we're in an entirely different playing field. Women are cutting themselves open, getting bags stuffed into their bodies and having their bodily fluids suctioned out of them.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are two types of ultraviolet radiations in indoor tanning: UVB rays and UVA rays.UVB rays are closely associated with sunburns. UVA rays are considered the "tanning" rays that leave skin looking darker.Recently, UVA rays have become a big concern because they get deeper in the skin and cause more damage than can be seen clinically

UVA rays are linked to basal-cell carcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma and melanoma, the three most common types of skin cancer.All three types are going up in numbers, Aulisio said.They are also the most common cancers among young people, especially women.Another problem with indoor tanning is students become overly confident."Young people feel like they're invincible," Aulisio said. "They get a base tan now, and they think they don't have to wear sunscreen later."

Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion

Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion has been awarded Best Tanning Product by consumers at ReviewCentre.com, the leading consumer review Website.

Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion proved such a success with online visitors to Review Centre during the last year that it easily won the best tanning product award for 2006, beating 89 other tanning products listed on the site. The award is based on averages of ratings and user comments submitted by customers to the Tanning Products category on Review Centre in 2006, and also for overall ratings and comments featured at the Review Centre site.Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion users consistently praised its effectiveness as a tanning aid and also its lightness on the skin, lack of streaking and low odour compared to other products. From over 100 reviews about the product at Review Centre by the end of 2006, a high number were happy to recommend it. Johnsons Holiday Skin Body Lotion also scored the highest average ratings for a product of this type for ease of application and value for money, making it one of the most highly rated products across the entire range of Hair and Beauty products on Review Centre.

tanning downsides

UVA rays may make you tan, but they can also cause serious damage. That's because UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays. UVA rays can go all the way through the skin's protective epidermis to the dermis, where blood vessels and nerves are found. Because of this, UVA rays may damage a person's immune system, making it harder to fight off diseases and leading to illnesses like melanoma, the most serious (and deadly) type of skin cancer.
Melanoma can kill. If it's not found and treated, it can quickly spread from the skin to the body's other organs.
Skin cancer is epidemic in the United States, with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed annually.

Although the numbers of new cases of many other types of cancer are falling or leveling off, the number of new cases of melanoma is growing. In the past, melanoma mostly affected people in their fifties or older, but today dermatologists see patients in their twenties and even late teens with this type of cancer. Experts believe this is partly due to an increase in the use of tanning beds and sun lamps, which have high levels of UVA rays.
Doctors also think that UVB rays play a role in the development of melanoma. That's because a sunburn or intense sun exposure may increase a person's chances of developing this deadly cancer.

Exposure to UVB rays also increases your risk of getting two other types of skin cancer: basal and squamous cell carcinoma.

The main treatment for skin cancers is excision — cutting the tumors out. Since many basal or squamous cell carcinomas are on the face and neck, surgery to remove them can leave people with facial scars. The scars from surgery to remove melanomas can be anywhere on the body, and they're often large.

Cancer isn't the only problem associated with UV exposure. UVA damage to the dermis is the main factor in premature skin aging. To get a good idea of how sunlight affects the skin, look at your parents' skin and see how different it is from yours. Much of that is due to sun exposure, not the age difference! UV rays can also lead to another problem we associate with old people: the eye problem cataracts.

How Tanning Happens

Tanning is the process of converting putrescible skin into non-putrescible leather, usually with tannin, an acidic chemical compound that prevents decomposition and often imparts color.
The sun's rays contain two types of ultraviolet radiation that reach your skin: UVA and UVB. UVB radiation burns the upper layers of skin (the epidermis), causing sunburns.
UVA radiation is what makes people tan. UVA rays penetrate to the lower layers of the epidermis, where they trigger cells called melanocytes (pronounced: mel-an-oh-sites) to produce melanin. Melanin is the brown pigment that causes tanning.
Melanin is the body's way of protecting skin from burning. Darker-skinned people tan more deeply than lighter-skinned people because their melanocytes produce more melanin. But just because a person doesn't burn does not mean that he or she is also protected against skin cancer and other problems.

Love that sun-kissed look, but don’t have time for long outdoor sunning sessions? Look no further than Master Tanning! We have the best selection of sunless tanning equipment, spray tanning booths, sunless tanning supplies, and tanning beds for sale online. For home or commercial uses, MTI has the brand name tanning beds, sunless tanning systems, and sunless tanning products for you, including the Omega spray tanning booths.

Spray tanning booths are beginning to pop up here, there, and everywhere—but what is spray tanning anyway, and is it safe? Spray tanning does not use ultraviolet (UV) light to tan. Instead, the user enters the spray tanning booth and is sprayed with a mist containing dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a coloring agent that, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, is a common ingredient in the most effective sunless tanning products. While there is no proof that DHA is unsafe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that individuals using spray tanning booths take precautions against getting the spray in their eyes or mouths, on their lips, or inhaling the spray.

Because the spray is applied topically and has no effect on melanin, the effect of spray tanning only lasts a few days and repeated applications are necessary to maintain the “tan.” It is also important to remember that while a spray tan may look good, it offers absolutely no protection at all against sunburns as a good base tan would.

counting the days till summer!

I can't wait for summer! I'm so tired of this cold weather and I wish sooo badly that I can be at a beach with my family enjoying the sun!!

Benefits of Tanning

Sunlight is essential to life.
Tanning is a natural response to the skins exposure to 'ultra-violet' light.
'Ultra-violet' light can provide positive health benefits, both physical and psychological such as:-
Alleviating the discomfort associated with Rheumatism and Arthritis.
With the relaxing warm effect of sunbed treatments this can also help stress and soothe muscular aches and pains.
Exposure to UV light helps to improve certain skin conditions such as Psoriasis, Eczema and Acne.
Calcium deposition in bones is improved.
The production of Vitamin D3 is increased.
Tanning from a solarium does provide some limited skin protection against burning.
The main potential danger from 'ultra-violet' light arises from excessive burning, not tanning.
Sunbeds provide a tan under conditions where, unlike in natural Sunlight, the individual UV exposure is controlled in 2 respects, specifically in order to avoid burning -
The proportion of UVB is lower than in natural sunlight.
The length of a sunbed session is limited.
Dermatologists have stated clearly that proper regular use of sunbeds throughout the year is much safer than an annual 2 week sun-binge on the Costa Del Sol.
There is no proof that use of sunbeds have ever caused skin cancer.
The concern of medical and scientific experts centres around home use of sunbeds throughout the year, where there is no regulation.
Research in the United States of America claims that regular consistent tanning actually reduces the risk of the dangerous form of cancer Melanoma.

Airbrush Tanning

Airbrush tanning is an alternative to natural tanning or a tanning bed. An application, which is compressed into a fine mist, produces effects in the skin which imitate a traditional tan. According to the American Academy of Dermatology the most active ingredient in spray tanning products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). It is not a dye, stain, or paint but a reaction between the top layers of your skin and the DHA. It does not change the skin pigmentation or need UV exposure to initiate the reaction. The reaction is non-toxic and temporary. The effects will fade gradually over a 3 to 10 day period.
DHA has been approved by the FDA. Using DHA is also recommended by the Skin Cancer Organization, American Academy of Dermatology, The American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association.

Unlike spray tanning booths, an airbrush tan is applied by a technician using a hand sprayer. This method allows for a more accurate and detailed application. This method can also be used to contour the figure to give the impression of greater muscle definition. Always ask about the experience and training of the technician before hand.

Health risks

Sunburns are a symptom of skin damage and are associated with skin cancer. Overexposure to the sun has been linked to melanoma. Too much sun can also lead to eye problems if UV Protected sun-glasses aren't worn, along with damage to the immune system.
Concerns about skin damage due to UV exposure have resulted in the development of products which give the appearance of a suntan without exposure to the sun (see sunless tanning).
A study by Mandeep Kaur, M.D., and others, published in the July 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Part 1, suggests that indoor sun tanning may be addictive. Ultraviolet light stimulates the production of endorphins (through the production of Vitamin D), resulting in a natural sensation of well-being.

Nice news for Canadians!

Your friend the sun

ANDRÉ PICARD

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Canadians of all ages should be getting a few minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun every day, and most should take a daily vitamin D supplement, the Canadian Cancer Society says. The cautious but significant change of policy reflects the belief that diet alone cannot provide northern people such as Canadians with adequate levels of vitamin D, a nutrient that ensures healthy bones and muscles, and that may lower the risk of colorectal cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Addictive tanning beds

Skin cancer is the fastest growing type of cancer. Doctors say that nationwide, one in five people will get skin cancer. In Texas, that number jumps to one in three.
Earlier this month, Seton Hospital hosted free skin cancer screenings. It screened about 490 people.
Doctors say they found abnormal results in just more than 370 of those screenings. That's about 75 percent.
Doctors blame the sun and tanning beds for the growing number of skin cancer cases, and a new study suggests tanning beds may actually be addictive.
A lot of people will do pretty much anything to get a golden glow. Doctors say tanning beds are a leading cause of skin cancer.

This is an excerpt from an article written by ERIN OCHOA