The winter weather is almost over, so it would mean that people are getting ready for the summer since spring will obviously just pass by. People would start to change their wardrobe to get ready for the warm weather, and children’s bicycles will be out again.
However, for a lot of women, this would be the time when they will get ready and have perfectly tanned skin by either getting some spray tans or book an appointment to a tanning salon. Seems pretty normal right? Well, that is an increasing number of teenage girls have been getting used to going to tanning salons.
Dermatologists all over the world have been bothered since it is not exactly guaranteed to be safe to do it multiple times, especially with teenagers, which is why the government in some states in the United States and even the Swiss government are pushing to ban minors from tanning salons, continue reading to find out more.
Tan-Ban For Minors
Last week, the Federal Council of Switzerland have been discussing the possible banning of minors having access to go to tanning salons due to risks of cancer because of the ultraviolet radiation that the beds have.
They have sought the public regarding the said issue to hear the voice of the people, they have included the possible limitation of cosmetic treatments that used layers and amend the rule when it comes to the use of the electronic amplifiers.
The government has also decided to require tanning salons to give information regarding the dangers of tanning like the eye and skin damage.
The Swiss government is not the very first governing body to take action when it comes to banning teenagers from tanning salons. In the United States, a representative from Rhode Island, Mia Ackerman, is also taking action by introducing a bill that would ban teenagers from using tanning booths and going to the tanning salons. Anyone who is under the age of 18 wouldn’t be allowed to use the tanning beds.
She even mentioned how this is like the same as smoking, minors must be protected from anything that could harm them physically or mentally. Her fellow representatives like Courtney Jusino supported Ackerman’s bill and even testified with her own skin cancer diagnosis because of tanning beds.
Tanning salons wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t safe, but the danger comes in on how often a person goes and get their tan. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the skin cancer risk simply keeps on getting higher the more a person undergoes tanning.
Tanning Addiction and Danger
Tanning started getting big around the early 1920’s, tanning machines started being such a huge deal for everyone to own one. The very first tanning salon in the United States opened 60 years after that and tanning just keeps on getting better with all the newest and most advanced technology involved and there are still millions of customers being served all over the country.
Ever since these tanning salons have been around, cancer groups and organizations such as The Skin Cancer Foundation, have been trying to warn the public about the dangers these tanning salons bring, even real-life experiences of people who used to go extreme tanning and those who have been addicted to it, have shared their personal experiences to spread awareness and warn people not to make the same mistakes they did.
However, despite all the warnings, people still do it, and experts explain why. Based on a study conducted just last year by some experts from the Georgetown University Medical Center, there is about 20 percent of women who tan and depends so much on it, they based it on behavioral and mental tests wherein they had to run through 400 women, before and after their tanning sessions.
Some of them are considered to be addicted because of how frequently they have done it and how they think it actually boosts their mood and not just enhancing their appearances but also their attitude on how they look at themselves.
Most of them admitted that they do feel extremely down if they don’t get their tan. According to the president of the Skin Cancer Foundation, Deborah S. Sarnoff, a healthy UV tan does not exist, and this is just for people to think that it is perfectly safe to get tan so frequently. It doesn’t matter if it is laying on the beach for hours or laying on a tanning bed, it still leads to risks of skin cancer.