Tanning Will Cause Cancer

[organicmama]

I totally agree with you on this, and I also can't use any commercial sunscreens without developing horrible painful chemical burns. I've tried just about every sunscreen made, and the result is the same, no matter what the label claims. There is one brand that I get at health food stores that is mainly pure zinc oxide that I use if I'm going to be outside all day, and it works pretty well. It leaves white streaks all over everything, and gives my skin a ghostly look, but it's a small price to pay...

I've found that if I gradually expose my skin for increasing amounts every few days in the spring, and spend a day or two at the beach wearing the zinc oxide, by summer I can be at the beach for a few hours, no sunscreen, and no sunburn either. Those of you who know me know how pale I am, so I think this is pretty cool.

My mom likes to point out that the historical increase in skin cancers correlates to the increase in usage of chemical sunscreens... I don't know how accurate that is, but it is food for thought...

Tanning beds are another story, to me they just feel wrong. I love being in the sun, makes me feel great.

I use a mainly zinc oxide based cream on my kids & they look light purple... it's funny but with their skin tone being darker they look like little aliens with the sunscreen on.

I've heard the same thing that your mom says.... also I would like to point out that it also correlates to the "low fat" diet trends. Diets high in the essential fatty acids promote safer sun exposure. When we jumped to low-fat, no-fat and hydrogenated everything, we lost the good stuff with all the benefits, including this.

My skin works the same way in the sun.

 

[John R]

don't stop flossing altogether, you've gotta get that funk out from between your teeth, and brushing alone won't do it. it also stimulates the gums. periodontia is not something to look forward to.

 

[NoHall]

don't stop flossing altogether, you've gotta get that funk out from between your teeth, and brushing alone won't do it. it also stimulates the gums. periodontia is not something to look forward to.

Yeah, yeah...I know. I floss. I gargle. I use an electric toothbrush. And if I get hit by a truck tomorrow, I will have wasted a lot of my life on my teeth.

 

[Linda]

My brother died of soft tissue melanoma. And for the most part, I am a cautious sun-worshipper - slather myself in SPF 50 and reapply incessantly. And I've been known to do a little pre-tanning at a salon before traveling to the Caribbean. But if the sun doesn't get me, something else will - probably the plastic Aquafina bottle sitting on my desk that I've been refilling for weeks on end (or perhaps the Lake Michigan water I fill it with.) Nah, I take that back - the ultimate cause of my demise will be texting and driving. A much more likely cause of harm than actually using the cell phone as a phone.......and I don't really know where I'm going with this but, there, I've said it.

I'm so sorry about your brother.

 

[steele mama]

There are also many health benefits to responsible sun exposure, from physical to emotional needs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/sunshine/benefits.shtml
This actually shows that sun exposure can also protect you from certain types of cancer.

We need sunlight to produce vitamin D in our bodies, which is why in northern areas where people don't get as much sunlight, it is recommended to have Vit D supplementation, especially for darker pigmented skin tones.

Tan & Healthy was very eloquent in the explanation of their required training. Thank you for that.

What the heck happened to "everything in moderation"? My momma always told me that calling people stupid or dumb was mean. We can all share information without being rude to one another.

Thank you.

Seriously--I'm allergic to sunscreens. If I use them, I end up with nasty burns. I've learned to be careful early in the season--I wear a hat, go in during the hottest part of the day, etc. If I do this, I rarely burn.

I think our bodies are much more flexible without chemical intervention than we give them credit for. Step away from the Coppertone, and when your skin starts to turn pink head to the Red Bar for the rest of the afternoon!

Thank you. Happy Birthday!

My brother died of soft tissue melanoma. And for the most part, I am a cautious sun-worshipper - slather myself in SPF 50 and reapply incessantly. And I've been known to do a little pre-tanning at a salon before traveling to the Caribbean. But if the sun doesn't get me, something else will - probably the plastic Aquafina bottle sitting on my desk that I've been refilling for weeks on end (or perhaps the Lake Michigan water I fill it with.) Nah, I take that back - the ultimate cause of my demise will be texting and driving. A much more likely cause of harm than actually using the cell phone as a phone.......and I don't really know where I'm going with this but, there, I've said it.

Thank you!

don't stop flossing altogether, you've gotta get that funk out from between your teeth, and brushing alone won't do it. it also stimulates the gums. periodontia is not something to look forward to.

You are right. Even though we hate it!

 

[seacrestkristi]

Frequent reapplication of sunscreen is key. Don't forget your ears, even the rims and behind them, oh and the tops of your feet. If you ask your dermatologist, it is a fact~tanning beds are very dangerous, regardless of the person operating them. The thing is you don't find out most times until way later in life when you start developing all these skin cancers that must be surgically removed from your face, back, arms etc., from all the UV exposure you had earlier in life, usually the majority(~90%) of damage is done before the age of 18. Each to their own though. Of course a sunburn is always worse than a gradual tan. That is pretty much a given with most folks. It's fuNNe even if you try not to get sun by wearing a 30, you will get it, like SJ says. Just look at some beautiful people like Nicole Kidman. No one seems to mind the lack of tan on that beauty. ;-)

 

[30A Skunkape]

OK, let me jump in the fray.

I think a tanning salon on 30-A is a brilliant idea;in fact, I had entertained the thought briefly of opening the same. It will almost certainly be a moneymaker. However, I have an ethical problem encouraging people to climb into a booth and paying to have their DNA damaged.

As most know I am pretty skeptical about the health scare du jour and advocate moderation in all activities;what is the point of living if one lives a boring life? I also try to find good data regarding the unhealthy nature of any activity, and honestly, there are no good trials existing that link tanning beds to any skin cancer. That isn't shocking if you think about it, because baseline sun exposure is a difficult confounding variable to control. However, we know that excessive sun exposure in fair skinned people is a risk factor in the development of pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions.

What I find most troubling about the tanning beds is their target market. I am all on board with living life with gusto and poking fun at worrywarts and hypochondriacs. However, the typical tanning bed patron is probably somebody in their early twenties who place a higher premium on 'in the moment' appearance rather than long term health. Common sense suggests that damage done to the skin in one's teens or twenties has no long term benefit.

So with that said, if one wants to subject their dermal DNA to mutation in a tanning booth, by all means, go ahead. I just hope younger patrons realize what they are doing.

 

[Smiling JOe]

It ain't rocket science. Look at old people who spend time in the sun. The exposed skin is filled with brown, purple, and red spots, which aren't so pretty looking. Look at the skin of the same people, which gets no exposure, like under a watch ban, and you will see beautiful, healthy looking skin.

 

[NoHall]

It ain't rocket science. Look at old people who spend time in the sun. The exposed skin is filled with brown, purple, and red spots, which aren't so pretty looking. Look at the skin of the same people, which gets no exposure, like under a watch ban, and you will see beautiful, healthy looking skin.

But a lot of that also depends on skin type, what kind of exposure, etc. My father is 65 years old, and has spent a LOT of that time in the hot Georgia sun. Insert working cliches here, including picking cotton as a child. He doesn't work shirtless anymore (thank GAWD! ) but he did when he was younger. He was as brown as a bear in the summers, but his skin is still healthy-looking--he doesn't look like beef jerky, the way I've seen others his age who obviously spent too much time just laying out in the sun.

Moderation...and lay off the sun-worshipping!

 

[steele mama]

Yea everybody, but should I renew for another month?