The Truth About Tanning - Facts

Glenna was a tanner – whether at the beach or in a tanning bed – she was always tanning.  Once she learned what tanning can do to your body (and your life) she worked as long and hard as she could to try to discourage her peers from following that path.  These are things she would have wanted you to know:
 
 
Tanning Fact #1:
People who use tanning beds once a month before the age of 35 increase their melanoma risk by 75%
 
Tanning Fact #2:
Melanoma kills one person every hour. It is the second most common cancer for women aged 25-29. Rates for melanoma are increasing faster than nearly all other cancers.
 
Tanning Fact #3:
It is not safe to tan in the sun or in a tanning booth. The more you tan and younger you start, the more likely it is that you will get melanoma.
 
Tanning Fact #4:
Using a tanning bed for 20 minutes is equivalent to spending 1 – 3 hours at the beach with no sun protection at all. Tanning beds put out 3 – 6 times the amount of radiation given off by the sun.
 
Tanning Fact #5:
For most people, 5 – 10 minutes of unprotected sun 2 – 3 times a week is enough to help your skin make Vitamin D, which is essential for your health. Getting more sun won’t increase your Vitamin D level, but it will increase your risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D also comes from orange juice, milk, fish and supplements.

Tanning Facts Courtesy of the Melanoma Foundation of NE