As warmer weather approaches, many are eager to begin their ritual of laying out in the sun for a few hours in their pursuit of a bronzed look. But what many are unaware of is that tanning is a sign of skin damage. When the skin color is darkened as a result of excessive sun exposure, it is evidence of DNA injury to your skin. What’s crucial to know is that there is no such thing as a healthy or safe tan.
The mechanisms of tanning are as follows. Tanning is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun that causes genetic damage to cells on the outermost layer of skin. The skin, in an attempt to prevent further injury, produces melanin which causes skin darkening, or a tan. Most importantly, this increases the risk of skin cancer. Each time the skin tans, the damage accumulates. This creates a greater risk for genetic mutations.
This is why it is alarming when individuals, especially younger people see the first sunny day after a long and cold winter and decide they’re going to spend the day tanning. Such individuals believe they look and feel much better with a tan. It is a nonchalant and normalized yet dangerous practice, something virtually everyone engages in at some point. Worryingly, adolescents and young adults are seeing a dramatic increase in rates of melanoma.
The best thing to do is to avoid tanning entirely, as it is the best way to decrease the risk of skin cancer. This includes wearing sunscreen daily, wearing sun-protective clothing, and seeking shade from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when UV radiation is the most intense.
https://www.skincancer.org/risk-factors/tanning/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/base-tan-debunk#How-to-protect-your-skin
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-018-5345-5
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