Tanning Do's and Don'ts
At least ten times a day I hear, “Oh my god I’m so pale”! At Elon, there is a culture that consists of getting spray tans or going to the tanning bed at least once a week. Like many other students here, I have a Sun Tan City membership and get a spray tan once every two weeks. While I don’t see a problem in this, as winter turns to spring I think it’s important to remind everyone about the importance of sunscreen and the effects tanning beds and other forms of skin damage tanning can have on your skin. Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but I think it's important to educate yourself on the lifestyle and tanning choices we choose to make.
The tanning bed, although it seems very appealing, can leave you with unrecognizable skin in the future. Although one session in the tanning bed won’t leave you with skin cancer, the cumulative effects of many sessions may. Serious side effects could include wrinkles, looseness in skin, Melanoma (or other forms of skin cancer), brown spots/discoloration on the body, burning, and changes in skin texture. A lot of my friends talk about how the beds really aren’t that bad for them, but I think it’s important to look at the potential effects and decide from there whether or not it's worth ruining our young, perfect skin for.
Some alternatives to the tanning bed could be getting spray tans or applying self tanner . Some of the funniest and most highlighted celebrities refuse to go into a tanning bed and still maintain a glow year-round (although this could just be from frolicking around on their fancy vacations). Below are some of my personal favorite tanning applications that don’t leave you splotchy or discolored.
Because Elon weather fluctuates tremendously, it is also important to make sure to wear sunscreen when you leave your dorms. I may sound like your mom, but we all strive for nice skin, and years and years of data have shown that sunscreen does just that. It’s amazing how much a little sun exposure can cause your skin to age sooner or look different, and I can promise none of us want to start seeing wrinkles or signs of skin cancer between the ages of 18-22. The best sunscreens that you can add to your morning makeup routine are shown below…
