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The Dangers of Tanning

Posted by kelleee from Vale Of Glamorgan - Published on 22/03/2010 at 13:19
1 comments » - Tagged as Education, Fashion, Health

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We are not too far away from having the hot, sunny weather we all love. But, how can we go to the beach with pale, boring skin? The quickest, easiest way is spray tan’s or sun beds. But sun beds are definitely not the answer or the safest way. Covering yourself in chemicals every week, or having ultraviolet rays burn your skin can cause irreversible skin damage. Obviously the most deadliest danger of sun beds is the increase in the risk of skin cancer. Surely there are safer ways to be beautiful?

Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud has a history of fake tan abuse. She has now ditched her old ways and embraced her naturally pale looks. Since doing this she has become even more successful. Her quirky looks have got her a place in the fashion industry as the new face of Vivienne Westwood’s fashion label. She even has her own range of fair skinned make up called Dainty Doll.

Nicola created a programme outlining the dangers of fake tan, ‘What Would You Do To Get A Tan?’. It shows the danger of sun beds and the damage it does to our skin. She explains her past with her obsession with tanning, or being a ‘tanorexic’ as she called it. She said, “I was once in a place where I did feel a pressure to have a tan. Having a tan made me feel more attractive; it made me feel more accepted. Without having a tan I did not feel attractive. I just did not feel good at all”. A lot of girls think being tanned is being beautiful, but look at Nicola, supermodel Lily Cole and pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor, all of these are very pale and stand out on a catwalk or in a music video, but they show that they are naturally beautiful.

A new injection has been found to alter the colour of your skin, it injects melanin into the body which darkens the skin as it adds to the melanin already in the body. Melanin is a natural chemical in our body that gives our skin a bit of colour. Paler people have less melanin than people with a darker skin tone. This injection however is illegal. In some cases this illegal injection has made moles increase in size and in colour, which is an indication of skin cancer.

The easiest way to avoid these dangers is to stay away from tan enhancing products, not buy products off the internet or that you have never heard of. Sun beds are illegal for under 18’s but this rule is not often enforced. Sun beds should not be used, no matter what age you are. If you do use them, they should be used very rarely, and only a few minutes. If you are out in the sun, sun cream should be used, and spend as much time covered up and in the shade as you can.

Embrace your inner pale! Natural is the best way to go!!

 

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