Skip The Pre-Prom Tan
With prom still about a month away, what’s on the agenda? Finding the perfect dress, getting a limo lined up, and tanning.
Girls preparing for prom have already started a regimen of tanning, going every couple of days until the big night. Face it, the prom and tanning go hand-in-hand.
That can have deadly consequences for teens. The Mayo Clinic just came out with a new report finding the incidence of melanoma in young adults has skyrocketed! Six times more young adults are being diagnosed with skin cancer than 40 years ago.
And lying in the sun isn’t great, but tanning beds are the worst. That’s according to dermatologist Dr. Jerry Brewer, one of the study’s authors.
He says all the evidence points toward tanning beds as the reason for the increase, and tanning salons know that prom-time is prime-time for girls to get their tan on. They often offer student specials, 2-for-1 offers or package deals. Some girls pay $30 for a month and go daily! There have been efforts in several states to limit indoor tanning for minors.
Minnesota introduced a special tax on tanning and last year California enacted a law prohibiting those under 18 from indoor tanning. Illinois, Utah, Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are considering similar bans.
But girls, know this; The World Health Organization says that tanning beds are among the top cancer risks and as deadly as arsenic, mustard gas or cigarettes. Most tanning beds emit mainly UVA rays, which increase the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. So 15 minutes in a tanning bed is the equivalent of spending hours in the sun.
Girls preparing for prom have already started a regimen of tanning, going every couple of days until the big night. Face it, the prom and tanning go hand-in-hand.
That can have deadly consequences for teens. The Mayo Clinic just came out with a new report finding the incidence of melanoma in young adults has skyrocketed! Six times more young adults are being diagnosed with skin cancer than 40 years ago.
And lying in the sun isn’t great, but tanning beds are the worst. That’s according to dermatologist Dr. Jerry Brewer, one of the study’s authors.
He says all the evidence points toward tanning beds as the reason for the increase, and tanning salons know that prom-time is prime-time for girls to get their tan on. They often offer student specials, 2-for-1 offers or package deals. Some girls pay $30 for a month and go daily! There have been efforts in several states to limit indoor tanning for minors.
Minnesota introduced a special tax on tanning and last year California enacted a law prohibiting those under 18 from indoor tanning. Illinois, Utah, Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are considering similar bans.
But girls, know this; The World Health Organization says that tanning beds are among the top cancer risks and as deadly as arsenic, mustard gas or cigarettes. Most tanning beds emit mainly UVA rays, which increase the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. So 15 minutes in a tanning bed is the equivalent of spending hours in the sun.
