[NOTE: I initially wrote this post over this past weekend and finished it on Monday. I never got around to posting it. Now I’m glad I did not, because I have more to add. This morning, my boss received a call from a close friend. She was at home and had just received a dreaded phone call from her doctor. She has been officially diagnosed with melanoma. I cannot imagine her devastation over this diagnosis. However, I can, in a sense, use this experience to get MY personal message across…]
Can I just soapbox for 2 seconds? Aw heck, this is my blog and I can do what I want! I mean no offense, either, unless you think I do and that would lead you to being more careful.. LOL!
I first want to say that I don’t think I always make the right decisions in life…I mean, I’m only human after all… but I can say without too much hesitation that I am “right” in one area of life. I am RIGHT in that I do not have the need to TAN. I am RIGHT in that I see the value in having healthy, albeit pale, skin instead of fake, brown, dangerous skin. I’m calling it like I see it, peeps.
I mean, obviously I've been in the sun. I've chosen to tan before. But I am proud to say that now, at least, I am making better decisions. I think you can too.
See, I'm glad that I am sun safe and that I treat my skin like the precious organ it is! I've seen skin cancer... it's not pretty. There is no way you will ever convince me that an unnatural, glow-y glow is worth the risk of melanoma. To me, there are already enough things in life that seem “out to get us” so, why in the world would you invite this disease into your body…willingly?!
I draw my conclusions about the dangers of too much sun exposure just from observing people around me. My father-in-law was always a beach guy. He was born and raised on the South Georgia/Northern Florida beaches and spent hours each day in the sun, surfing and doing whatever else, day in and day out. My mom, on a similar side of the coin, spent her younger days on the lake and sunbathing at home or laying in a tanning bed somewhere. They were not aware of the dangers of the sun back then because they weren’t offered the luxury of research and PROOF just yet on how BAD it is. To date, my pops-in-law has had numerous cancerous spots removed…from…his….face. My mother has also had more than her fair share of skin-related concerns. I learn from example. Unfortunately, they did not have examples to learn from. Wake up, kids in 2012! We actually know better.
For a small example, today, I chose to wear an spf (even though it's winter) because the sun can still do damage. Why don't more people see that? It's dangerous to think any other way. I'm tired of hearing "Gotta get some color, I'm so white!" or "Gotta get my base tan before the summer." I don't know who you all are talking to, but leather-y, wrinkled, rawhide skin is not cute. And the more you lay, the more you risk a nasty, unnecessary “side effect.”
“Indoor tanning beds increase the melanoma risk up to 74%, according to a study published in a journal from the American Association for Cancer Research.”
~Source~
“Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.”
Not only that, but, “one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.”
~Source~
Sadly, though, even a few reputable sources about the dangers of UVA/UVB ray exposure won’t stop some people. In fact, a lot of people actually go to stupid (yes, stupid) lengths to defend their decision to tan. My favorite is when people tell me that they are planning to hit up the tanning bed to prepare for the real sun outside, because they buy into the bologna that you hear about it “helping to prepare your skin.”
Well….“A tan is a response to injury: skin cells respond to damage from UV rays by producing more pigment. The best way to protect your skin from the sun is by using [tips for skin cancer prevention].”
~Source~
In other words, your plan to get a base tan in order to get ready for the summer is based on MYTH. A myth. A fake, completely fabricated idea. Now, I can see how you’d make case for the fact that a starter-tan will help you to not burn as easily when you do go outside, say for a day on the water. But you know what else will do that for you? Sunscreen. Shade. Clothing and hats that protect your body.
So here I am, having recently heard the news via my boss, and I am even more motivated to share this post. I just want to urge everyone to be so, so, so careful. Do you really want to risk your health – your LIFE – just to have a darker skin tone? Do you really want to be 40 and look like a 60 year old? I doubt it. What may seem like a safe choice now will ultimately lead to you, in your 40s, receiving a phone call from your doctor that will change your life forever. Change your life NOW and PRACTICE SAFE SUN.
And that’s all I have to say about that. See you in 20 years. I'll be the pretty one with great skin. ;-P
/end of soap box.
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