Anna, @ 19 && Anna, @ 22. Oh, how badass I thought I was. Too badass for skin cancer…. Summer’s approaching, so it’s time for my yearly PSA. You’re fake baking if it comes from a bed or a bottle, so make the right choice for the sake of your health. The damage you’re doing to your skin now could cause skin cancer && quite possibly malignant melanoma in the future, or if you’re “lucky” like I was you get it for your 19th birthday. My diagnosis of melanoma was a blessing and a curse. The curse is self-explanatory, but it was a blessing that it happened to me at such a young age && now I don’t have that mindset that, “oh, if anything happens, it’ll be when I’m old”. I was also blessed that it was caught early enough to have a small scar, but it serves as a constant reminder. Skin Cancer cases are raising at alarming rates for 20-somethings. So, I’m feelin’ less badass && more blessed that I can reach out. && I hope this summer you think twice before steppin’ into the tanning bed, which is far more dangerous than natural sunlight. (Disclaimer: like a smoker who ended up with lung caner, got rid of the cancer && hides a pack in their car I will honestly admit that after the cancer I did “backslide” a few times && went against my better judgement && got in the cancer box. So, this is also a public declaration that I’ll never risk my health-and unleathered skin-again).
FORGET what the cute girl at “insert tanning salon name here” told you! Take a moment and be HONEST with yourself. Who do you trust..a minimum wage employee who parrots back what his/her boss tells them about ‘safe tanning’…or a DERMATOLOGIST…. So you’re really telling me that you would listen to someone with no formal education about skin over a DOCTOR who spent CLOSE TO A DECADE on their education. Let’s be logical. (No offense to those giving the bad advice at the tanning salon, I’m going to assume you don’t know better….).
“Natural sunlight contains a mixture of both short-wave UV-B and longer wave UV-A rays. Both UV-A and UV-B exposures can lead to premature ageing of the skin, and both increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer, including malignant melanoma. The difference is that UV-B rays cause more rapid tanning and burning while UV-A rays do not cause burning until exposure levels are very high. Indoor tanning booths and beds most commonly use ultraviolet bulbs that emit predominantly UV-A rays. Unfortunately, UV-A rays penetrate more deeply into the skin and can even adversely affect the cells involved in the body’s immune response in addition to raising an individual’s risk of developing malignant melanoma and other cancers of the skin.”(Medical Author: Melissa Stöppler, M.D.)
Any change in skin pigmentation is your bodies way of showing you that you’re damaging your skin. So, if you still want to take that risk && get some natural sun(I definitely plan on getting a lil with my SPF 50 on), protect yourself…YOU CAN get a tan with SPF! But, the safest tans are the ones you can DIY…or have done(gotta love airbrush technology).
So you’ve got two pictures. A 19yr old risking her life for a tan && a 22yr old that paid the price, learned her lesson, and has a gorgeous DIY tan.
Self-Tanning Product Reviews Coming Soon!!! If it’s been in a Sephora, Ulta, department store, or drugstore I’ve tried it! && if there are any particular products you want reviewed—let me know! Also coming soon…a run down on the best airbrush solutions! so check back soon, so you’re SAFELY summer ready!
