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I do not think minors should be allowed to use tanning beds. I would never allow my teenage children to tan in a tanning bed and I would definitely monitor their tanning at a beach. They would not be permitted to go on the beach with sunscreen. Many cancers in children are overlooked an go undiagnosed because doctors oft times don't think to check their skin for skin cancers. To my knowledge, I cannot ever remember my children ever being checked for skin cancer. Many young teenagers want to bask in the sun to perk up the color of their skin tones. Some, never think about putting on sunscreen because they do not think about the dangers in tanning or getting a blistering sunburn. I've read that getting one blistering sunburn in childhood can more than double a person's chances of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer in adulthood.

I haven't done any research on how many American youths have practiced effective sun protection but I'll bet a survey would prove it to be low. I often wonder if parents make their young children aware of how dangerous the sun can really be to their skin. As we all know, research has proven that over an extended period of years, mild or moderate sun exposure (with or without sunburn) may significantly spur the growth of pigmented in youths, thereby it increases their risk of getting skin cancers.

I watched a television show the other day about teenagers who were addicted to sun tanning beds and it was like them getting a fix, they had to tan several times a day. They thought it made them look better and more healthy. They actually "lived" to get to those sun tanning beds, and if they didn't they actually became nauseous and high anxiety. It disgusted me as I saw the spa owners allowing these young children and teenagers allowing them to tan.

It is thought that the skin of children and teens are more vulnerable to skin cancer than adults. Now, I haven't done any research on this but I've read this in several articles in different magazines. I've also read that many states are now requiring parental consent for tanning bed use by any patron aged 14 to 17.

Indoor tanning is a gigantic business in the United States today and it generates lots of money every year. Most of the bulbs used in sun tanning beds emit a significant amount of ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A radiation. These both have been associated with the development of skin cancer and premature aging. The United States Department of Health and Human Services lists ultraviolet radiation from the sun and artificial light sources from tanning beds and sun lamps as a known carcinogen.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Kasey Smith.
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