by Lesa Brown

Created on: February 02, 2009

The fact that this is even being debated here is unbelievable to me. How many times do people have to be told that tanning beds are just as bad, if not worse, than sun exposure? Harmful UV rays cause skin cancer, period.

I admit that in my younger years I feel prey to the notion that going to the tanning bed gave me a "base" that would enable me to spend more time in the sun. I don't know who started this urban myth but I bet they own a tanning salon. I am very pale and when I first went to tanning salon the unnaturally tanned young girl working the counter put me in for the customary 10 minutes for a "beginner." Well, I was just as red and burned as I would have been if I had spent 30 minutes in the sun. Skin damage is skin damage no matter the source.

Why not use the science and knowledge provided to at least try and avoid one of the most easily avoidable forms of cancer there is? Add to this the notion that people are voluntarily tempting fate by using tanning beds all in the name of vanity makes this even more absurd. I remember reading somewhere that being over weight and pale were signs that you held a higher status and wealth in society because that meant that you had more than enough to eat and that you did not have to labor in the sun. Strange how perceptions change.

Tanning beds also, like the sun, cause your skin to wrinkle prematurely and become thick and rough. For a clear example of this try looking at a southern man's neck. A southern man who works outside. If you look at his neck you will see that it looks like leather - it is deeply wrinkled, thick and rough. Did you ever wonder where the term "red neck" came from? Now, think about someone you know who uses tanning beds a lot. We all know someone like this. Imagine their skin and I bet that the images will be similar. Dark, thick skin with wrinkles throughout.

I know from first hand experience that being paler than pale can be somewhat embarrassing on the beach unless you look like Nicole Kidman. But I would much rather be whitey under the umbrella on the beach than either wrinkled looking twice my age or, God forbid, have holes and scars from skin cancer. I am proud to say that I do not go in the sun nor do I use tanning beds and I believe it is paying off in at least one way. At 42 years old, I was carded yesterday. I truly believe that if I had continued to use tanning beds and that if I were lucky enough to not have died from skin cancer, I would, at the very least, be wrinkled enough to not have to show ID to get into a casino.

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