I know it is hard for you ladies to believe, but being tan was not always “in.” In fact, hundreds of years ago young women just like you tried to be as pale as possible. Back around the 10^th century, the shade of one’s skin determined what class they fell into. According to livestrong.com, people who displayed “pale skin belonged to the leisurely upper classes, while darker skin indicated a life of outdoor labor” (Chisholm 1). Citizens of the upper class were able to hire people to do their manual labor while they sat inside drinking tea and eating crumpets. The lower class citizens were usually doing the upperclassmen’s dirty work, and could not avoid catching some rays while they were at it. Some women even went through drastic measures to make their skin pale. For example, the “women of Ancient Greece and Rome used lead paints and chalks to whiten their faces” (Chisholm 1). Although these women yearned for the opposite results that are popular today, they too felt enormous pressure to be accepted and respected by their peers.

The tables started to turn in the 20^th century when fashion designer and icon Coco Chanel “obtained a tan, probably on accident, while cruising from Paris to Cannes” (Chisholm 1). During this time, the woman’s everyday life was changing. Instead of sitting inside all day, “women came out of the house to enjoy outdoor life with hiking, picnics, lawn tennis and other ‘acceptable’ yet still ‘feminine’ activities” (Chisholm 1). As a result, bronzed skin became the new pale skin, and generations thereafter would roast in the sun without any idea of the harm it could potentially cause in the future.

We now know today what they did not know back then: overexposure to the sunlight, both artificial and real, and the ultraviolet radiation it exerts can cause premature skin aging and worst of all, several types of skin cancer. There are three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma – the deadliest and most dangerous form of skin cancer. Dr. Heather Brannon from about.com explains that melanoma is “a cancer in the melanocytes, or pigment-producing cells, in the skin and it can spread earlier and more quickly than the other skin cancers” (Brannon 1). Melanoma is currently the “eighth most common cancer in the United States and causes 1-2% of all cancer deaths. The incidence of melanoma has been increasing faster than any other cancer over the past 20 years” (Brannon 1). Similarly, Dr. Neil Fenske from the Tampa Tribune states “of the 30 million people who tan indoors annually in the United States, more than 2 million are teens” (Fenske 29). This means all of you teenage ladies here today that have gone tanning before have participated in this statistic.

Indoor tanning is clearly a risk. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sunlamps, has been declared a cancer-causing substance by the Department of Health and Human Services. Mounting scientific evidence indicates that long ultraviolet rays – the type of light used by the tanning industry – can cause melanoma and skin wrinkling, also known as premature aging. UVA is used because it is well known that short ultraviolet light (UVB) can cause sunburn and basal and squamous cell carcinomas, the more common skin cancers. Dermatologists are not advocating a return to UVB lights by the industry, but calling for increased public awareness of the serious risks associated with indoor tanning devices. (Fenske 29)

You would think with all the recent discoveries connecting sun overexposure to skin cancer, society and especially you young ladies would be less concerned with achieving the perfect tan and more worried about the possible effects it could have on your health in the future. However, our culture is consumed with looking flawless and fitting in. One specific girl who felt this pressure is named Katie Donnar, an 18-year-old from Vincennes, Indiana. Donnar admitted in an article to ABC News, that she started tanning in middle school when she convinced her mother to let her go tanning twice a week. Donnar admits that “everyone else was tan and I didn’t want to be the odd one, so I tanned so I could fit in” (Salahi 1). Donnar began competing in beauty pageants while she was in high school. In order to keep up her appearance, her mother bought her a personal tanning bed. As a result, the teen “began tanning more frequently” (Salahi 1). Sadly, when she was getting ready for one of her pageants, she noticed a brown spot on her leg, “and at age 17, Donnar was diagnosed with an early stage of melanoma” (Salahi 1). Unfortunately, Katie Donnar is not alone. According to the Journal of American Dermatology, “more than 30 million people tan indoors every year and nearly three quarters of them are women between ages 16 and 29” (Salahi 1). That includes many of you sitting in this room today. We need to realize that our skin is not invincible, and that overtime problems may occur if we do not start taking care of it. Furthermore, “using a tanning bed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent” (Salahi 1). Seventy-five percent! If that statistic doesn’t scare you ladies out of the tanning bed, I don’t know what will. Because of these frightening numbers, the Skin Care Foundation believes that “minors should altogether be banned from using indoor tanning beds because of their health dangers” (Salahi 1). Dr. Fenske agrees and “opposes indoor tanning for minors because childhood exposure to ultraviolet light is a significant risk factor for skin cancer later in life” (Fenske 29). Organizations are also hoping that Obama’s new health care bill to enforce a 10 percent tax on individuals receiving indoor tanning will help turn people from going tanning on their own.

However, that might be easier said than done. Time recently released an article stating:

In a study of 421 college undergraduates, researchers in psychiatry and psychology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the University of Albany, State University of New York, found that a subgroup of indoor tanners showed classic signs of substance-related disorder: they were hooked on their tanning-booth sessions the same way others are dependent on alcohol or drugs (Park).

Although going to the tanning bed may not seem as serious of a problem as abusing alcohol and drugs, the truth is tanning could potentially harm you more in the long run.

“In an ideal world we would avoid everything that brings risk to our lives; however that is both impractical (e.g. driving) and harder yet for addictive substances such as tobacco and alcohol, in real life. Recently, some studies have suggested that repetitive tanning may be a kind of addiction. (Fenske 29)

Besides the aftermath of having glowing skin, there are a few other reasons that women, and men also, continue to go tanning even though they are aware of its possible repercussions. One reason is that “frequent tanners have reported that lying in a tanning bed helps them feel more relaxed and at ease, which would explain in part why tanners compulsively go back for more” (Park 2). I can admittedly say that I have gone to tanning beds in the past. When I was in high school, it was common for girls to go tanning a few times before a dance or prom to make ourselves feel more radiant and beautiful. I cannot lie, I did find tanning beds relaxing and I looked forward to going to them. A combination of resting my eyes, the warmth, and the afterglow of the skin created a good feeling. Also, some studies believe that the “UV exposure from the booths raises tanners' levels of endorphins — the brain's feel-good chemical” (Park 2). It is hard to think about what could possibly happen in the future when something makes you feel good and relaxed in the present. Although this theory is not definite, it does make sense. We believe that we are more beautiful when we have tan skin. Feeling beautiful makes us happy, this then could create more endorphins because we feel good about ourselves. It is important for us to feel confident with ourselves and the way we look, but I urge you to think about the possible consequences of tanning before you hop into another bed.

“In an ideal world we would avoid everything that brings risk to our lives; however that is both impractical (e.g. driving) and harder yet for addictive substances such as tobacco and alcohol, in real life. Recently, some studies have suggested that repetitive tanning may be a kind of addiction. (Fenske 29)

The reason I am so passionate about the idea of overexposure to sunlight and the harmful effects of tanning is because I recently lost someone very special to me to malignant melanoma. This person was my aunt and godmother, and she lost her battle to skin cancer at age 55. I have seen firsthand how quick-moving and dangerous melanoma is. My aunt was diagnosed with stage III melanoma in mid-January and passed away at the end of June, and the road was not pretty. First, she had surgery to take out the tumor and some skin around it to try and reduce the cancer cells in the area. Unfortunately, not all the melanoma was removed and it had spread to her lymph nodes and eventually to other organs. This is when my aunt and her doctor decided her best option was to start chemotherapy, which is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Although an effective form of treatment at times, it is not easy watching someone you love go through chemotherapy because of the gruesome side effects. My aunt, who was petite to begin with, lost about 30 pounds because the drugs made her nauseous. When she did have an appetite, she had trouble keeping any food down. Because of this rapid weight loss, she became extremely weak and fragile. She was constantly tired, and she did experience hair loss. I remember how amazing she was when we first went to pick out her wig. She made my family laugh by trying on mullets and other ridiculous hairstyles that we all picked out. She always kept a great attitude no matter how awful she felt, but eventually lost to the disease. She left behind a great husband, three sons (ages 28, 25, and 21), and an extended family who will always feel inspired when thinking about her courage during her battle.

I wanted to bring awareness to you teenage girls about tanning and what could potentially happen if we continue to abuse our skin. Because melanoma is so dangerous, I want to inform you of the risk factors:

The following are risk factors from the highest to lowest risk. Also, the more risk factors you have, the higher your chances are of getting melanoma: a mole that is changing, atypical nevus system, having a mole that is greater than 15cm in diameter and has been present since birth, white race, a prior skin cancer, a close family member with melanoma, using a tanning bed ten times a year or more before age 30, more than 50 moles on your body, suppression of the immune system, the tendency to burn and freckle instead of tan. (Brannon 1)

If any of you ladies suspect you are at risk, the most important thing you can do is to go see a doctor. I know it might be scary to think about, but the earlier you catch melanoma the better chance you have of beating the disease and surviving. My aunt later admitted to our family that when her youngest son was graduating high school and getting ready to leave for college, she was so distracted that she missed a doctor appointment that could have made all the difference. The doctor could have caught the melanoma in an earlier stage, and there would have been a better chance that it would not have spread to the other parts of her body, and she could possibly still be here with us today.

I hope you girls have learned something from this today. I understand the pressures of society and what it means to feel beautiful, but we need to start listening to the skincare facts instead of worrying about other people’s opinions of us!

Annotated Bibliography

Brannon, Heather M.D. “Effects of Sun on the Skin: Visible Skin Changes Caused by UV

Radiation.” About.com. 23 March 2007: 1-2. Web. 30 June 2010.

Dr. Brannon explains the negative effect of sunlight and how it can cause skin damage and skin cancer. She explains the difference between the three types of ultraviolet raditions: UVA, UVB, and UVC. She also gives definitions and explanations of the three types of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

Brannon, Heather M.D. “Melanoma Information – Malignant Melanoma.” About.com. 23 July

2008: 1-2. Web. 30 June 2010.

This is another article by Dr. Brannon where she focuses more on melanoma. She includes the definition, the significance, risk factors, prevention methods, and provides tips when finding suspicious moles.

Chisholm, Ken. “Sun Tanning.” Livestrong. Livestrong, 16 July 2009: 1-5. Web. 30 June 2010.

This article starts out discussing the history of tanning and how it has changed throughout time. Hundreds of years ago, the color of your skin determined your social class: “Pale skin belonged to the leisurely upper classes, while darker skin indicated a life of outdoor labor.” Women would even use dangerous methods to dye their skin white. The article mentions that “it wasn’t until the 20^th century that society began accepting bronzed skin” and that this change was influenced by famous fashion designer Coco Chanel when she “obtained a suntan while cruising from Paris to Cannes, probably by accident.” The 1920’s brought changes in fashion and lifestyle and “women came out of the house to enjoy outdoor life.” Europe’s beaches were becoming a catwalk where women could show off their beach attire and the “suntan became a symbol of wealth and leisure.” As decades passed, generations continued to “back their bodies in the sun, totally oblivious to the fact that the sunburns they had acquired in their youth would develop into skin cancers 10 to 20 years later.”

Fenske, Neil Alan M.D. “What Are The Hazards Of Indoor Tanning?” Tampa Tribune. 15

March 2008: 29. Web. 30 June 2010.

This article is written by Dr. Neil Fenske, a professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology and Cuteneous Surgery at USF Health. He starts out by stating that when diagnosing melanoma, his patients are “often young women with no known risk factors, except a history of overzealous exposure to tanning beds” (Fenske 29). He also states that “most tanning salon customers – 70 percent – are girls and women, and melanoma is the second-most common cancer in women 20 to 29” (Fenske 29). He admits that indoor tanning is a risk and confirms that ultraviolet radiation can cause cancer. Fenske admits that he opposes “indoor tanning for minors because childhood exposure to ultraviolet light is a significant risk factor for skin cancer later in life” (Fenske 29).

Park, Alice. “Tanorexia: Are Some People Addicted to Indoor Tanning?” Time. Time Mag., 19

Apr. 2010: 1-2. Web. 30 June 2010.

This article proposes the theory that regular tanners may be addicted to tanning beds. Researchers conducted a study of 421 college undergraduates and “found that a subgroup of indoor tanners showed classic signs of substance-related disorder: they were hooked on their tanning-booth sessions the same way others are dependent on alcohol or drugs” (Park 1). Regular tanners also showed signs of anxiety and depression. The study concluded that “slightly more than half of the students reported ever having used an indoor tanning bed, and among those, 35% on average qualified as being addicted to tanning” (Park 1). The disturbing part is that just under 100% of these people are aware of the risks of skin cancer but continue to tan on a regular basis. Some individuals admit that tanning beds relax them which is a factor that keeps them going back for more. Also, some have linked tanning with creating endorphins.

Salahi, Lara. Keeping Teens Out of Tanning Beds: FDA Panel Meets to Discuss Safety of

Tanning Beds.” Abcnews.com. 25 March 2010: 1-3. Web. 30 June 2010.

This article focuses on how teenage girls feel pressure to be tan in order to fit in. It tells the story of an 18-year-old named Katie Donnar from Vincennes, Indiana who convinced her mom to let her start tanning in middle school because “everyone else was tan and [she] didn’t want to be the odd one” (Salahi 1). In high school, Donnar’s mom bought her a tanning bed because she was competing in beauty pageants and needed to keep up her appearance. When she was 17, Donnar “discovered a brown spot on her leg that she had never noticed before” and was “diagnosed with an early stage of melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer” (Salahi 1). The article also mentions effort to change the tanning industry and explains how Obama’s new health care bill will economically affect it. However, some organizations and members the FDA believe that “minors should altogether be banned from using indoor tanning beds because of their health dangers” (Salahi 1).