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In Wo o dy Allen's classic "Annie Hall," Alvy Singer laments, "Everything o ur parents said was go o d is bad." He lists who le milk, red meat - and the sun. Obvio usly, the sun is no t "bad," but the truth abo ut sun expo sure is much mo re co mplex than believed a generatio n ago . Ever since Co co Chanel declared tanning "in" in the 19 20 s, a suntan was seen as symbo l o f health, yo uth and status. Ho wever, recent studies o n the relatio nship between the sun's ultravio let rays (UVR) and o ur skin are changing the way we view that "healthy" glo w.
What is t anning?

Tanning is the skin's reactio n to ultravio let (UV) radiatio n. When skin is expo sed to UV rays, cells called melano cytes pro duce the bro wn pigment melanin, which darkens the cells o f the epidermis. This darkening o f the skin cells is the skin's natural if imperfect defense against further damage fro m UV radiatio n.

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Is t anning bad f or you?

The sun's UV rays damage the DNA o f the skin's epidermal cells, triggering enzymes that race to repair the damage. Ho wever, these enzymes do no t always repair the DNA successfully, and all this unrepaired damage can lead to mutatio ns that increase the risk o f skin cancer. Also , repeated unpro tected sun expo sure can cause pho to aging wrinkles, sagging skin, and spo ts asso ciated with sun damage.
Doe s all UV radiat ion harm my skin?

Scientists divide the so lar UV spectrum into three wavelengths - UVA, UVB and UVC. Once, UVA and UVC were tho ught
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harmless, and o nly UVB was believed dangero us. UVC is still deemed no threat, since it is abso rbed by the o zo ne layer. But UVA acco unts fo r up to 9 5 percent o f so lar UVR reaching Earth. Tho ugh far less capable o f causing sunburn than UVB, UVA is present during all daylight ho urs year ro und, while the amo unt o f UVB in sunlight varies by seaso n, lo catio n and time o f day. By the 19 9 0 's, scientists knew that UVA exacerbates the cancer-causing effects o f UVB, and is the main wavelength behind pho to aging. Recently, an Australian-U.S. study fo und that UVA may be mo re carcino genic than UVB. It penetrates mo re deeply and causes mo re genetic damage in the skin cells (keratino cytes) where mo st skin cancers arise. The Natio nal Institutes o f Health and the Wo rld Health Organizatio n no w designate bo th UVA and UVB as causes o f cancer.
Doe sn't t he me lanin acquire d t hrough t anning act ually prot e ct my skin?

Darker skin do es o ffer greater pro tectio n than light skin against sunburn and skin cancer. Ho wever, that applies o nly to peo ple with naturally darker skin. Tanning, like sunburns, attacks the skin's DNA, pro ducing genetic defects that may cause skin cancer.
Isn't ge t t ing sunburne d more dange rous t han ge t t ing t an?

Bo th are dangero us, because bo th result fro m DNA damage to the skin cells. It is true that sunburn has been directly linked to melano ma o ne blistering sunburn in childho o d o r ado lescence, o r five sunburns to tal o ver the co urse o f o nes life, mo re than do ubles a perso n's chances o f develo ping melano ma later in life. It is usually tho ught that lifetime sun expo sure is respo nsible fo r increased risk o f squamo us cell carcino ma, while bo th intense, intermittent sun expo sure the pattern that is traditio nally linked to melano ma and lifetime expo sure are believed to be invo lved in the develo pment o f basal cell carcino ma. Ho wever, studies have also sho wn a marked increase in melano ma incidence in peo ple who have develo ped either squamo us cell carcino ma o r basal cell carcino ma. Scientists are still trying to determine the exact expo sure pattern behind the develo pment o f the different types o f skin cancer, but it is safe to say that bo th burning and tanning play majo r ro les in skin cancer.

Are t anning be ds saf e r?

Tanning salo n o wners say tanning machines are safer than o utdo o r tanning fo r two reaso ns: 1) they mainly use UVA rays, and 2)

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they o ffer mo re "co ntro lled" UV expo sure. Ho wever, we kno w no w that UVA is a carcino gen, and studies have revealed that tanning salo ns frequently exceed "safe" UV limits. Study after study has sho wn that sunbed tanning increases the risk o f bo th melano ma and no nmelano ma skin cancers. The facts bear o ut: There is no such thing as a safe tan. Ho wever, there are safe alternatives in sunless tanners. Being info rmed abo ut ho w to pro tect yo urself fro m unwanted sun expo sure is the best defense against skin cancer and pho to aging.

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