Got+Melanoma?

These days we all strive for that perfect natural tan. That lowing skin which looks top notch with the summer clothing especially teenagers. Yet people tend to forget how dangerous achieving that tan can actually be. Teens in particular tend to believe that they are immune from developing skin cancers and diseases from tanning because it is a disease that is mostly found in adults.

The media is a huge contributor in why people feel the need to be tan. Most people have seen the TV shows “Baywatch” and “The OC” which glorify having that perfect toned body and a glowing tan. The message being sent about the sex appeal of going bronze has some serious and potentially life-threatening consequences that too many people are not worried about.

Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It is also the most common form found in America. The best way to develop this form of cancer is through sunburn. Tanning exists as the second best way to develop it. This form of skin cancer is the deadliest because it spreads easily to other body parts. When the body burns the small cells within the skin will pop resulting in the appearance of red sensitive skin. When these skin cells are continuously damaged by sunburn or frequently exposed to ultraviolet rays the cells that produce pigments and give the skin its natural color develop melanoma. Melanoma begins in the skin and then spreads to other organs and bones through the blood or lymph system.

Te biggest risk factor for developing melanoma is chronic exposure to ultraviolet rays from a tanning bed or the sun. People seem to be under the misguided impression that slathering sunscreen on their body makes it safe to lie out in the sun like a lizard and get a nice, gentle, healthy tan. But no matter what number sunscreen they are wearing there is no such thing as a healthy tan. Lying out in the sun for more than ten minutes is not beneficial to the body. Within that time the body can enjoy a significant amount of vitamin D and aside from that no other health benefits come from lying out and tanning.

Another reason why so many people develop melanoma is because they are under the impression that if the skin gets burnt then it will develop into a tan and form a base coat that will then protect them from the harmful sun. This is false. Attempting to get burnt in order to be tan is a great way to get skin cancer. For some people burns eventually fade to a tan color but that is the unhealthiest way to make the body tan. Every time the body gets burnt the chances to getting melanoma or squamous call carcinoma (the second deadliest skin cancer) increases by fifty percent.

Furthermore, sun bed tanning is the best choice if wishing to be diagnosed with melanoma. Tanning beds cause a decrease in the skin’s immune response. They could the body’s ability to resist skin cancer and they increase the risk of other maladies like eye melanoma. According to the World Health Organization, who is currently trying to ban minors and young adults from tanning beds, no positive health effects come from sun bed tanning. So the message that the sun bed industry as has been sending, that sun bed tanning is good for you because it supplied the body with a sufficient amount of vitamin E, is nothing but a lie.

The World Health Organization and many dermatologists are very concerned about the young age at which kids begin tanning these days. The risk of melanoma increases seventy-five percent if you are twenty or younger and using tanning beds. The International Agency for Research and cancer has unequivocally linked the use of tanning beds of young people to melanoma. When teens go into tanning beds they never think that this could potentially kill them in ten years or so. Because tanning beds cause premature skin or youthful skin to age, more and more teenagers are developing skin cancer but they do not even know it. Although skin cancer can be treated if it is caught early the chances of it being caught early when it develops in teens is very slim. This is because doctors never look for skin cancers in teens, that is something they check for in adults who have had that fair share of sun. But most twenty-three year olds have experienced the same amount of ultraviolet rays as forty-year olds. This generation of teenagers began tanning in sun beds and in the sun a decade before the previous generation. Older women with skin cancer began tanning in the sun (not tanning beds) when they were in their twenties and thirties. Today kids begin when they’re twelve. This means that the development of skin cancer these kids will begin much sooner.

Malignant melanoma is a deadly form of skins cancer. It does not discriminate against race, gender, or age. It is the second most common form of cancer in women and will lead to death if it is not treated. The best way to reduce the chances of developing this disease is to not lie out in the sun for more than ten minutes and to never use a tanning bed.