Sun Sense Facts

Indoor tanning salons use ultraviolet light, so they have the same side effects as the sun – including more rapid aging, and increased chance of melanoma and skin cancer. No kind of ultraviolet light is safe!

For years, people used to think that a suntan was a sign of good health. The fact is just the opposite. A suntan is the skin’s response to injury from sunlight. Although a suntan might look good on the surface, remember, it’s a sign of permanent injury.

There is a substance produced by the skin called melanin (mel-a-nin). When UV rays enter the skin, the skin protects itself by making more melanin, causing a tan. The more melanin you have in the skin the more protected you are from ultraviolet light. However, the protection is only equal to a sunscreen with a protection and is not a substitute for a sunscreen lotion.

It’s not the heat that causes the damage; it’s the ultraviolet light. It is important to remember that the sun is still dangerous even when it is not your typical summer day. UV rays may still be strong on cold or overcast days and can penetrate through cloud cover, fog, and haze. However, certain things do make UV light more intense. Here is a list of things that can increase the amount of UV light you are getting.

Besides damaging your skin, ultraviolet light damages the body’s ability to fight off early skin cancer using the defenses of the immune system. This fact is not widely known but is one of the most important reasons that sunscreens are necessary as you get older.