Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Caron Gremont: Obesity's Officially a Disease, So How Come My Child…
Karri-Leigh P. Mastrangelo: Am I Going to Hell For My Position on…
Teenage Girls Continue to 'Fake 'n' Bake' Despite Health Warnings
Filed under: Teens, Health & Safety: Teens
Teens continue to tan despite health risks. Credit: MTC
There's nothing like that pre-cancerous glow to say, "Hey, boys, I'm young and sexy. Love me now before my skin turns to beef jerky, and I die from melanoma."
Not that teenage girls need Snooki's encouragement to do something stupid. According to U.S. News & World Report, beauty-obsessed adolescents continue to "fake 'n' bake" even though tanning poses the most publicized health risks since smoking.
Unless you have actually been living on Venus to catch some truly tasty rays the past few years, you know what ultraviolet light can do to your skin. For one thing, according to U.S. News, it increases your risk of deadly skin cancer by 75 percent.
"Whatever," say millions of American teenage girls as they smack their bubble gum and twirl their hair.
Some 32 percent of them used a tanning bed within the past year, according to a poll by the American Academy of Dermatology, and a quarter of them tan on a weekly basis.
The results are more grim than sexy. According to U.S. News, 68,000 people develop melanoma every year, and at least 9,000 of these people die. Melanoma rates have reportedly risen in the last 30 years, especially among girls.
The Associated Press reports lawmakers in New York are considering the first state ban on indoor tanning for anyone younger than 18. Roughly half the states regulate indoor tanning for children and teenagers, and New York currently requires parental consent for kids between the ages 14 to 17 to get indoor tans.
"The challenge is that teens have access to indoor tanning salons on almost every corner," Ronald Moy, the dermatology academy's president, tells U.S. News.
"We are very concerned that this behavior will lead to a continued increase in the incidence of skin cancer in young people and, ultimately, more untimely deaths from this devastating disease," he adds. "Our survey underscores the importance of educating young women about the very real risks of tanning."
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- Why should anyone listen to a _____, what makes her an expert? Harpo is jus an actress, all she does is sit on her tush & claim she knows it all. ...
- What is the TFI ORGANIZATION IN KS?
- 3 SHOWS A HOUR 7 HOURS = 21 (10 DAYS = 210) 10 STUDIOS = 2100 20 STUDIOS = 4200 (IN 10 DAYS) 3 (20 MINUTE SHOWS).











ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
5-07-2011 @ 4:17PM
bikerangel79 said...I agree that there should be a law in every state to prohibit tanning for the under the age. Tanning can be addicting to some, and many will tanning every day of the week, up to twice a day, just moving from one tanning salon to the next to avoid the 3 days weekly recommendation. Some continue to tan even to the point where they look silly and unnatural, developing a orange hue. most teenagers do not fully understand the risk.
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 5:36PM
Alexandra said...I have had surgery for skin cancer THREE TIMES !! Let me tell you, it is NOT a fun experience. Teens that do this are setting themselves up for all types of skin cancer, including the deadliest one, which is MELANOMA !!
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 5:36PM
Shawn said...That's because teenagers know everything, right? Oh wait, they don't any experience whatsoever. Gee, wait till they end up with skin cancer.
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 6:17PM
Kimbelle10 said...I'm a teenager, almost 18, and yes I watch the "trashy" "Jersey Shore" on occasion...sue me.
I do have to say though...
As much as I agree w/ the article, that many teenage girls (I go to an all-girls school, predominantly Caucasian) who are educated in this manner (Health class anyone?) still continue to tan and feel it's necessary to go to the bed at least once every 1 to 2 weeks if they can. The first compliment the girls give each other, "Oh my gosh! You look so tan", and just last Friday I heard a girl give the same compliment to another tanned girl who was quick to say, "No I don't I look ALBINO, I need to get another set but I have no money right now.."
The problem isn't with Snookie, who I think this article is very biased and uneducated in that for two reasons. 1: Snookie is Chilean, so she has brown skin to begin with. 2: Snookie doesn't tan, she SPRAY TANS b/c of the taxes in her state etc. (remember the John McCain tweet a while back? Lol!
American society has shifted its gears of attractiveness of women for being a lot of demanding and irrelevant things, including being tan...Nearly every single day out of the week. Back in the Renaissance times, being tan meant you were poor and that you were always outside working...Pale skin was in. Since Coco Chanel and onward, being tan is now in and mulled over to nearly every girl (most not of Color; but don't be surprised, even some girls of Color [esp. the lighter shade] do tan or use bronzers etc.) and that's what's always on their minds.
If society changes its views on this or just making it okay to lose a tan when summer's over and not be so paranoid, and not have so many tanning booths in the sun-less of towns...This will not change and the girls will not care so much about it.
There's even this girl in my school, who seems to be tanning too much in that she has these pustules on her face that don't seem to be pimples and looks nearly unrecognizable if she "misses a session"
Society is to blame for this, not reality TV.
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 6:11PM
Leonda said...was just informed this week that a lady I work with lost a close friend (only in his early 50's) too melanoma. Another young man (34) just diagnosed with stage IV melanoma...he and his wife have a baby on the way in the next couple of weeks. We had a patient as young as 19 diagnosed! Tanning is not worth the risks involved when there are safe alternatives!!!
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 8:06PM
Mark said...That horrible! I baked in the sun for years! I wonder if it is only a matter of time before I get skin cancer!
5-07-2011 @ 6:32PM
Key said...Boy am I glad I'm Black... SMH
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 7:05PM
fred said...i used to be white till i fell asleep in a tanning bed.
5-07-2011 @ 8:28PM
dwbunited said...That's pretty rare of y'all to say.
5-07-2011 @ 7:00PM
Louis said..."Hey, boys, I'm young and sexy. Love me now before my skin turns to beef jerky, and I die from melanoma." Priceless!
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 7:02PM
Louis said...Amen! If a person is attractive, they will be attractive without a tan, and vice versa.
Reply
5-08-2011 @ 9:07PM
softballgal545 said...Theres no difference now than there ever has been. Snooki didnt cause girls to all of a sudden go tan. Im a teenager and go to a tanning salon. sue me. its not a big deal. and a majority of the women who walk into the salon are not teenagers. theyre adult women. so before yall adults start pointing fingers at teenagers make sure your hands are clean. if you dont want your teenage daughters going and tanning maybe you shouldnt be going tanning yourself.
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 9:31PM
Nancy W said...I think it's ironic that so many bigoted schmucks consider people of color "inferior" while at the same time they are killing themselves trying to get what others have naturally. Me, I use 100+ sun block. I don't want my skin to look like an old shoe.
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 11:05PM
Sunny said...I have a tanning salon. It is very regulated time-wise. NO underagers are allowed to tan UNLESS with parental permission, with a signed statement. Have had this salon for 13 years and have had several clients who have been recommended for tanning by their Drs. for different skin problems. I'm 76 ~ ~ ~ have tanned no more than three times a week ~ ~~ every other day for all of those 13 years. I have my dermotologist check-up once every 6 months and am "clear" of any problems. Tanning to me is like dieting ~ ~ ~ ~ it's how much you eat that will do the harm ~ ~ ~ how much you tan will do the harm. I tan no more that 10 mins @ a time and strongly advise my clients to follow this schedule. 10 mins. 3 times a week ! ! ! Period !
Reply
5-07-2011 @ 9:52PM
MichaelD said...So what? Let them bake!! stupid kids will do it anyway and so what does that mean? More gas for those of us who are still alive.
Reply
6-05-2011 @ 2:25PM
John said...Imagine that, Snookie is smarter than you.
Indoor tanning is one of the best sources of organic vitamin D. Your body makes it when exposed to UV light. Indoor tanners have the highest vitamin D levels. High vitamin D levels are linked to good health. Those with the highest levels of vitamin D have the lowest cancer rates, including melanoma.
Reply