Think I'm addicted to tanning

[moon]

I think next summer I will start fresh and try the spray tan or "embrace the pale". I know it will be a hard habit to break

I really hope you are able to break this habit. I've read that tanning can be a real addiction, almost like smoking; but since you only do it in summer it may be easier to just not start doing it next year like you are planning to.

I'm sure you look much prettier than you think in your natural skin tone. Once you get used to it you'll probably won't miss tanning anymore. Your skin will thank you for it by keeping you healthy and looking young for a long time!

 

[leahjade]

Was checking into some facts and saw on the Center for Disease Control website that Minnesota and Washington state have the highest incidents of melanoma. Shouldn't that be Florida and California if sun exposure were the cause. No in fact they were among the lowest states. I'm just saying that I don't think science has all the answers yet!

 

[CowboyCO]

My SIL is 36, has 4 kids and was just diagnosed three days ago with melanoma. She loves to sit out and bake, including going to tanning beds.

She'a seeing a surgical oncologist today. We're obviously praying that it is stage I and that the surgical removal will be all that is necessary.

 

[tar heel]

OP -- You seem to be just looking for reasons/evidence that tanning is okay. I think you're kidding yourself, but that's just my opinion. So you can find studies that say tanning isn't that bad. You can find a lot more than say just the opposite. I'd rather err on the side of caution.

 

[leahjade]

It's all so scary and a lot of unknowns. I was just reading that scientists are now finding a link between melanoma and fluorescent lights. Which makes sense since indoor workers have a much higher risk of melanoma than farmers or construction workers. I think I've decided for me is "no more baking" in the sun but I will get outside for walks or to sit in the sun for 30 minutes or so per day. I've been seeing studies that show some sun every day prevents other kinds of cancers.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Was checking into some facts and saw on the Center for Disease Control website that Minnesota and Washington state have the highest incidents of melanoma. Shouldn't that be Florida and California if sun exposure were the cause. No in fact they were among the lowest states. I'm just saying that I don't think science has all the answers yet!

Maybe people in Florida and California are more aware about sun protection and take better precaution? I'm not sure. That's just a guess.
I read an article about a month ago on Google News stating that tanning beds were 3 times more likely to cause melanoma. Maybe in Minnesota and Washington state, people go to the tanning bed more because they don't get as much sunlight. Again, just a theory.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

My SIL is 36, has 4 kids and was just diagnosed three days ago with melanoma. She loves to sit out and bake, including going to tanning beds.

She'a seeing a surgical oncologist today. We're obviously praying that it is stage I and that the surgical removal will be all that is necessary.

I will be praying for her. I hope it's stage 1. Keep us posted.

 

[arminnie]

Who knows what causes what? I have an aunt who smoked for decades and who even had a tanning bed in her home. She is in her early 80s and has beautiful skin. My grandfather smoked until he died in his 90s.

I choose not to take chances today. I've never smoked and would never use a tanning bed but in my 20s I tanned at the pool like crazy. I'm in my mid 60s and have very good skin (if I do say so myself). I'm very fair but I have a lot of American Indian blood in my heritage.

I've stayed out of the sun in recent years, but I've seen an endrochronologist for several years with a vitamin D deficiency. You can't win.

 

[HeatherH]

Tanning can definitely be addictive.

NY TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT TANNING ADDICTION

There is just absolutely NOTHING healthy about a tan. It means that your skin is DAMAGED. I was one of those who did the tanning salons in my 20s. Got blistering sunburns as a child (stupidly). Have had multiple moles and lesions removed. And oh yeah, a nice basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose last year, in a rather unpleasant two stage surgery that left me with a lovely scar.

I am now religious about sunscreen, but live with the knowledge that my risk of melanoma is multiples higher than average, I have every high risk factor.

That said, I have a dear friend who has olive skin, was never a sun worshiper, lives in a cold Northern climate...and she has had melanoma. Luckily it was caught in time.

If the fear of a deadly cancer isn't enough for you, add in the fear of really, really wrinkled skin. I have BEAUTIFUL cousins, younger than me, who were sun goddesses in their teens. It's literally almost scary to see the depth of the wrinkles in their faces now, and they are just in their 40s.

You're the only one who can decide to make the change, nothing that I say...or anyone else here...is going to make you change. Plenty of people enjoy laying out in the sun, there is nothing inherently wrong with that. All it takes is a dose of common sense...liberal use of sunscreen...avoiding the sun during the highest UV times...and seeking some shade from time to time.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

My Mom has had 13 skin cancers removed. One so deep they had to graph skin from her wrist to close up the wound.
My Aunt had a huge melanoma removed from her face which required 3 plastic surgeries after wards.
My cousin a melanoma on her leg.

I have had 2 biopsies that were negative but I know it's sadly a matter of time.

You need a body check & to face facts.

 

[leahjade]

From Yale-New Haven Medical Center

12 studies regarding the relationship between sunscreen use and melanoma, 3 showed decrease in melanoma rate, 4 showed INCREASE and the rest were inconclusive

It's hard to know what to do as a mother. I just have a scary feeling that years down the line we will find out that sunscreen isn't the magic answer. But for now, I'm afraid to take my kids to the beach on vacation any more!

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

From Yale-New Haven Medical Center

It's hard to know what to do as a mother. I just have a scary feeling that years down the line we will find out that sunscreen isn't the magic answer. But for now, I'm afraid to take my kids to the beach on vacation any more!

I fall into the 'everything in moderation' category of parenting (and life). I put sunscreen on the kids when we go to the beach, but we don't go to the beach every day, and they wear sun shirts when we go. I don't put sunscreen on them for school, but I send it for them to put on in case they end up playing sports in the sun or some other outdoor activity. During the summer months, we try to keep our outdoor activities before or after the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.

I, too, worry about what effect daily use of sunscreen could have on our bodies. We use it as the lesser of two evils when we are in situations where we are at risk of burning, and avoid it when we are out for shorter periods. However, I'm pretty careful to also practice moderation of sun exposure when we're not wearing it.

 

[Gigi22]

I have been going to a dermatologist once or twice a year for about 6 years to be monitored for skin cancer. I haven't had any 'bad moles' so far, but I haven't lain out in the sun for about 30 years--the monitoring is still necessary due to my coloring and heredity (very pale Celtic-type skin, light colored eyes). I use SPF 60 sunscreen regularly, and wear protective sun hats. I really don't understand how salons and spas are allowed to continue to sell tanning services to customers, when the dangers are known. I 'fire' any salon that pitches tanning to me!

 

[leahjade]

Do a search sometime for "do sunscreens prevent melanoma" and you will find some scary results. I just pray that slathering our kids with sunscreen when they were little wasn't doing more damage than good.
There are just some things that don't make sense - why has melanoma increased so much during these years when sunscreen use has been so widespread? People have been going to the beach and pools for decades so why is melanoma the number #1 cancer for young adults age 25-29 when these kids have been exposed to sunscreen all their lives? People spend more time indoors than ever in our country's history yet melanoma rates have skyrocketed. I just think we need a lot more studies!

 

[AmyPond]

My guess would be those people in their 20's with melanoma are the people who are going to tanning beds all the time.

I agree with pretty much everything BCDisneyFanatic said above.

 

[leahjade]

I just need to do some more research and maybe try some "natural" sunscreens for my kids. I buy natural cleaners for my house and organic food to eat yet when I read the ingredient labels for sunscreen, I was shocked. I'm slathering these chemicals into my children's skin on a daily basis! I just don't want to blindly believe everything the government and scientific community tells me. Remember when we were told for years to use margarine instead of butter since it's healthier? It was years before we learned of trans fats and their heart dangers.

 

[Jennasis]

Do a search sometime for "do sunscreens prevent melanoma" and you will find some scary results. I just pray that slathering our kids with sunscreen when they were little wasn't doing more damage than good.
There are just some things that don't make sense - why has melanoma increased so much during these years when sunscreen use has been so widespread? People have been going to the beach and pools for decades so why is melanoma the number #1 cancer for young adults age 25-29 when these kids have been exposed to sunscreen all their lives? People spend more time indoors than ever in our country's history yet melanoma rates have skyrocketed. I just think we need a lot more studies!

Must be that hole in the ozone layer!

 

[AmyPond]

I just need to do some more research and maybe try some "natural" sunscreens for my kids. I buy natural cleaners for my house and organic food to eat yet when I read the ingredient labels for sunscreen, I was shocked. I'm slathering these chemicals into my children's skin on a daily basis! I just don't want to blindly believe everything the government and scientific community tells me. Remember when we were told for years to use margarine instead of butter since it's healthier? It was years before we learned of trans fats and their heart dangers.

This post gives a good link comparing sunscreens and it's easy to see which ones are good and which are not - http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36822434&postcount=20

 

[CowboyCO]

I will be praying for her. I hope it's stage 1. Keep us posted.

We now know it is at least stage II. She is getting scheduled for surgery next week and they will see how deep it goes... Dye test will happen before the surgery. Praying it hasn't reached the lymph nodes.