Healthy Me

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer has reclassified tanning devices as a definite carcinogen.  (The definition of carcinogen is "agent directly involved in the exacerbation of cancer or in the increase of its propagation.")  This isn't new news to me.  I think it is pretty common knowledge.  Knowing that, I don't understand why people would use them (and use them often in a lot of cases).  Are there health benefits to using a tanning bed?  Not for me personally.
• According to this article..."exposure to UV light can lead to melanoma, especially if you're exposed to it in your teens and/or 20s."
• Melanoma cases are even showing up in the genital area of women.  I doubt women are standing on their heads outdoors and getting sunburned there.  This is from the tanning bed.
• Is your excuse for using the tanning bed that you get Vitamin D from it?  Go stand outside a few times a week and you'll get the same benefit.  Find another source for Vitamin D.
• Do you think the tanning bed is safer than the sun? According to this article, the bulbs in the tanning beds are several times stronger than sunlight. 

Even though the kids are back in school, we must not forget that the sun is still hot and can cause damage. We went to a football game this past weekend and ended up fried. I have stripes on my feet from my sandals! I won't even get into the sunburn on my eyes other than to say I should have grabbed my husband's Men's Sunglasses from the car. I never thought about it.

I need to take more care of my health. The temporary discomfort aside, too much sun can cause major skin damage. I try to avoid that because I am really pale but it totally slipped my mind this time. I don't want to end up with skin cancer on my nose or shoulders from too much sun!

Everybody needs the sun for Vitamin D. 10-15 minutes of daily sun exposure is all it takes to get the D you need. I certainly didn't need three hours unprotected!

With the dangers of skin cancer due to the sun's damaging rays, I have always avoided the sun. Plus, I burn right away. That can't be a good thing so I just decided years ago to avoid it. It leaves me pasty white all year long. Who wants to be pasty 24/7, 365 days a year so I wanted to see what the Mayo Clinic had to say about sunless tanning.

According to them, sunless tanning products, such as Sunless Tanning Spray, are safe alternatives. The only risk I could find is inhaling or getting it in your eyes. This can be avoided if you close your eyes and hold your breath.

A tip for those who choose to do this: Exfoliate first for more even color. Women should shave beforehand as well.

I think one thing that everybody knows is that too much sun can cause damage to your skin. Too much sun can make your skin look harsh and make you look older than you are. That still doesn't keep people from overdoing it under the sun's rays without taking proper safety precautions, which I just don't get!

I burn pretty much as soon as the sun kisses my skin so I avoid the sun as much as possible. My skin fries and then it freckles. I really don't need the help with skin freckles from the sun so it's another reason to avoid it.

However, I don't enjoy looking pale or being called "ghost" (my childhood nickname from my older brother). I found one option to consider if I don't want to be lily white anymore. Spray Tanning!

I have to avoid the sun and I want to avoid skin damage and all it entails so it's nice to know there are other options.