Beware of Cancer Risk from Tanning Beds
By Marilyn Zink
Worried about skin cancer? You should be.
Skin cancer rates are increasing, and with a long, hot dry summer predicted, it makes more sense than ever to protect yourself with adequate sunscreen. Going out of your way to get tanned whether by the sun or by a tanning bed (definitely not a good idea), can triple your chances of getting skin cancer. It is now well established that tanning beds, in addition to other sources of UV radiation, rank among the highest risk sources for melanoma and squamous cell cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer released a statement last July stating that tanning beds ‘are as deadly as mustard gas, plutonium and other identified carcinogens, stating that tanning beds increase the risk of skin melanoma by 75% when used before the age of 30.
Now there is sad proof this is true. I read about a young woman this week who died from skin cancer as a result of constant tanning - in the sun and with tanning beds when she couldn’t tan in the sun. It left a lump in my throat. This young woman had everything going for her. She was otherwise healthy, active and looked after herself.
Yet she didn’t realize how dangerous it was to tan constantly. A small growth on her skin had been removed after being diagnosed as benign. Yet it wasn’t benign. It metastized as a small lump in the lymph glands of her groin. After diagnosis, her life was an up and down battle with cancer, until it took her life at the young age of 26.
Many people avoid sunscreens because they are concerned about the unhealthy ingredients. Yet you can buy sunscreens in health food stores with clean, healthy ingredients.
A healthy diet with anti-oxidants and Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) like flax seed oil or hemp seed oil will also help you have a healthier body to fight off the effects of skin aging. But it’s more important to stay out of the sun when the sun’s rays are the strongest, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. And avoid tanning beds.
Marilyn Zink is the publisher of the Herbal Collective magazine and administrator for www.herbguide.ca, an online herbal community where you can learn more about all aspects of herbs and have a chance to win a herbal book in monthly book draws.
