is sunbathing good for you?
Is sunbathing good for you?
Tanushri Gukhool 10a
Mr Terry
Contents page
Introduction...............................................................................pg2
Ultraviolet radiation.....................................................................pg2
The sun can be good for you.........................................................pg2
The sun can be bad for you..........................................................pg2
Sun beds..................................................................................pg3
How the Skin Tans.....................................................................pg3
UV and your health.....................................................................pg4
UV sessions..............................................................................pg4
Risks.......................................................................................pg5
Who is most at risk? ................................................................................pg6
Health benefits...........................................................................pg6
Tanning fakes............................................................................pg7
Tanning myths...........................................................................pg7
Conclusion................................................................................pg8
Bibliography..............................................................................pg9
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Introduction...
In this case study I will be analysing the different theories about sunbathing and staying in the sun for long periods of time. I will be looking at both for and against arguments and backing these points up with scientific evidence. I will also be analysing the reliability of the sources, as well as including my own personal opinions.
Ultraviolet radiation...
UV light is radiation that can't be seen and is beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum making UV an ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is high in energy and can also damage living cells, causing skin cancers and diseases.
The sun...
The sun is the source of energy that all life on earth depends on, without the sun the earth would be unable to survive. The sun radiates electro-magnetic vibrations with different wave lengths. The wave lengths of heat rays are longer than the wave lengths for visible light. Ultraviolet radiation, which tans our skin, has even shorter wave lengths than these.
The sun can be good for you because:
* Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is our main source of vitamin D, important for your bones, muscles and immune system
* Vitamin D may also have the ability to combat the development and spread of cancerous tumours
* Sunlight stimulates the pineal gland in the brain. This produces certain chemicals called 'tryptamines' which improve our mood
The sun can be bad for you because:
* Exposure to solar and artificial UV radiation is widely recognized as a leading and preventable cause of skin cancer
* Exposure to high levels of sunlight makes you four times more likely to develop cataracts in your eyes
* Sunburn can change the distribution and function of disease-fighting white blood cells and damage our DNA
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Sun beds...
Sun beds are becoming more and more popular. More than 10% of the population in northern Europe use sun beds to get a tan, with more than 24% of British teenagers, aged 16-24, have used a sun bed. Britain has children as young as 13 with memberships to tanning salon.
Sun bed contains fluorescent tubes which mainly emit UVA and some UVB rays which both damage DNA in skin cells. Researchers say:
"However, in recent years, lamps of sun beds have been manufactured that produced higher levels of UVB to mimic the solar spectrum and speed the tanning process. While UVB has well known carcinogenic properties and whose excessive exposure is known to lead to the development of skin cancers, recent scientific studies suggest that high exposures to the longer wavelengths UVA could also have an impact on skin cancer."
On average, just 10 minutes of ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Sun bed contains fluorescent tubes which mainly emit UVA and some UVB rays which both damage DNA in skin cells. Researchers say:
"However, in recent years, lamps of sun beds have been manufactured that produced higher levels of UVB to mimic the solar spectrum and speed the tanning process. While UVB has well known carcinogenic properties and whose excessive exposure is known to lead to the development of skin cancers, recent scientific studies suggest that high exposures to the longer wavelengths UVA could also have an impact on skin cancer."
On average, just 10 minutes of using a sun bed has the same effect on the skin as 10 minutes of the Mediterranean summer sun. Due to this over 132,000 cases of malignant melanoma and two million cases of other skin cancers occur worldwide each year.
Melanoma is a malignant tumour of melanocytes, which are found mainly in skin but also in the bowel and eye. It is one of the rarer types of skin cancer, but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Despite many years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, the single effective cure is surgical removal of the main tumour before it achieves a thickness of greater than 1 mm.
After excessive exposure to Ultraviolet radiation, skin could develop sunburn. After time skin and eye diseases can develop, but this would only occur if the skin or eyes are exposed to too much UV light.
How the Skin Tans...
Our natural skin colour is determined by skin pigment also known as melanin. When our skin is exposed to UV, cells deep in our skin begin a process where more melanin is produced. The cells turn brown and rise to the skins surface producing a tan. UV also thickens the outer layers of the skin, the body's way of building up protection to UV and to avoid burning.
People react differently to UV rays; people with dark skin, brown easily as the skin produces melanin quicker. People with fair skin find it harder to tan because the body produces very little melanin. If the body stays in the sun to long, it will result in sunburn. Our skin repairs itself but if this happens too often, it may get exhausted and future sunburns may result in permanent damage to the skin.
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UV and your health...
Using sun beds can be safe if you follow certain rules that are given with the machine. One example of this is a Instruction book that comes with a Phillip sun bed.
UV sessions:
You may have one UV session per day, over a period of five to ten days. After such a course you may rest the skin for a while. Approximately one month after a course your skin will have lost much of the tan. On the other hand you may prefer to have one or two sessions per week after a course has elapsed in order to keep a tan. What ever you may prefer, make sure that you do not exceed the maximum amount of tanning hours. For this solarium the maximum is 26 hours = 1560 minutes.
If you take a 10 day course with 10 minutes session on the first day and 25 minutes' sessions on the other nine following days. The entire course includes
(1 x 10 minutes) + (9 x 25 minutes) = 235 minutes.
Over a year you may have six of these courses. (6 x 235 minutes = 1410 minutes)
Duration of the UV session
( for each separately treated part of the body) in minutes
st
Session
2nd
Session
3rd
Session
4th
Session
5th
Session
6th
Session
7th
Session
8th
Sesion
Very sensitive skin
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Normal sensitive skin
0
20 - 25
20 - 25
20 - 25
20 - 25
20 - 25
20 - 25
20 - 25
Less sensitive skin
0
30*
30*
30*
30*
30*
30*
30*
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Everyone has different types of skin which consist of 6 categories. The types allow you to see how much your skin can stay in the sun before damage can happen.
Skin Type
Skin Description
REACTION TO TANNING
Very fair
Usually lots of freckles, red or sandy hair; blue or grey eyes
High burn risk; skin turns red and peels. Advised not to tan in sunlight
Do NOT use a sun beds
2
Fair
Possibly with freckles; blond to brown hair; blue, green and grey eyes
High burn risk. Great care should be taken in tanning.
Tanning tends to be light
3
Light brown
Dark brown hair and eyes
Burning is rare; tanning is rapid and deep
See additional note below
4
Light brown
Dark brown hair and eyes
Burning is rare; tanning is rapid and deep
See additional note below
5
Deep brown skin
Dark hair and eyes
Burning is seldom; tanning is rapid and deep. This type of skin has its own natural protection.
See additional note below
6
Very dark skin
Black hair and dark eyes
Never burns in natural sunlight.
See additional note below
Risks...
Ultraviolet radiation in is the most well-known and universal cancer causing agent in our environment. Sun beds can cause skin cancers, Skin ageing, eye damage and other harmful health effects to the human body. Any excessive exposure to UV, not just from sun beds, can result in structural damage to skin. After a period of time the damage can be due to burning, fragility and scarring and in the long term it can cause Photoageing. There is not yet evidence to show that exposure to UV radiation from sun beds is any more harmful to UV exposure from the sun. Photoageing, caused by the breakdown of collagen in the skin by UV, shows itself as wrinkling and loss of elasticity.
People think that children are less likely to be affected by the sun or sunburn but they are wrong. Childhood exposure to UV light could double the Childs risk of developing melanoma later in life. This is why sun bed manufactures introduced a law which stated that children under the age of 16 shouldn't use sun beds. In children their skin is more sensitive and is damaged more easily.
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Who is most at risk?
People that are most at risk using sun beds are those with fair or tender skin, people with skin type 1, as they have a higher risk of suffering from problems.
In 2003 ICNIRP published recommends against the use of UV-emitting appliances for tanning or other non-medical purposes. ICNIRP states that the following people/groups are at particularly high risk of incurring adverse health effects from UV, and therefore should be particularly counselled against the use of tanning appliances:
* People who have skin phototypes I or II
* Children; less than 18 years of age
* People who have large numbers of moles
* People who tend to freckle
* People who have a history of frequent childhood sunburn
* People who have pre-malignant or malignant skin lesions
* People who have sun-damaged skin
* Those wearing cosmetics, as they may enhance their sensitivity to UV exposure
* Those taking medication. In this case, they should get advice from their physician to find out if the medication will make them UV-sensitive.
Many people become addicted to tanning, which is unofficially known as Tanorexia. Some of the symptoms of Tanorexia include a false belief that he or she is too pale, and will therefore exceed the limits of UV exposure. The individual will seek out UV exposure indoors or outdoors, with the goal of getting a tan that is dark enough for his or her tastes.
Health benefits
As we already know sun bed use may increase vitamin D levels but there are many other reason why the use of sun beds can be good for the body.
Apart from getting a tan many people say that using a sun beds helps them to relax and can help course SAD, Seasonal affective disorder, also known as winter blues, a mood disorder. Most SAD sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer. The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder
People also use sun beds as medication to treat illnesses such as psoriasis or eczema; this is known as UV light therapy. It can also help treat ache but is not a long term solution.
Pg6
Tanning fakes...
Today there are hundreds of cosmetic products on the market that can give you the same result without the risks from sun beds. Some of the products use dyes, chemicals or sugar cane.
Even though fake tan is safer than exposure to UV, it is important to be aware that self-tanning lotions offer little protection. So if you're taking a trip outside in the sunshine to show off your new tan, you'll still need to use some sun cream.
Tanning myths...
This section has been taken from the Cancer Research UK website and shows what people think are reasons for using sun beds. People use sun beds for many different reasons.
"Sun bed tanning is safer than sun tanning" - False
Sun beds are not a 'safe' alternative to sun tanning. Like the sun, sun beds give out UV rays which damage the DNA in your skin cells. In fact, the intensity of UV rays from sun beds can be up to 10-15 times higher than that of the midday sun.
"I tan safely by building my sun bed tan gradually" - False
Unfortunately, using sunscreen or limiting your time on a sun bed will not protect your skin from damage and ageing. In fact, exposing yourself to short intense bursts of UV rays on a sun bed is one of the fastest ways to damage your skin.
"A tan will protect me from the sun on holiday" - False
A tan offers very limited protection from sunlight or burning. At most, a sun bed tan is equivalent to a factor 4 sunscreen. Not enough to keep you safe in the sun.
"Being tanned is a sign of health" - False
The simple fact that your skin has changed colour is a sign that it has been damaged. Using sun beds before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing skin cancer by up to 75%. UV from sun beds not only harms your skin, if you don't wear goggles it can also damage your eyes. UV eye damage can lead to irritation, conjunctivitis and even eye cancer. Darker skin is merely the sign of pigment build up to provide a more protective barrier against the sun.
"Getting a tan helps to clear up skin" - False
Even though a tan may temporarily cover the redness of acne, there's no evidence that having tanned skin helps to clear up acne. People who tan in the sun or in tanning booths or beds run the risk of developing dry, irritated, or even burned skin. They're also at increased risk of premature aging and developing skin cancer.
From this section we find that people don't really know a lot about sun beds and the effects they have on the human body. So should more be done to help people find out what effect sun beds really have?
Pg7
Conclusion...
There are both good and bad points to sun tanning. UV radiation from the sun is our main source of vitamin D, it is important for your bones, muscles and immune system. Just ten minutes of daily exposure to sunlight will give us all the vitamin D we need. The main function is to help calcium be absorbed in the gut. This adds to strong bones and a contented nervous system. Recent laboratory experiments suggest that vitamin D also has the ability to prevent the growth and spread of cancerous tumours.
Apart from the obvious ups we have with a sunny day, the sun can effect your mood and even prevent depression. Sunlight helps to stimulate the pineal gland in the brain. This produces certain chemicals called 'tryptamines' which improve our mood. The start of spring gives many people relief from 'seasonal affective disorder' or SAD. This condition is suffered by people who don't get enough sunlight during the winter months.
If you sunbathe excessively, even small things that you think are harmless can be very dangerous, like sunburn. Each time our skin becomes tanned or burned, it damages individual skin cells. Some cells repair themselves by getting rid of damaged DNA, cells that can't repair themselves, become defective cancerous cells. Ultraviolet light in the sunlight weakens the body's immune system, making it difficult to destroy defective cells. They slowly grow to produce a cancerous tumour.
Exposure to high levels of sunlight makes you four times more likely to develop cataracts in your eyes. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye. When a cloudy cataract forms over the eye, it stops light passing through the lens and reaching the back of the eye. In severe cases, it can result in blindness. Scientists found that people exposed to high levels of sunlight are up to four times more likely to get cataracts.
Taking into account all the information and research that I have gathered I side with both arguments. I personally believe that you need to be exposed to sunlight, to get your main source of vitamin D and to keep you calcium levels up, but in moderation. It has been proven in many scientific investigations, that the sun has an affect on your skin that cause cancer. Also that too much sun can cause serious damage to your skin, even if you cant physically see the damage.
Pg8
Resources...
All the information I have used has been peer reviewed and is reliable, unbiased information.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs287/en/
http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/appearance/yourbody/sunbeds
http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/sunsmart/staysafe/sunbeds/
http://www.sunbedassociation.org.uk/howtheskintans.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_melanoma
http://www.sunbedassociation.org.uk/skintyping.php
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/sunshine/index.shtml
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