2008 Woodie Awards
Getting baked: alternatives to suntanning
Mary-Jo Lomax / Special to La Voz
Issue date: 4/24/06 Section: Health
5/7/06, 5:21 PDT
May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and accounts for over 70% of all skin cancer deaths. More new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year than any other cancer, both in U.S. and worldwide. Melanoma occurs in all age groups, and is the most common cancer in young adults, ages 20-30. Melanoma starts in the melanocytes, the cells that make melanin, which is the skin's pigment. Melanocytes are mainly found on the skin, but they are also found in other areas of the body like the eyes and digestive system.
The most common risk factors for melanoma are having moles, which are areas of concentrated melanocytes, and exposure to UV rays (sun or suntanning salons).
Faux fur has saved many a mink, and you can help save your own hide by staying out of the sun and using sunless tanning products to get that sun-baked look. Sunless tanning is faster, safer, and, depending on the type you choose, pretty cheap. Not all fake tans are equal and some are downright dangerous. The following list will help you avoid getting "burned" from a fake tan
And remember, no sunless tanning product protects you from the sun's damaging rays. To help protect yourself from melanoma and other skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma), avoid tanning beds, try to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., always apply sunscreen when you are exposed to the sun, and wear protective clothing such as hats and sunglasses.
Types of sunless tanners
Sunless tanning products - Sunless tanners come in lotions, gels or sprays. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the most effective ones contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as the active ingredient. DHA is a colorless sugar that interacts with the dead cells located in the outermost layer of the skin. As the sugar interacts with the dead skin cells a color change occurs. The color gradually fades in about five to seven days as the dead skin cells are naturally sloughed off. To maintain your faux glow, most products suggest that you re-apply the sunless tanner every three days.
Your sunless tan can cost as little as a couple of dollars if you buy one of the many good products at the drugstore or as much as $50 or more at a salon. Salon sunless tanning involves either being 'airbrushed' by a technician or stepping into a booth where you are sprayed all over by misting jets.
Bronzers - Bronzers are usually tinted powders or moisturizers that offer a temporary tan that is easily washed off.
Tanning accelerators, amplifiers, maximizers, intensifiers - Manufacturers of these products claim that the ingredients stimulate the body's ability to produce melanin (your skin's pigment), but what the ingredients really do is to make your skin more sensitive to sun. Be careful!
Tanning Pills - Tanning pills are illegal in the U.S. The pills contain large amounts of either beta carotene, lycopene, or canthaxanthin.. The FDA has approved the use of these chemicals as color additives for food, not as tanning agents. As a color additive, the chemical is used in very small amounts but as a tanning agent, much more has to be used. Many serious side effects are associated with these types of pills including hepatitis, urticaria, a condition that involves relentless itching and skin eruptions and canthaxanthin retinopathy, a condition in which yellow deposits form in the retina of the eye. Stay away!
For more information about melanoma, log onto http://www.skincheck.org. For more information about sunless tanning, log onto http://www.sunless.com.
Mary-Jo Lomax is a health educator at De Anza College. For more information, visit the Health Center in the Hinson Campus Center.
May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and accounts for over 70% of all skin cancer deaths. More new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year than any other cancer, both in U.S. and worldwide. Melanoma occurs in all age groups, and is the most common cancer in young adults, ages 20-30. Melanoma starts in the melanocytes, the cells that make melanin, which is the skin's pigment. Melanocytes are mainly found on the skin, but they are also found in other areas of the body like the eyes and digestive system. The most common risk factors for melanoma are having moles, which are areas of concentrated melanocytes, and exposure to UV rays (sun or suntanning salons).
Faux fur has saved many a mink, and you can help save your own hide by staying out of the sun and using sunless tanning products to get that sun-baked look. Sunless tanning is faster, safer, and, depending on the type you choose, pretty cheap. Not all fake tans are equal and some are downright dangerous. The following list will help you avoid getting "burned" from a fake tan
And remember, no sunless tanning product protects you from the sun's damaging rays. To help protect yourself from melanoma and other skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma), avoid tanning beds, try to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., always apply sunscreen when you are exposed to the sun, and wear protective clothing such as hats and sunglasses.
Types of sunless tanners
Sunless tanning products - Sunless tanners come in lotions, gels or sprays. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the most effective ones contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as the active ingredient. DHA is a colorless sugar that interacts with the dead cells located in the outermost layer of the skin. As the sugar interacts with the dead skin cells a color change occurs. The color gradually fades in about five to seven days as the dead skin cells are naturally sloughed off. To maintain your faux glow, most products suggest that you re-apply the sunless tanner every three days.
Your sunless tan can cost as little as a couple of dollars if you buy one of the many good products at the drugstore or as much as $50 or more at a salon. Salon sunless tanning involves either being 'airbrushed' by a technician or stepping into a booth where you are sprayed all over by misting jets.
Bronzers - Bronzers are usually tinted powders or moisturizers that offer a temporary tan that is easily washed off.
Tanning accelerators, amplifiers, maximizers, intensifiers - Manufacturers of these products claim that the ingredients stimulate the body's ability to produce melanin (your skin's pigment), but what the ingredients really do is to make your skin more sensitive to sun. Be careful!
Tanning Pills - Tanning pills are illegal in the U.S. The pills contain large amounts of either beta carotene, lycopene, or canthaxanthin.. The FDA has approved the use of these chemicals as color additives for food, not as tanning agents. As a color additive, the chemical is used in very small amounts but as a tanning agent, much more has to be used. Many serious side effects are associated with these types of pills including hepatitis, urticaria, a condition that involves relentless itching and skin eruptions and canthaxanthin retinopathy, a condition in which yellow deposits form in the retina of the eye. Stay away!
For more information about melanoma, log onto http://www.skincheck.org. For more information about sunless tanning, log onto http://www.sunless.com.
Mary-Jo Lomax is a health educator at De Anza College. For more information, visit the Health Center in the Hinson Campus Center.
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