Ah, spring has finally arrived, and that means your pasty white skin is no longer socially acceptable. But before you renew your membership at the nearest tanning salon, consider the extreme risks involved before frying under those artificial light bulbs.

While many students returned from spring break sporting lustrous, bronze tans, others, including myself, weren’t as fortunate.

With prime bikini and swimsuit season just weeks away, people are working to get their bodies ready for summer.

So what exactly causes the “tan” that we all aspire for? The brown pigmentation that ensues after UV exposure is due to the excitation of melanocytes present in skin cells.

Melanin is the chemical produced and darkens the cells of the epidermis. However, too much exposure to UV radiation can damaged DNA within the skin’s epidermal cells, causing hazardous mutations that eventually lead to skin cancers. They usually don’t cover this part in Jersey Shore…

The UV rays present in sunlight are required for the production of Vitamin D, which promotes adequate calcium absorption throughout the body.

However, the recommended daily exposure to the sun’s harmful rays should not exceed 20 minutes. In a city like Denver, this low amount of UV exposure is typically not an issue.

For people who believe that sitting in a tanning booth avoids the dangers of the sun’s rays, tanning booths have recently been compared to arsenic gas in terms of their harmful effects on the body.

The UV rays emitted from tanning booths are mainly UVA rays, which are known to be carcinogenic.

While low levels of these rays do not cause major harm to the skin cells, tanning booths often exceed the allotted daily exposure and put users in increased danger for cancer.

I guess tanning booths seemed like a more marketable product than carcinogenic chambers.

Without developing cancer, there is still hope to achieve that envious bronze all summer long.

Now, there are plenty of options for sunless tanning; from topical creams to spray booths, you can obtain a safe, good-looking tan for a relatively cheap price.

Just be conservative in the amount you apply. Because nobody wants to look like an Oompa-Loompa.

 

Nick Pisciottia is a molecular biology major who is passionate about exercise programs and diets to better his health. He plans on attending medical school upon graduating from DU next spring.