Tanning. Why do people still tan after knowing all the bad effects - Essay Example

Within the same era as that of Shakespeare, Elizabeth I passed away from white lead cosmetics. Such concept of beauty was also prevalent in Europe during much of the 18th and 19th centuries. This was because tanned skin signifies manual labor, of people who toil under the sun, the fair skinned people were regarded as the elite of the society. However, it was only when the labor practice has changed, where indoor work had become a norm, that tanned skinned became a trademark of people who can afford to do it for leisure purposes.

Iconic figure Coco Channel during the 1920's accidentally acquired a tan during one of her holidays. This has had ignited a fad among fair skinned people to get themselves tanned. ( Wikipedia ) The first and the most common is sunburn, where the usual symptoms are marked by the redness of skin and peeling that takes places after a few days of too much sun exposure. This is described to be as a short-term skin damage. The next problem encountered is the premature aging or photoaging. . Another one that is most dreaded by all is skin cancer.

One type is called melanoma which is considered to be the less common but dangerous form of skin cancer that can cause death. UV radiation causes cancer in two ways : 1. By damaging DNA cells that will cause abnormal growth in the skin, that could be benign or malignant, and 2. by making the immune system weak that leads to the inability of the body to defend itself from aggressive cancer cells.Another kind of growth named actinic or solar keratoses is a concern because it has the tendency to develop into cancer cells.

Then another risk which most people are not aware of is eye damage. This happens when the eyes weren't protected from the heat of the sun. It causes cataract characterized by the clouding of the lens of the eyes thereby blocking one's vision.Lastly, most people regardless of the race or skin color will most like suffer from immune suppression where the body's natural defenses to fight against diseases were compromised. Apparently, weak immune system makes one susceptible to different diseases where one of them could be skin cancer. (U.S.

Food and Drug Administration)Reasons Why People Tan Despite Risks Robin Hornung and Solmaz Poorsattar, students of the University of Washington, conducted a study among 385 UW students about their tanning behaviors. It was revealed that 75% of the students do tanning in order to look good and 41% specified it is a relaxation technique. Due to these reasons, students strive to achieve their aim that the researchers described it to be an addictive behavior. ( Paras )Steven Feldman, a lead researcher for the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center , said that they believed that tanning has a