Students weigh in their opinions on tanning

—We’ve all seen it: one day, their as white as the rest of us, then BAM: they look like they were just in the Bahamas for a month, soaking up the sun while sitting on the beach. Usually the question that runs through people’s minds at this point is how did these high schoolers go from light to tan over the course of 12 hours? For some students, the answer is easier than most might think.

“I have one (a tanning bed) in my house, so it’s easy and available,” junior Stephani Hobson said. “It’s just right there for me.”

Hobson said she has been tanning since she was a freshman, for various reasons. Mostly, she said tanning helps with her acne, and it gives her more confidence when she has a little color on her skin.

Not every person can have a tanning bed in their house, though, or else all the tanning companies would go out of business. So how do other people get that nice bronzed look?  The most common way is to buy tanning packages from tanning companies.

“I know a couple of my friends buy packages and stuff, and sometimes they use mine,” Hobson said.

“The first time I went, I did two weeks unlimited, so you could go every day, or once, or whatever,” senior Ali Sealby said. “The second time I went, I did just 10 days. Obviously the 10 day one was less expensive.”

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With the new state law that became effective in 2014 saying no people under the age of 18 are allowed to use tanning devices, that might hinder the ability for minors to get the tanned look. However, some tanning salons are allowing minors to continue using tanning devices if they come with a parent’s note or doctor’s note.

A common reason to tan is before going on vacation, so you don’t burn as easily the first few days on the beach. This was the case for Sealby.

“I’ve been tanning twice, and both times I did it before going on vacation to get a nice base tan,” Sealby said. “I went on vacation both times in the winter, so I was really white, and I was scared the first couple days in the sun I was going to get fried. ”

The want to not burn your first few days of vacation is certainly an adequate reason for going tanning. But is that the entire reason high schoolers tan? Or is there an underlying peer pressure issue that brings them to this decision?

“A lot of girls measure themselves up to other girls who are just naturally darker, or tan easily, and so they want to tan themselves,” senior Devan McAllister said.

Besides peer pressure, tanning also has some major negatives that go along with it. One of these not so good aspects of a seemingly harmless activity is the ever present threat of skin cancer caused by the UV lights used in the beds. Most tanning salons do take certain measures to ensure the health of their patients before letting them in the beds.

“The times that I went, they gave me a paper that I filled out about my skin, if I burn easily, or what places get burnt the most, or if I use medication on my face that makes it burn more,” Sealby said. “After that, they would appoint me to a different bed depending on my skin. I was scared about [skin cancer], but after they had me fill out the paperwork, I felt better. It’s nice and relaxing, and you don’t feel like you are developing skin cancer.”

Even though tanning salons do take certain precautions, the threat of skin cancer is still there, yet some people choose not to worry too much about that aspect of this activity. To them, the even tan is worth the risk.

“I’ve been tanning since I was a freshman, and yeah I worry about [skin cancer], because it runs in the family, but I used to burn really easily, and now my pigment has changed as I’ve gotten older,” Hobson said.

There are other ways to tan, and there are other precautions that can be taken. Sunscreen is the dermatologist recommended precaution to take when going outside.

“I’m inside most of the time, but when I do go outside I put on a lot of sunscreen,” senior Dawnielle Davison said.

Some people, however, feel that the risk certainly outweighs the result.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. All you’re trying to do is make you look better in your own opinion. But it (tanning) is dangerous with the amount of UV lights,” sophomore Hendrik Keyser said.

“I don’t think it’s worth it. It’s really expensive. I’m pretty sure they are basically buying cancer,” McAllister said. “Spray tans are better than tanning beds.”

Peer pressure might push some people into tanning, but parent pressure is definitely a driving force behind some student’s choice to not tan.

“I would never go tanning,” senior Andrea King said. “My parents would probably disown me. My mom grew up on the beach, so she thinks she’ll get skin cancer. There is already lots of cancer in my family. Besides, if you’re going to get a tan, you should do it outside. Why pay money to lie in a bed with lightbulbs? That sounds like a torture chamber.”