Is Tanning Really So Bad? Yes, and here's why.
We used to think it was the ideal way of ‘LOOKING HEALTHY’…you know, that 'HEALTHY GLOW', right?!
Remember back in time when the rich never went outside, and the most desired look was to be as PALE as possible.
The ones with colour and a tan were the workers, because they were outside.
Then it changed, and the desired look was to look tanned, because that was associated with those who could afford to take vacation and go somewhere warm! So, the rich were those who could travel to warm exotic locations and 'live the life of leisure'!
Well, now times are slowly changing again, and there is clear scientific evidence showing that a TAN is actually damaged skin…
A tan is when melanocytes are stimulated to produce more than the normal amount of melanin (the colouring in our skin & hair) to protect the skin cells from burning and it’s a sign of disrupted natural function of the skin.
Why is this so bad?
Well, melanin forms a sort-of umbrella over the nucleus of the cell (the nucleus is like the heart of the cell and where the DNA is) and if the melanin can’t protect the nucleus of the cells from the radiation of the sun, FREE RADICALS are formed and the DNA can be effected and cause unnatural replication which can lead to cancer…
So the best ways to prevent skin cancer are to:
Use Sunscreen: action is similar to melanin (to protect against radiation);
Use Antioxidants: action is to prevent Free Radicals from damaging cells.