Scottsdale Ranked 5th Highest City for Tanning-Bed Usage

I don’t know about you, but I love being tan. Your skin looks clear, your clothes look better and even your body looks thinner. But being tan and staying tan can seem more like a job we need to keep up with in order to keep our precious bronzy skin tone. In the Scottsdale area especially, tanning can even get competitive and expensive. Don’t believe it? Well recently, the World Health Organization issued a report that ranked Scottsdale as the fifth highest use, per capita, of tanning beds out of all U.S. cities.

Personally, I am not surprised by this information. But other out-of-state readers may be a little stunned to find that people who live in the sunshine state and hot desert would feel the need to pay for tanning, especially with the climates we have in cities like Chicago or Seattle.

The newly developed research also concluded a not so surprising result that tanning beds may be linked to skin cancer.

Why You Should Avoid Sun and UV Exposure

World Health Organization Conclusions:

• Short-wavelength UVB (280-315 nm) has been recognized for some time as carcinogenic in experimental animals
• There is increasing evidence that longer-wavelength UVA (315-400 nm) used in sunbeds, which penetrates more deeply into the skin, also contributes to the induction of cancer
• There is no evidence to suggest that UV exposure from any type of sunbed is less harmful than UV exposure from the sun.
• The effects of UV on the eye include cataracts, pterygium (a white coloured growth over the cornea) and inflammation of the eye such as photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis.
• Excessive UV exposure can suppress the immune system, possibly leading to a greater risk of infectious diseases.

However, you may have noticed that most high quality tanning salons now use high-pressure beds that decrease the chances of burning. Amuchastegui, who owns Scottsdale Tanning in north Scottsdale, said new technology continues to emerge. Things like high-pressure tanning beds provide a more controlled tanning environment for patrons, according to The Arizona Republic.

“They filter all the UVA rays,” he said. “The rays will go deeper in your skin without burning the top layer, ” Amuchastegui, who owns Scottsdale Tanning in north Scottsdale, according to The Arizona Republic.

Amuchastegui also included that all of his employees must be certified and tanners are only allowed limited amounts of time in the beds per visit, according to The Arizona Republic. I have also found that most tanning salon computer systems won’t even let you clock into the system unless it has been over 24-hours since your last visit.

For non-harmful, natural ways to stay tan, read Valley Girl’s “Winter Bronzing Guide.”

For more information visit www.who.int.