Skin Diseases From Tanning

A good tan is often associated with good health and vitality. Sunlight is essential for the production of Vitamin D that is manufactured by the body only when adequate sunlight is available. However, heavy suntan is not necessary for the production of Vitamin D

Just a moderate amount of sunshine is enough to trigger Vitamin D production. Too much tanning can cause sun burns and allow the deep penetrating UV radiations to cause extensive irreversible damage to the body in addition to damaging the immune system.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiations from the sun are of two types: UV-A and UV-B radiations. While UV-A radiations are said to be responsible for causing melanoma (a very dreaded type of skin cancer), UV-B radiations are associated with sunburns. Therefore, too much sun tanning and exposure to UV radiations is considered to be very harmful. It can even lead to wrinkling, premature aging of the skin, or impart a leathery appearance to the skin. Every year, millions of new skin cancer cases are reported in the United States.

People are not very aware of the dangers associated with tanning, especially because extensive damage to the body from tanning such as skin aging and skin cancer are not immediately evident. They become evident many years after the exposure. People must realize that prolonged periods of tanning greatly increases their chances of developing skin cancer.

Non-fatal medico-cosmetic skin damage arising out of tanning includes premature skin aging, hyper pigmentation of the skin, development of fine wrinkles on the exposed areas and sunburns.

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Skin Diseases From Tanning