http://my.hsj.org http://my.hsj.org en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 12:22:22 GMT 15 By Sophie Stickelmaier
While winter rolls in this season, one thing is on many students’ minds: keeping their skin golden during the winter. Teens are turning to tanning beds and sprays to keep their skin looking its best. Yes, it’s beautiful and flattering to have that perfect tan, but is it worth the side effects? During the summer kids have to head to the beach for the perfect glow, but when the warm weather disintegrates and fall arrives, teens often turn to dangerous options. Tanning beds appeal to high school students because not only are they cheap, but they also leave your skin golden, not orange. What teenagers don’t understand is that these beds have two to three times the power of the sun and often leave the skin damaged and unable to repair its self. Some long-term side effects of over exposure to harmful rays are premature aging, wrinkles, cataracts, eye damage, and skin cancer. More immediate effects are burns, sun poisoning, and blistering. Students are especially prone to skin damage if they have light skin, hair, and eyes. If you still insist on using tanning beds, follow these safety guidelines. Always use eye goggles and lotion. Scientists recommend that, depending on how light your skin is, to not exceed 10-15 minutes at a time. Just to be safe, ask the employees at the salon to help you decide what time and bed is right for you. When asked if she’d still go tanning, knowing the risk of cancer, junior, Katie Lyons says, “I’m probably still going to go.” Joel Steiner, a senior at AHS, says, “I didn’t know you could get cancer, but there’s still a chance I’ll go in the future.” Some students at Arrowhead are willing to take their chances in order to get that golden glow. Is one day of glowing skin worth the pain of a lifetime? ]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:27:37 GMT