Spring break is almost here, and for many OU students that means one thing: visiting the tanning bed.

Most people know a sunburn increases a person's risk for skin cancer, but many people are unaware that although they may not burn in the tanning bed, they are still at risk, said Lisa Hawkins, a dermatology certified nurse.

Many tanning salons advertise indoor tanning as a safe alternative because tanning beds use UVA rays instead of UVB, Hawkins said.

UVB rays affect the outer layers of skin and are mostly responsible for sunburn, Hawkins said. In contrast, UVA rays consist of longer wavelengths and penetrate deeply into the skin, triggering melanin, the pigment that makes skin tan.

"Although UVA rays don't cause the skin to burn as much, they can actually be more dangerous than the sun's UVB rays," Hawkins said. "This is because of their suspected link to malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer."

Studies show that people who use sunlamps as few as one to three times a year had twice the risk of developing melanoma as those who did not use the machines, and those who used them four to 10 times a year had seven times the risk, according to the American Cancer Society.

"Obviously it's not good for you, but the best thing is that our beds block burn," said Anna Brannon, employee at The Sunroom Tanning Salon.

Tanning has become a thriving $5 billion business, Hawkins said.

"Many people justify using tanning beds because of the myth that it is less harmful than sunlight," Hawkins said.

Melanomao Skin cancer caused by overproduction of melanino Those who use sunlamps one to three times a year have twice the risk of those who don't o Those who used them four to 10 times a year had seven times the risk

This is an extremely busy time of year for tanning salons, Brannon said.

"We have over 300 customers a day, and over 5,000 customers total in our computer," Brannon said.

With about 16 tanning salons in Norman alone, there is no shortage of tanning opportunities.

"I usually go tanning about three times a week," said Michelle Bennett, film and video sophomore. "It's good to build up a base tan before spring break so that you don't burn on the beach. Every one of my friends has gone tanning at one time or another. Generally, people think that it is safer to build up a tan slowly in a tanning bed than to sunburn."

Hawkins said severe sunburns harm the skin and should be avoided, but a tan is not a protection from sunburn.

A tan is a sign that the skin has been damaged. The lamps in tanning beds release twice the amount of UVA rays as the sun, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This means that 15 to 30 minutes in a tanning bed is equivalent to spending an entire day in the sun.

"It's not so much that you burn in a tanning bed, but the constant light waves that are penetrating the skin," Hawkins said. "Even slow tanning is bad for you, because a base tan doesn't protect you from the sun."

Recent evidence suggests that indoor tanning followed by excessive outdoor exposure may further intensify skin damage, according to the American Cancer Society.

"Young people always think that skin cancer is something that can't happen to them because they can't see the damage signs on their bodies," Hawkins said. "I have been in dermatology for 20 years and in that time I have seen a huge increase in melanoma. The patients we see with it are younger and younger. I would estimate about 10 percent of our cases are in women younger than 27."

One way that students can achieve the summer glow all year long without damage to skin is to try the increasingly popular spray tan.

Many tanning salons also offer DHA-spray tanning booths in addition to regular tanning beds.

DHA is a colorless chemical that interacts with amino acids in dead skin cells to produce a brown color change, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

"Spray tans are a safe way to darken skin without increasing skin cancer risk," Hawkins said. "DHA is not absorbed into the skin and has no known toxicity."

Although it is safer, it may take a while before the spray tan's popularity equals the tanning bed's, Bennett said.

"I know a lot of people who have turned out looking orange," Bennett said. "It can also get expensive to keep going since the tan only lasts about five to seven days."

Others have had positive results with spray tan.

"I went Mystic tanning before a date party last year," said Laura Clark, speech pathology sophomore. "It turned out really well and is a lot faster than building up a tan. Also, I know that it is a lot healthier for my skin."
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