I couldn’t look in the mirror.
No matter how much makeup or aloe I slathered on my face, the bright red sunburn that covered my whole body was all I could see.
I’d spent hours lying out by the pool with my friends, and the only sun protection in sight was an orange bottle of SPF 15.
Not only did I look radioactive, but I was in immense pain.
Constant burning, inflammation and an itch that lasted for days — all for a tan.
When I went to the dermatologist for the blisters that began to appear where I had gotten burned, she looked at me with disgust. But I couldn’t blame her, my skin looked like it had been grated.
Although the blisters healed after a few weeks and my skin looked less like a dried sponge, when my friends asked to go tan by the pool, my immediate answer was no.
And even though it took the most painful experience of my life to fully realize the effects of tanning in the sun, I still don’t understand why people risk their lives by exposing their skin to harmful ultraviolet rays.
Nobody should be lying out in the sun or in tanning beds for hours just to get bronzed skin — it’s not worth the irreversible damage.
Even just a single severe sunburn can cause skin cancer, the most prevalent cancer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the regular usage of tanning beds increases the likelihood of getting skin cancer due to an increased exposure to direct contact with longer ultraviolet rays, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Not only has lying out by the pool become a ritual for high schoolers in the summer, but with #SunBed trending on TikTok, a new generation is being introduced to tanning beds, according to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
But the increased risk of skin cancer because of tanning isn’t a secret. People know it’s bad for their skin.
So the real question is, is the tan worth risking your health?
Yes, being “tan” is a societal norm, but for me, my health goes beyond what I look like. In 15 years, I don’t want to be sitting in a doctor's office, terrified that the time I spent during my teen years has caused cancer.
Find a self-tanner or med spa to get a spray tan, or just be okay looking your natural shade.
A splotchy, artificial tan is worth saving your skin.
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