Tanning- 2nd Draft

Many different studies have shown the negative sides of tanning. However, there are still many people that go. I am from Staten Island and if there is one thing that Staten Island is known for (besides the dump) it would be tanning. Even on MTV when they had the show “True Life: I’m a Staten Island Girl” one of the first things they showed was a tanning salon.
One advantage of indoor tanning is that you are able to maintain the tan all year round; even if it is cold outside. Another benefit of tanning is that you can choose when and how long you would like to tan for. A person is even able to go tanning at night when they get home from a long day of work and the sun is not even out. Tanning is also beneficial because it helps the body produce Vitamin D. When a person is exposed to sunlight their body produces vitamins. However, regular sunlight would also be able to produce the same vitamins for the body. Vitamin D helps prevent people from many different diseases. For instance, it prevents the body from getting prostate, colon, and breast cancer. Also it even strengthens bones.
Besides the positive sides of tanning there are also many negative effects that many people have heard of and are aware of. For example, tanning can cause wrinkles and increase skin aging. It can even cause skin growths and diseases; such as, moles and skin cancer because of the Ultraviolet rays. Tanning can also distort and damage DNA strands. This is because a tanning bed emits from fifty to one hundred percent more Ultraviolet rays than the regular sun. Another negative effect of tanning is that it can damage a person’s eyes. The Ultraviolet rays from a tanning bed can increase a person’s possibility of developing some cataracts, pterygium, and macula degeneration. Pterygium is a tissue growth on the white part of the eye, and macula degeneration is damage to the retina.
Even though all of these positive and negative affects of tanning are valid one thing that must be understood is that they are bias. For example, the websites that I got the advantages of tanning from were all from tanning salons. Also the websites I got the disadvantages of tanning from were all health related from doctors. The last opinions, that of course are also bias, are my own and the people being interviewed. This is because over many years we all become influenced by our family, friends, and surroundings. Therefore, our opinions are formed by what we see around us or by what is told to us.
I have been tanning plenty of times. Even though I am aware of the harmful things tanning can do to my body I still went. I went for one period of time to become tan for prom. Another time I went was before I went to Cancun because I did not want to burn in the sun there. It was something I did to make me feel better about myself because where I am from the tanner a person is the better they look.
I interviewed one of my friends that goes tanning on a daily basis. He told me his view of it and how he feels about it. The first thing he told me was that he went tanning to feel better about himself. He believes that the tanner a person is the better they look. He also told me how everyone around him goes tanning. It is very common for people of all ages and of both sexes to go tanning. He said, “Even people you would least expect to go tanning do. For example, teachers and even senior citizens go tanning.” Another thing that he told me was that the environment he grew up in had an affect on the way he thinks. In Staten Island he saw everyone that was tan and began to think of a tan person as the ideal person.
The last thing I asked in the interview was “Is the physical appearance that tanning gives you worth your life?” I think he replied by making a very good point. He said, “Well in a person’s mind they are more worried about the today rather then the tomorrow. At that moment in time is what matters most and whatever effects or consequences caused by it aren’t thought about or consumed within their mind.” This response showed me that people today worry more about what is going on in the moment. They do not think ahead as to how their actions may affect their future.
Another person I interviewed is someone that does not go tanning. They said that even though tanning is popular around them it is not something they do. She simply stated, “I never went tanning because it is bad for you.” Also, later in the interview she mentioned how she thinks that going tanning in tanning salons can make a person look very fake and orange which is also why she never had a desire to go tanning. This shows that even though she does not go tanning because she is aware of the risks; another motivation that prevents her from going tanning is her appearance. She does not want to look fake or orange.
Today’s society is very worried about their appearance. It is almost as if they will do whatever it takes to look better. I have been tanning plenty of times. However, I stopped because I became more aware of what it can do to my body and how it can harm me. Everyone has their own opinion on tanning and why they would or would not want to go. I just don’t think that being tan is worth all the risks a person is taking.

Work Cited

TanningInfoCenter. "Understanding the Effects of Tanning Beds." 2005.
http://www.tanninginfocenter.com/effects-of-tanning-beds.html
Marketineros. “Tanning Beds.” 2006. http://marketineros.com/tanning-beds/.