Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Richmond Community Schools

Tanning your health away““Teenagers think (tanning salons) are healthy because if they tan at atanning bed, they won’t get burned when they go outside, but 30 minutesin a tanning bed is equivalent to 12 and a half hours of sun exposure.Brittany Lietz, skin cancer survivor”• March 25, 2010 •PerspectivesPage 4Getting a bronzed body is not worth the side effectsOpinionKayla Holt[page editor]Summer is approaching and that means shorts, tank tops, tees,flip-flops, and bathing suits are all looming. What better way to getready for this than to get a great tan so you do not look like MorticiaAdams when you hit the streets and the beach?Well, in the end that tan can make you look more like a not-so-hotmess instead of a fabulously bronzed body. A perfect tan is not theperfect accessory.Tanning is common. Going to tanning beds is a simple way to getsome color in your skin, right? On an average day in the U.S. morethan 1 million people tan in tanning salons, according to www.aad.org.It is a misconception that tanning beds are safer than the sun.Tanning beds actually produce the same amount of radiation, and insome cases they can be stronger than if you were tanning in the sun.The sun can give skin a tan because its rays have UVA and UVB,types of ultraviolet radiation that affects skin.UVB radiation burns the top layers of the skin. UVA goes to thelower layers of skin where it triggers cells to produce melanin, thebrown pigment that makes a person look tan.Even though tanning beds use UVA lights, the actualconcentration of UVA rays in a tanning bed is greater than those thatcan be obtained from the sun.Sure, a nice bronze or golden skin tone can be pretty now. Butwhat it does to your skin over time is not.Both UVA and UVB cause skin to age prematurely. This alsomeans wrinkles, brown spots, and blotchiness.Tanning is not good for your eyes either. It can cause cataracts,something most probably associate with old people.As if those side affects are not bad enough, tanning is acarcinogen. This means that as the body is getting toasty, it is alsobecoming more vulnerable to skin cancer. Just ten indoor tanningsessions in a span of two weeks can actually suppress the cancerfighting immune system.Tanning beds increase the risk of basal and squamous cellcarcinoma, which are two of the most common types of skin cancer.It can also increase the risk of the most serious and deadliest formof skin cancer, melanoma. One American actually dies of melanomaabout every hour. Estimates show that one in five Americans willdevelop a form of skin cancer in their lifetime.The main treatment for skin cancer is excision, a fancy way ofsaying the doctors cut the tumors out, causing some really bad scars.Yes, it is true that the sun and tanning beds provide the body withvitamin D, but a healthy diet does the same thing, so that is no excusefor excessive exposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays.So, while being insanely corpse-like pale when you hit the beachor don your shorts is not really appealing, there are worse things,such as the dangers and effects of tanning.If a tan is an absolute necessity, there are alternatives that are nota risk to your health. Try self-tanners; they stain your skin and canlast as long as a tan. Even a spray-on tan is a great alternative.No matter what, use sunscreen for fun days in the sun and besmart about sun exposure.Baking yourself in the sun or tanning bed may make you feelbetter now but in a few years the leathery, splotchy, wrinkled skin,and any other side effects resulting from it, will not be so attractive.A person is not some kind of food to be cooked. Roasting yourselfis not cool, it is just stupid. Tanning is just not worth the risk.Everything under the sunscreen that everyone should knowLaugh with me, not at meWith Haley MillerSunscreenReapply aboutevery 2 hours.Alternatives to tanningUse a sunless self-tanner. This fake baketypically lasts from several days to a week.These come in various forms from lotions,to towels, and sprays. Just find the right onefor you.Moisturizers which have small amounts ofself tanner are great for a more subtle glow.These gradually build up color so they arepretty much fool proof.Get tan airbrushed on. It will last on averageabout 8 days, and is worth the money sincethe tan looks great and is not dangerous foryour skin.Just be pale! Love your skin’s naturalcolor and play it up with colors that arecomplimentary.Spring break is supposed to be a time where us young adultscan run free through the tropical areas of the world. Follow my topten tips so you can have maximum fun, and minimum awkwardmoments.10. If you plan on falling asleep on the beach, apply a great dealof sunscreen to your back, butt, and back of your legs. Sometimesthose waves just rock us to sleep for two to three hours. Make sureyou are fully protected so going to the bathroom isn’t a painfulexperience.9. If you meet some locals, don’t give them your phone numberunless you want them calling for the next three years. Sometimeswhen you might be suffering from a heatstroke from laying outsince 6 am, the sketchy surfer/fisherman might seem attractive.But honestly, once they wash the tanning oil and sand off, they arescrawny, probably twelve, and appear as if they are sleeping underthe boardwalk. So “Michael Florida,” “Zach Beach,” and “Fish,” STOPCALLING!Protect the lips! Use a broad-spectrumlip balm with an SPF of at least 30.Use broad-spectrumsunscreen. It blocksUVB and UVA rays.Use a moisturizerwith sunscreen init for everyday use.Makeup with SPF has limits. Use sunscreen undermakeup when outside for 10 to 15 minutes or longer.Apply sunscreenat least 20minutes beforegoing outside.At 17, Maryland native Brittany Lietz bought a white prom dress.Thinking that the perfect accessory would be a great tan she beganregular indoor tanning, which she continued to do after prom.Brittany tanned four to five times a week for three years, latersaying she never felt dark enough. Her need to tan led to a battleagainst the deadliest form of skin cancer three years later.The cancer was discovered after Brittany had an odd mole on herback examined and it was removed. The results revealed she hadstage two melanoma.After being diagnosed, Brittany took time off from college toundergo surgery and a six-week-long recovery.The surgery left Brittany with a seven-inch scar. The surgeon alsoremoved seven lymph nodes from under her arm in order to see ifthe cancer had spread.Since the surgery Brittany has had about 20 additional surgeriesto remove potentially cancerous or abnormal lesions on her body,leaving her with more scars.Despite her setbacks, in 2006, just a year after her surgery, Brittanycompeted for and won the title of Miss Maryland.8. Sit far away from your airsick brother on the plane. Althoughyou might be used to his queasy ways by now, it is embarrassing tobe seen sitting next to the barfing little boy, the mom holding thebarf bag, and the dad snoring loudly throughout the whole episode.7. Make friends with people in your hotel. They may seemstrange at first, but you might eventually be invited to a disco partyin their grandpa’s condo.6. If you plan on running on the beach to look cool, don’t. Youalways see those people who are obviously tri athletes; joggingeffortlessly barefoot in the sand. Don’t attempt to be one of them.5. PLEASE spray tan before you get to the beach. No one wantsto see your pasty white Indiana body lying on the sand. Do yourself afavor and at least buy some self tanner.SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and the SPFnumber tells the level of UVB protection given.Beauty queen’s story shows it can happen to anyoneKayla Holt[page editor]Her platform (what she talked about) in the competition was thedangers of tanning. She did not hide her scars; she let them workboth for her and her platform.Brittany now travels the country using her scars to spread theword that tanning is not safe.“I don’t want anyone to go through what I have. I keep remindingpeople that skin cancer canhappen to you. You’re notimmune to this. This is sucha preventable cancer. Wear asunscreen of a sun protectionfactor of at least 30 every day.Avoid tanning beds and getscreened by a dermatologistregularly,” Brittany said (aad.org).Have youever beentanning?114 students surveyedYesNo 38%76%Tips for fun in the sun4. Don’t think you’re too cool for your mom to drive you places.Sometimes you may think you’re just too cool to have your momdrive you to the various places around town, and since you haveto be 25 to drive a rental car, you might resort to sketchy publictransportation. Suck it up and just hop in the minivan; it will takeabout 100,000 hours for the bus to come pick you up.3. Don’t take your phone to the beach! It will get sandy and saltyand then break, and then your vaca will be extremely unenjoyable.2. Unless you plan on floating to Cuba, keep track of where yourraft is going. Sometimes you will end up SO FAR from shore thatyour hotel is a tiny dot, so be careful!1. If you’re swimming in the ocean and something touches yourfoot, assume it is the Loch Ness monster’s long lost cousin. Althoughit is probably seaweed, its better to be safe than sorry, so SWIM TOSHORE![Editorial Policy]The Register is a biweekly newspaper published byRichmond High School journalism students. Thenewspaper is printed at Target Printing. Funding for thepublication comes from advertising revenue. The opinionsexpressed in this publication are not necessarily endorsedby the staff.[Letter Policy]Students are encouraged to write letters. Drop letters byroom C222, or the contact information on the front page.All letters must include the writer’s name, signature andclass. Names will be verified.STAFFIn ChargeLanie Gleeson [Co-Editorin-Chief]Lauren O’Brien [Co-Editorin-Chief]Ann Herrman [Adviser]BusinessSophie Ottoni-Wilhelm[Business Manager]Page EditorsTaylor Stein [News]Erika Slifer [Details]Kayla Holt [Perspectives]Corey Clark [Sports]Haley Miller and Lindi Steyn[Fresh Ink]Rachel Ulrich [Feature]RaeAnne Schoeffler andEmily O’Brien [InFocus]Page EditorsSean Klaine[Entertainment]David Black [Lifestyles]Copy EditorsHalie Herlyn [Copy Editor]Cory Powers [Copy Editor/Technical Editor]ReportersJonathan BirkelSarah ChanceChris HardenKate KnightNick O’MaleyCatherine PaullTaylor PhillipsErika Williams