HC Awareness: The Facts, the Risks and the Lessons Learned from the Dangers of Fake Tanning

Despite an increased tax on indoor tanning and the efforts of organizations such as the Skin Cancer Foundation and Cosmo Magazine, indoor tanning remains prevalent on college campuses. This story focuses on the dangers of too much tanning, stories of those who have been affected by skin cancer, and what you can do to protect yourself.

The warm weather has hit the state of Iowa, which means outdoor parties, days spent by the pool, and trips with other college students to the near-by Coralville Reservoir.

But what most students don’t realize is that with the summer approaching, we spend more and more hours exposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun. Just two blistering sunburns is all it takes to drastically increase your chance of developing the most common, and largely preventable form of cancer: skin cancer.

The Facts

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Two million people are diagnosed annually, which means about 1 in 5 people will experience a type of skin cancer over their lifetime, and one in 55 of them will die from the disease.

For most students however, skin cancer is nothing but a distant danger that “won’t happen to them.” Being tan is seen as being pretty, and many students don’t want to give that up.

“In a society where media depictions of feminine beauty are practically unattainable, being tan is one of the attributes of the ideal woman that’s easily accomplished,” says Missy Koelling, a gender, women’s, and sexuality studies major at the UI.

But how do UI students get that “beachy” glow during the winter months? Most students keep up their tan by using indoor tanning beds. There are three salons in the downtown Iowa City area alone that offer these high-powered tanning beds, which can emit as much as 12 times the normal amount of UV rays compared to the natural sun.

But the scary fact is that indoor tanning users are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, than those who have never used a tanning bed. At the very least, tanning causes premature aging of the skin, and you are likely to develop wrinkles and sagging much before those who don’t artificially tan.

So what’s the draw? Why do so many college student continue to subject their skin to these damaging rays, when they can be avoided?

“It’s affordable, it helps with my acne, and it really helps my self esteem,” says UI Junior Jasmine Kayvani. “Everyone just feels better when they’re tan.”

Even males on campus are aware of the expectations on campus to be tan.

“I think girls feel they need to live up to society’s expectations of what a typical college girl should look like,” says UI senior Dan Pilguy. “And that means being tan.”

What doesn’t help is that indoor tanning salons frequently deny the dangers of indoor tanning, and do not disclose the dangers to customers. In a recent report by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 78 percent of salons questioned said that tanning would be beneficial to the customer’s health, and nearly all of them denied the risks of indoor tanning.

The fact of the matter is, many students don’t think skin cancer can actually happen to them.

But what happens when it nearly does?

The Risk Becomes Reality

Lauren,* a 23-year-old elementary education student from the suburbs of Chicago, tanned all throughout high school. Before every dance, big party, or occasion,
Lauren would hit the local tanning salon in order to get a bronze glow.

“I was that high school girl who went tanning before every dance, every time there was a ‘big party’ or just when I felt pale in general,” she says.

But in June of 2012, after years of skin issues, Lauren visited her doctor to talk about some suspicious moles on her body.

“The first dermatologist I went to was cutting into my skin every time I visited her to remove any moles or freckles she thought looked weird. My parents wanted a second opinion to make sure all of these procedures were necessary,” she says. “That’s when I went to the leading doctor for skin cancer in Illinois and was officially diagnosed with dysplastic nevus syndrome.”

Dysplastic nevus syndrome is where the majority of the moles and freckles on the body are more likely to (but not automatically) turn into cancerous moles. Once diagnosed with this condition, patients have to be closely and frequently monitored. It can be passed down genetically, but is often brought on by over-exposure to the sun or tanning.

“I was shocked, sad, and upset when I was diagnosed,” says Lauren. “Sad because I know how serious this is and upset at myself for being so naïve, and thinking I was invincible. “

Lauren, who now must visit with her dermatologist every 6 months, requires a full body check for irregular looking moles and freckles.

“I have had 7 (moles) removed surgically and 3 of those came back positive for atypical cells,” she said. “My doctor had to go back in and cut out the surrounding area of those moles to make sure it wouldn’t spread.”

Lauren had to admit to her dermatologist the extent of her tanning, especially while in high school.

“When I visited my (now) second doctor she asked, ‘How many times have you been tanning in a tanning bed?’ I laughed and said back, ‘Do you want an exact number?’” says Lauren. “She sternly said, ‘Yes, exact!’ For my dermatologist to ask me for a specific number, I had to be honest and say, ‘at least 100 times.’ The look on her face petrified me.”

Lauren had to give up tanning all together, and found it was hard at first to deal with the critical comments about being “too pale.” In a society where having a tan is valued, Lauren had to get past the sometimes hurtful comments about her skin color.

“It has been difficult hearing the comments like, ‘Geez Lauren, do you get out in the sun much?’ or, ‘Have you ever seen the sun? You need color!’” she says. “I end up telling them I can’t go tanning and they usually pipe down, but nonetheless, it still hurts because I can’t do anything about the color, or lack there of, of my skin.”

Looking back, Lauren regrets the years she spent in the tanning bed, ignoring the risks like so many teens do.

“I would tell the younger me that being tan may be what’s popular or cute, but it’s not worth it, “she says. “Sunless tanner does the same thing, without the dangers.
When the leading doctor for skin cancer in Illinois told me how serious my condition was and how careful I have to be, it really made me think how stupid I was to go tanning all those years.”

Lauren hopes to show teens and college students that skin problems can and do happen, even when you think you are invincible.

“High school dances and college parties only last for 8 years; is having required dermatology appointments every 6 months for the rest of your life, worth it?”

Lessons Learned from an Aunt’s Passing

Kelsey Hogaboom is a senior at the University of Illinois. Her aunt, Alicia Franklin, lost her battle with skin cancer in 2006, after 19 months of fighting the disease.

“My aunt was the type of person that would help anyone out; she was always doing things for other people and never had anything negative to say,” says Hogaboom.

Married with two kids, Hogaboom describes her aunt as a homemaker and a “Martha-Stewart type” who loved her family.

A few years ago, Franklin went to see a doctor about a suspicious spot on her back, and was diagnosed with skin cancer. The doctors told her the cancer had already spread throughout her body, and she was given six months to live.

“She went through with chemo and radiation and ended up living for 19 months, but her quality of life had completely diminished,” says Hogaboom.

Franklin and her family moved in with her parents, where a nurse cared for her during her battle.

“My mom went out there every day during her last few months of life and I often accompanied her,” says Hogaboom. “It was really difficult to see her so weak and ill all the time and it was ever more awful to see how my cousins were being affected.”

Franklin lost her battle with the disease in 2006, after living 13 months longer than originally expected. Hogaboom says her aunt’s death affected the family dynamic, and her mom, Franklin’s sister, was affected the most.

“Having my aunt pass away changed a lot of the dynamics in my extended family. I often think about what it would be like if she were still here; how different things would be for my mom if she still had her sister to share things with.”

If anything positive has come from her aunt’s passing, Hogaboom says she is a lot smarter about being in the sun and skin care.

“I haven’t stepped foot in a tanning bed since,” says Hogaboom. “I have been kind of crazy about sun care ever since. Whenever I’m going to spend a day in the sun, I apply my sunscreen prior to going outside and reapply periodically throughout the day. Every day I apply a moisturizer that has SPF in it because even minimal sun exposure can put you at risk.”

Hogaboom still misses her aunt, and wants others to think about their family before they step into the tanning bed again.

“Everyone needs to step away from the mentality that it will never happen to them; I never thought it would happen to anyone in my family and it did,” she says. “To anyone that won’t avoid tanning to protect themselves, think about your family, or your future husband and kids, and imagine how you dying of skin cancer would affect them.”

For more information on skin cancer and sun safety for women, Hogaboom encourages people to visit Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “Practice Safe Sun” campaign here.

Protecting Yourself

The good news is that there ARE ways you can still protect yourself from doing any more damage to your skin. This includes:

• Avoiding peak sun hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
• Cover up! Wear protective clothing when you will be spending many hours in the sun to keep your skin safe.
• Sunglasses. They can protect your sensitive eye area from 99 percent of the harmful UV rays the sun gives off.
• Don’t forget sunscreen. Apply a generous amount every 2 hours, or after you swim or towel dry. Use it even on cloudy days, as the sun can still burn your skin through the clouds.

Melanoma, or Just a Mole?

See something suspicious on your skin, like a mole or irregularity? See a doctor right away. If you aren’t sure, follow the ABC’s of skin cancer:

• A=Asymmetric. If you were to draw a line in the middle of the mole, would the two sides line up? If not, have it looked at by your dermatologist.
• B= Border. The borders of cancerous moles are normally uneven and bumpy. The edges can look scalloped or notched.
• C= Color. If the mole has more than one color, this could be a sign of melanoma. Different shades of brown, tan or black could appear.
• D= Diameter. If the mole is larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser, this could be a sign of melanoma.
• E= Evolution. Any change in a mole that you’ve had is a sign that cancer is developing. If you notice a change in size, shape, color, or elevation, see your dermatologist.

Click here to view example pictures of what to look out for.

I Feel Better With a Tan, What Can I Do?

If you still want a tan without those harmful effects of the sun, check out this map outlining all the places you can find a sunless tan in the Iowa City area. From Mystic tans and airbrush tans, to at-home spray tanning sessions and tans from a bottle, you are sure to find something that you will like. We’ve made it easy for you to find a great spray tan, so make a promise to yourself that you will avoid the tanning beds, and prolonged days in the sun!

CLICK HERE for the interactive map