GirlsLife.com - Is your tanning salon lying to you?

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Sources say yes. According to a congressional study, investigators discovered that when teens asked about the risks of indoor tanning, 90 percent of salons said using a tanning bed did not pose a health risk for fair-skinned girls. But that's not even the worst of it: 78 percent went so far as to claim that it would actually benefit girls--and they said that the rising rates of melanoma in young women are caused by sunscreen, not tanning. What a whopper!

As scientists have shown, indoor tanning increases the risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. But when investigators called 300 salons across the U.S., posing as teens inquiring about the safety of tanning beds, they were out-and-out lied to about the potential danger.

"Tanning beds are brightly lit, cancer-causing coffins," said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (NY), who requested the study alongside her fellow congressmen and women.

Tanning beds continue to be minimally regulated by the FDA, but certain states are now cracking down on salons that allow tweens and teens to tan regularly, or at all.

What do you think of this study, babes? Would you ever use a tanning bed?

BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 7/16/2012 6:17:00 PM

Here is a good cause my friends and I are involved in, it's a page on Facebook called "Hold A Child's Hand". Here's what it's about:
There were many goals we wanted to accomplish with our project. One of our goals was to raise awareness of the importance of the preservative free drug called, Methotrexate. (a drug that helps children fighting cancer) This medication has been in short supply for some time, and we decided that we would contact the congressmen of all 50 states, as well as President Obama, to inform them of the issue. Another goal was to help families who are affected by childhood cancer. To do this, we planned many events to raise money for cancer research and financial assistance for families. Our goal was to raise at least $1000 for a foundation called “Alex’s Lemonade Stand” which focuses on finding a cure for childhood cancer, and providing funds to help families as their child endures treatment. Another goal was to raise $150 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

i wouldn't tan either. This mother was on the news and she tanned so much, she looked black. pitch black! and she was white. i have light skin and tan outside. i think its better that way because u can also get vitamin c. plus, i get a perfect golden brown look. its a win win!

by sweetheart9870 on 8/8/2012 10:38:33 AM

good for u barenziah97!! its good to hear someone say outright that they love themselves for who they are

by sarebear118 on 8/4/2012 7:58:28 PM

LovelyDays111 u r so dang right, girl!

by ShirleyFeeney on 8/1/2012 7:36:29 PM

I have really fair skin. I can be out in the sun for hours each day and I'll barely tan. I don't really burn either, lucky me. I would never use a tanning bed after hearing about all the health risks they pose. Tanned skin is not worth cancer, melanoma, or some other life-threatening ailment. I love my skin AND myself just the way I am! <3

by barenziah97 on 7/23/2012 12:42:24 AM

I would never use a tanning bed because Im already really tan from the sun.

by monkeyga on 7/20/2012 7:35:54 PM

I would never use a tanning bed because I'm already dark skinned and, I always thought that if I use a tanning bed my skin would actually be the color black. Even if I wasn't African American I still wouldn't use those things because I would be scared of getting cancer or another skin disease. So..um..yeah.

by DiamondSharks on 7/20/2012 11:10:05 AM

I would NEVER use a tanning bed!
For one, you can get skin cancer from it.
And two, Since I was little I was always afraid the door would get jammed or something.
And, people should be happy with their skin tone!

by LovelyDays111 on 7/19/2012 10:08:33 PM

Pale is beautiful! <3

by unicornninja on 7/19/2012 8:13:23 PM

I would never go in a tanning bed no matter WHO told me it was "healthy". No matter what skin tone you are born with, it is beautiful! Pale is beautiful, naturally tan is beautiful, etc, etc.

by WinnieGirlie on 7/17/2012 8:23:41 PM

That is sooo horrible!!! I have never used a tanning bed and never want to!

by fallsb-ball on 7/17/2012 3:29:18 PM

i've always wanted to do a tanning bed, but am scared to.

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by heather99 on 7/17/2012 2:55:52 PM

OH MY GOSH NO Im already tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tan and one of my friends used one she said it was a stupid decision of her

by TSfan#1 on 7/17/2012 2:24:12 PM

Besides the obvious major issue of getting skin cancer or increasing your likely hood of getting it, tanning beds can also put you at risk for staph infections!! Either way, tanning is not a good idea because it can lead to melanoma, staph infections, and skin damage later in life. If you want to tan, go outside when it's sunny but be sure to use sunscreen!

by cocoloco651 on 7/17/2012 1:21:40 PM

Yeah; tanning in the tanning beds before age 21 can increase your risk of skin cancer by 20% every time you go. My friend is only 12 and she tans in the tanning bed. I told her it's very harmful to her skin, but.... well, I don't know what she did.

by Christiangal345 on 7/17/2012 11:05:55 AM

MOD MOD MOD MOD
Hey GL! Thx for awnsering all my questions! Ok so I need help. Is it not proper for me to text guys that I've never even talked to, including my crush? I was txting them and my friends still are but I can't because my mom said it was improper! Thx again

Hey girl! Your mom is a little right- you should be texting guys you talk to in person. It's fine to talk more in text, especially if you don't see each other a lot in person, but introduce yourself in person before you start texting him. If you've chatted in person, you'll have an excuse to text him. Besides, if you only talk to him with your thumbs, how do you know if you really like him? xoxo

Kate G.

by Leb1199 on 7/17/2012 10:34:10 AM

Like the page on Facebook: Hold A Child's Hand! It's for a really good cause! With just one like, you will be helping a child with cancer!

by thumperella14 on 7/17/2012 10:29:03 AM

by thumperella14 on 7/17/2012 10:27:57 AM

Mod mod mod!
I really want to make girls more aware of the harmful effects and get people to start taking action. I watvched many of my family members and even my best friend learn the hard way and i want others to be safe. Who should i talk to first? ( like a city official, doctor, foundation ...
And for all girls reading this post...
For all of you who don't know, spray tanning is bad for you. Its better then a tanning bed but it is still bad. The chemicals dammage your skin. Your best bet is always a lotion with a graduall tanning effect. And yes, you still need to wear sunscrean!

Hey girl! Good for you for wanting to get involved. Try starting on a small scale, like your school. Talk to your principal when school starts about having an awareness day or an assembly showing the negative effects of fake tanning. From there, you can reach out to a city official or the superintendant of your school district to get more people involved. Good luck!

by sprinklz28 on 7/17/2012 2:34:55 AM

Sami_McDoodle I really don't think that any part of a tanning bed is healthy for you. Maybe tanning naturally in the sun because it helps you soak up vitiman D. But tanning beds are bad news!!

by 15hayhay on 7/17/2012 12:19:36 AM

MOD MOD MOD
@ Jordan S. I know it's his job but on the rapids, I didn't go on it and he was looking at me and we were on the line for the park, we werent in the pool so idk what to think.

Hey there,

Well then, I think he's interested in you! Jordan S.

by Nerdyprincessxo on 7/17/2012 12:10:37 AM

MOD MOD MOD
plz help:
I think this lifegaurd may like me. He always stares at me and I always catch him. The first day we were @the waterpark, mom wanted My bro to go on a mini river rapids and we were standing there for like 7 minutes and my back was facing him but in the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me. and I went down on this one slide that he was lifegaurding and he was just looking at me. and today, me and mom, dad, my bro, and sis were standing in line with maybe like 200 people to get in the park and all of the lifegaurds passed by us (ALL OF THEM IN ONE LINE!!!!) and he looked at me. ONLY ME in that group of 100's right in the eye. Is he into me? I don't know...

Hey babe,

It could be that he's rather interested in you, it sounds very likely. But keep in mind that it is a lifeguard's job to keep an eye on all of the pool's/park's patrons, you know? Jordan S.

by Nerdyprincessxo on 7/16/2012 11:35:10 PM

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by pretty123 on 7/16/2012 11:27:47 PM

is a spray tan healthy?

by cupcake8 on 7/16/2012 11:23:15 PM

just get a spray tan

by cupcake8 on 7/16/2012 11:21:59 PM

I tan naturally, but that's because I tan super fast. With that said, I would spray tan or use tanning lotion, but I won't ever use a tanning bed.

by natdtanner on 7/16/2012 11:05:56 PM

MOD MOD MOD:
A lot of my guy friends tend to like girls who look like their moms or their sisters. For example; my one guy friend says he likes blonds and his mom & sister are blond. Plus he always says how pretty his sister is,(In a totally non-weird way). Do boys tend to go for girls who look like their sisters or moms?

Hey girl,

It's not definite, as I'm no professional, but it has been said that boys tend to subconsciously find comfort in women who remind them of somebody they hold dear. But, hair color most likely isn't an instance of that, babe. Jordan S.

by MadMaddie911 on 7/16/2012 11:03:59 PM

I just tan naturally

by snagmonkey on 7/16/2012 9:50:03 PM

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by fireworks1071 on 7/16/2012 9:50:01 PM

Its not bad, my sister uses tanning salons & my doctor saitd it's making her skin HEALTHIER.

by Sami_McDoodle on 7/16/2012 9:25:55 PM

thats why I don't go to tanning salons. I think they went to far telling girls that it's healthy it can cause skin cancer and can be addictive.

by nerdygurl12 on 7/16/2012 9:13:15 PM

I have never used a tanning bed and i don't think i will it's just stupid because it causes a lot of health issues. Plus i tan naturally so i have no need to

by niccer13 on 7/16/2012 8:47:05 PM