Research into the dangers of sunbeds Free Essay Example

I will be conducting this case study in order to find out evidence about whether sunbeds cause only skin cancer or not. As the pressure of young people is to become perfectly preened and tanned steadily increases, more and more turn to sunbeds as a way to find that perfect summer glow. However, the darker the sides to this story is the soaring numbers of skin cancer, are they paying for their vanity, or is it a pure coincidence? – Because in my opinion, it is a currently pressing issue, so many people today are turning to sunbeds, and with the sunbeds they are becoming stronger and stronger, are we killing ourselves? I will find several pieces of information to support each theory and then show my conclusion.

In the finding of these pieces of evidence I will be checking of how reliable it is and then I will come to my conclusion.

Background Science Information

In order for my arguments to be explained and to be understood, background information is important to be explained so as to help you to understand clearly the theory about my experiment on sunbeds.

In other words, I will help you by providing diagrams, pictures and scientific reviews of course as evidence.

History of sunbeds

Sunbeds was created and it was initially brought to America by the German Friedrich Wolff in 1979. While he was studying the beneficial effects of ultraviolet light on athletes, the German Scientist has an interesting side effect – tanned skin. Realizing the application of a beautiful tan, Wolff founded the indoor tanning industry.

His research led to the development of indoor tanning equipment and lamp technology. Called “the father of indoor tanning,” Wolff brought his European technology to the United States in 1978.

The aesthetic purpose of using sunbeds is to achieve a tan. A recent study showed that a significant tanning effect can be achieved after 6 exposures (over two weeks) and that the tan increases steadily with further exposures. He set the standard for the business with specialized

There are no sources in the current document.lamps and a reflector system that was ideally suited to indoor tanning. Today, the company operates North America and Western Europe, and has patient licensees in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Sates.

Commercial sunbeds were developed in the 1970s and came into widespread use in the 1990s. The full health effects of tanning with artificially produced ultraviolet radiation are not yet known and, because skin cancer takes a longtime to develop, it will take several years before the role of sunbeds in inducing skin cancer becomes clear.

What is a sunbed?

A sunbed (British English), tanning bed (American English) or sun tanning bed is a device which emits Ultraviolet radiation typically (97% UVA and 3% UVB) in order to produce out a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit ultraviolet in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun. These rays expand the pigment called Melanin that already exists in the skin before producing a short-term tan.

However, these rays will damage the collagen and the elastic of the skin and also it can contribute towards the formation of skin cancers. A longer lasting tan will be produced with the UVA rays. These rays stimulate the pigment in the skin so as to increase in production.

Moreover, these rays will also cause thickening of the skins surface layers and is known to cause sunburn and skin cancers. There are a number of sunbeds which emit both UVA and a small amount of UVB rays. These tend to produce a faster result requiring a shorter treatment time.

Smaller home tanning beds usually have 12 to 28100 watt lamps while systems found in the tanning salons can consist of 24 to 60 lamps, each of 100 to 200 watts. There are also “high pressure” tanning beds that generate primarily UVA with some UVB by using highly specialized quartz lamps, reflector systems and filters. A tanning booth is similar to a tanning bed, but the person stands while the tanning and the typical power output of booths is higher.

A sunbed normally consist of a bed that is contoured to ensure even tanning on all sides of the body. The bed normally has overhead the canopy to eliminate the need for the client to turn over thus reducing treatment time. More widely available now are vertical tanning beds. These ask the client to stand for the treatment whilst the sunbed surrounds the body on all sides, that is, almost like a room. This avoids contact of the skin with the sunbed which tends to cause perspiration. This is generally felt to be more hygienic.

Most modern tanning beds have not changed much from the previous systems. The lamps technology and electronics have evolved other the years, but the basic “low pressure” tanning bed has not evolved. The original ballast systems used in the first tanning beds, both “European choke” and magnetic, are still in use today although there are now many other choices including electromagnetic and high frequency. The lamps are still using fluorescent type, using special phosphors that create a spectrum in the UVA and UVB range although there has been a great deal of advancement over the years to make the light spectrum they emit more “sun-like”.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Although ultraviolet is visible to the human eye, most people are aware of the effects of ultraviolet through the painful condition of sunburn, but the ultraviolet spectrum has many other effects, both beneficial and damaging to the human health. Ultraviolet radiation in the region of 260nm can cause photochemical reactions in deoxyribonucleic molecules, causing mutation and destroying microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. Ultraviolet light is found in sunlight and is emitted by electric arcs and specialized lights such as black lights. It can cause chemical reactions, and causes many substances to glow or fluoresce. Most ultraviolet is classified as non-ionizing radiation.

Non-ionizing radiations are radiations with photons that do not have enough energy to ionize molecules. Visible light, infrared, microwave, and radio radiations are all non-ionizing radiation. They produce a warming effect when absorbed by material.

Example:

Infrared

Visible light

Microwave radiation

Radio waves

The lower the photon energy is the smaller the heating effect. The higher energies of the ultraviolet spectrum from about 150nm (‘vacuum’ ultraviolet) are ionizing, but this type of ultraviolet is not very penetrating and is blocked by air.

Ionizing radiations are photons of radiations that can produce ion pairs in air. They are the sources of gamma radiations, x-rays, and ultraviolet radiation pack a lot of energy into each photon. So absorbers get a lot of energy from each photon. These photons have a strong local effect – they can ionize.

According to the World Health Organization, it does not recommended the use of ultraviolet tanning devices for cosmetic purposes because of the harmful effects on the human health of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, including skin cancer, cataracts, suppression of the immune system, and premature skin aging. In fact, most tanning beds emit mainly UVA rays which may increase the melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Using sunbeds without knowing any information about this may also lead to a condition known as an arc eye (snow blindness). However, a regular, short dose of ultraviolet exposure, in particular UVB exposure, is believed to reduce the risk of several cancers.

What is a skin?

The skin is one of the most amazing organs in the human body. It is hard for us to think about it as an organ; however we tend to think of organs as boxy thinks, that is, your heart, liver, kidneys – those who are obviously organs. But skin is an organ too, especially if you look at the dictionary definition of “organ”, like this definition from the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary:

Organ:-

1. Differentiated structure (as a heart, kidney, leaf, or stem) consisting of cells tissues and performing some specific function in an organism.

2. Bodily parts performing a function or cooperating in an activity.

By that definition, skin is definitely said to be an organ. Skin is made up of very specific cells and tissues, and their collective purpose is to act as the boundary between “you” and the “world”. One of the neat things about skin that makes it different from a lot of other organs is the fact that it does have to deal with the real world. Therefore it is loaded with sensors, and it also has a very tough layered design so that it can handle realities of the environment like abrasion and sunlight.

If you take a look at a cross section typical skin (like the skin on your arm or leg) you will find that it is made up of two main layers:

1. The epidermis on the outside

2. The dermis on the inside.

The epidermis is the barrier, while the dermis is the layer containing all the “equipment”, that is things like nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles and so on. On the top, there is a picture that will help you to see what is going on.

In the subcutaneous layer (you may have heard of subcutaneous fat, this is where it lives) you can see the blood vessels (shown as two thin red and blue lines). These vessels branch infinitely (not shown) into the dermis to supply the sweat glands, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and erector muscles with blood. They also fan out into the dermis’s capillary bed. It turns out that the dermis is loaded with capillaries. Capillaries satisfy the nutritional needs of the cells in the dermis, and they also help the skin perform an important cooling function in humans. The epidermis has no direct blood supply, but instead is supported and fed by the dermis.

Now you will learn more about the dermis and how it relates to melanoma and sun exposure.

The dermis is where the action is functionally. The dermis contains sweat glands, hair follicles, nerve endings and so on. There are several different types of nerve endings:

1. Heat sensitive

2. Cold sensitive

3. Pressure sensitive

4. Itch sensitive

5. Pain sensitive

All these different nerve endings let you sense the world. They also help you to protect yourself from burns, punctures and the like by warming you when something is damaging your skin.

The epidermis is your interface to the world, and it is actually quite interesting. It has two main layers:

1. The inner of which is living

2. The outer of which is dead.

The dead skin cells of the outer layer are what we can actually see, and they are constantly flaking off and being replaced by new cells being pushed outward.

The living inner layer of the skin is called the malpighian layer. The malpighian layer creates the dead cells that we can see. It is in direct contact with the dermis, which feeds and supports it. The malpighian layer is our focus of attention actually, because it is here that the sun affects the skin during tanning. The Malpighian layer is itself layered like this:

1. In direct contact with the dermis is the basal layer. If you have ever heard of a basal cell carcinoma (cancer), this is where it starts.

2. Above the basal layer is the spinous layer.

3. Above the spinous layer is the granular layer.

Above the granular layer is the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is the outer layer of the dead cells, the cells that we see as our skin. The cells in this layer are filled with a protein called keratin. Keratin is a very interesting protein because it is tough; horns, hair, hoofs, fingernails and feathers all gain their strength from keratin. The same stuff that your fingernails are made of actually forms your visible skin (but in a much thinner and more flexible layer). That is what makes your skin so tough. In parts of the body that get a lot of wear, like the palms and the feet, the stratum corneum is thicker to handle the abrasion.

Living among the basal cells in the Malpighian layer is another type of cell called a melanocyte. Melanocytes produce melanin, which is a pigment that is the source of tanning. The melanocytes are actually where a tan comes from.

Here is what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about melanocytes:

“The appearance of the skin is partly due to the reddish pigment in the blood of the superficial vessels. In the main, however, it is determined by melanin, a pigment manufactured by dendrite cells called melanocytes, found among the basal cells called melanocytes, found among the basal cells of the epidermis. Their numbers in any one region of the body, which range from about 1,000 to more than 2,000 per square millimeter, are roughly the same within and between races; the blondest whites have as many as the darkest blacks. Colour differences are due solely to the amount of melanin produced and the nature of the pigment granules. When the skin becomes tanned on exposure to sunlight, the melanocytes do not increase in number, only in activity.” (“Integumentary Systems, Pigmentation”, Britannica CD. Version 97. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1997.)

Not only do melanocytes produce a tan, they are also responsible for the form of cancer called melanoma. Melanoma is caused by ultraviolet radiation damage to melanocytes. Repeated exposure to ultraviolet can be cancerous.

So, now that we know all about the skin we can start to actually understand tans and sunburns. When you get a tan, what is actually happening is that the melanocytes are producing melanin pigment in reaction to ultraviolet light in sunlight. Ultraviolet light stimulates melanin production. The pigment has the effect of absorbing the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, so it protects the cells from ultraviolet damage. Melanin production takes a fair amount of time; this is why most people cannot get a tan in one day. You have to expose yourself to ultraviolet light for a short period of time to activate the melanocytes. They produce melanin over the course of hours. By repeating this process over 5 to 7 days a pigment builds up in your cells to a level that is protective.

A tan is a tan; unless it comes out of a bottle it is not safe. So knowing this, knowing that all research in the world has linked sun damage (aka tanning) to the rise of many people is still doing it. The only answer that I can come up with is that these people haven’t gathered enough information about the harmful effects of sunbeds. So here we go. Please pay attention!

So let’s talk about tanning. I knew that when it is summer and everyone wants to look good with a <healthy> tan. But trust me, there’s nothing healthy about a sun tan. The only safe tan is a fake tan. So let’s start from:

UVR or Ultraviolet Radiation

Ultraviolet radiation comes in a few different forms, but when talking about tanning we are discussing about UVA and UVB which are the rays in sunlight. UVA rays are known as the “aging” rays and consist of longer wavelengths that penetrate deep into that dermis – our “true” skin. UVA was once thought to have a minor effect on skin damage, but now studies are showing that UVA is a major source of causing skin damage

UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and works more efficiently. It triggers the production of melanin which is our skin, that is, the pigment that causes our skin to tan. UVA rays are also responsible for the speeding up the ageing process. UVA enhances the harmful effect of UVB radiation and is also responsible for some photosensitivity reactions; it is used therapeutically in the treatment of a variety of skin disorders.

UVB rays are known as “burning” rays. They are shorter than UVA, affecting the top layers of the skin, that is, the epidermis. UVB rays affect the outermost layer of our skin and cause us to burn. UVB radiation with wavelengths between 290 and 320nm, comprising less than 1 per cent of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the earth’s surface. UVB radiation causes sunburn and a number of damaging photochemical changes within cells, including damage to the DNA, leading to premature aging of the skin, premalignant changes and malignant changes, and a variety of photosensitivity reaction; it is also used therapeutically for treatment of skin disorders. With repeated exposure to the sun, skin damage may lead to skin cancer.

Ultraviolet rays are more intense during the summer and the severity of the sun damage depends on the degree of exposure to the sun.

Sun tanning systems with the use of ultraviolet light have come under much criticism recently with the increase cases of skin cancer and increased usage of sunbed tanning systems.

What is cancer?

As its heart, cancer is the result of an uncontrolled growth. Our bodies are composed of trillions of cells all working together. In a cancer, one of those cells to grow, stop growing or even to die. Cancer cells still share many of the same needs and properties of normal cells but they become independent of the controls cells that make our body function smoothly.

The process by which a normal cell changes into one that behaves so abnormally can take a longtime and is often triggered by outside influences. The next few sections describe the differences between normal and cancer cells and also it outlines the steps leading to the creation of a cancer cell from a normal cell.

Cancer is actually a general term that describes a large group of related diseases. Every case of cancer is unique, with its own set of genetic changes and growth properties. Some cancers grow quickly while others can take years to become dangerous to the patient.

There are many differences between cases of cancer, even of the same organ (that is, different cases of breast cancer), is one of the main reasons that treatment is so difficult.

Despite the differences between different types of cancer, all cancers do share some common features, and these shared properties are the basis for many cancer treatment and research efforts. It is important for us to understand the basic, shared, features of cancer. This will allow for an understanding of detection, diagnosis and treatment options.

Characteristics of cancer cells

1. They are usually less well differentiated than normal cells or benign tumor cells. The presence of invading cells is the most diagnostic indication of a malignancy.

2. Cancer cells can multiply in the absence of growth-promoting factors required for proliferation of normal cells and are resistant to signals that normally program cell death.

3. Cancer cells also invade the surrounding tissues, often breaking through the basal laminas that define the boundaries of tissues and spreading through the body to establish secondary areas of growth.

4. Both primary and secondary tumors required angiogenesis, the enrollment of new blood vessels, in order to grow to a large mass.

5. Cancer cells, which are closer in their properties to stem cells than to more mature differentiated cell types, usually arise from stem cells and other proliferating cells.

There are numerous changes that must occur for a normal cell to become a cancer cell. Additional changes are needed for that single cell to form a tumor and then for that tumor to grow and spread.

An excellent review article detailing a model of cancer growth and spread was written by Douglas Hanahan and Robert Weinberg.

Cancer attacks many different parts of the body. There are more than 100 different kinds of cancer. For example, people can get cancer of the lungs, brain, stomach, or skin.

Scientists have studied cancer for many years. They have learned a lot about what causes cancer. They know that every call in your body has genes, tiny structures that tell cells what they have to do. For example, a gene tells a hair cell on your head what colour to grow. Genes also tell cells when to start or stop dividing. A cancer cells has damaged genes. They can’t tell the cell when to stop dividing.

1. Scientists have learned what can harm genes and lead to cancer. Tobacco can harm genes. People who smoke cigarettes can get lung cancer.

2. Sunlight can harm genes in skin cells. People who get suntans too often or who get bad sunburn can get skin cancer/

Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin. Your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection and injury. It also stores water, fat, and vitamin D. The skin has two main layers and several kinds of cells. The top layer of the skin is called the epidermis. It contains three kinds of cells: flat, scaly cells on the surface called squamous cells; round cells called basal cells and melanocytes, which give your skin its coulour.

BASAL CELL & SQUAMOUS CELL

There are several types of cancer that start in the skin. The most are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer.

Skin cancer is more common in people with light colored skin who have spend a lot of time in sunlight. Skin cancer can occur anywhere in your body, but it is most common in places that have been exposed to more sunlight, such as your face, neck, hands and arms.

Skin cancer can look many different ways. The most common sign of skin cancer is a change on the skin, such as a growth or a sore that won’t heal. Sometime there may be a small lump. This lump can be smooth, shiny and waxy looking, or it can be red or reddish brown. Skin cancer may also appear a flat red spot that is rough or scaly. Not all changes in your skin are cancer, but you should consult your doctor if you notice changes in your skin.

MELANOMA

The melanoma is a disease of the skin in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the cells that colour the skin (melanocytes). Melanoma usually occurs in adults, but it may occasionally be found in children and adolescents. Your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection, and injury. It is made up of two main layers: the epidermis (the top layer) and dermis (the inner layer). Melanocytes are found in the epidermis and they contain melanin, which gives the skin its colour. Melanoma is a more serious type of cancer than the more common skin cancers, basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer, which begins in the basal or squamous cells of the epidermis. Like most cancers, melanoma is best treated when it is found (diagnosed) early. Melanoma can spread quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system or through the blood.

You should see your doctor if you have any of the following warning signs of melanoma: change in the size, shape, or color of a mole; oozing or bleeding from a mole; or a mole that feels itchy, hard, lumpy, swollen, or tender to the touch. Melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. Men most often get melanoma on the trunk or on the head or neck; women most often get melanoma on the arms and legs.

Causes of skin cancer

Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, most commonly from the sunlight, is the main and most frequent cause of skin cancer. Other important causes of skin cancer include the following:

1. Use of tanning booths.

2. Immunosuppressant-impairment of the immune system, which protects the body from foreign entities, such as germs or substances that cause an allergic reaction. This may occur as a consequence of some diseases or can be due to medications prescribed to combat autoimmune diseases or prevent organ transplant rejection.

3. Exposure to unusually high levels of x-rays.

4. Contact with certain chemicals-arsenic (miners, sheep shearers, and farmers), hydrocarbons in tar, oils, and soot (may cause squamous cell carcinoma).

5. Irradiation: ultraviolet light of short wavelength can cause skin cancer. Ionizing radiation, even though of little importance for the total cancer incidence, has been thoroughly studied. The experiences from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing have contributed to this knowledge. Under normal circumstances radon exposure in mines and houses is the most important type of irradiation and contributes to development of lung cancer.

The following people who are at the greatest risk:

1. People with fair skin, especially type that freckle, sunburn easily, or become painful in the sun.

2. Those with certain genetic disorders that deplete skin pigment such as albinism.

3. People who have already been treated for skin cancer.

4. People with numerous moles, unusual moles, or large moles that were present at birth.

5. People with close family members who have developed skin cancer.

6. Basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas are more common in older people. Melanomas are more common in younger people. For example, melanoma is the most common cancer in people 25-29 years of age.

How can skin be damaged by solar UV Radiation

Short-term effects of skin exposure to ultraviolet radiation, particularly to UVB, include sunburn, which is most intense 24 hours later. Repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation to obtain a deeper tan causes the epidermis to thicken, which results in the skin feeling dry.

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation can aggravate certain skin diseases and, when combined with some commonly used medicines and chemicals, can cause the skin cancer to react abnormally to light. It can also affect the immune system, and this may play a role in skin cancer and some infectious diseases.

Long-term effects of skin exposure to ultraviolet radiation include skin cancer and photo-ageing. The IARC classified solar radiation as “carcinogenic” to humans and UVA, UVB, and the use of sunbeds as “probably carcinogenic” to human.

1. UV radiation can cause two types of skin cancer: Non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) form the great majority of skin cancers and solar exposure is the main environmental factor in their development.

The risk of developing these cancers depends strongly on skin type. It is highest in people who sunburn easily (skin types I and II), and lowest in people with low susceptibility to sunburn (skin types V and VI). SCC is associated with continued long-term sun exposure and is more common in people who work outdoors whereas BCC is associated with intermittent exposure.

1. Melanoma skin cancer is much less common than non-melanoma skin cancers, but is the main cause of death from skin cancer.

The risk of developing melanoma depends on skin type. It is very low in black skinned people and highest in pale skinned individuals. People at higher risk include those with a tendency to burn rather than to tan, those who have freckles, those with fair hair, as well as those with a large number of moles.

Sunbeds are most popular among people with fair skin. Many people associated tanned skin with health and beauty but they do not know that the long-term consequences of using a sunbed can be serious. They have both positive and negative effects.

Positive Effects

1. Sunbed use can improve psychological wellbeing – It can increase confidence and self-esteem whilst offering a source a source of relaxation.

1. It can alleviate the symptoms of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or winter blues. Many people experience depressive symptoms during winter and these symptoms can be reducing through moderate sunbed use. Ultraviolet light can helps to improve various skin conditions like Psoriasis, Eczema and Acne.

1. The pleasant warming effects of sunbed treatments can soothe muscular aches and pains and help to ease the discomfort associate with Rheumatism and Arthritis.

1. Tanned skinned protects you against sunburn, though to be the main cause of melanoma. By using sunbeds, where the level of ultraviolet radiation can be controlled, the risk of sunburn can be minimized.

1. Most men and women want a plane tan and that’s what a sunbed gives them. They don’t have to wait for summer and spend long hours in the sun. In fact it requires just a few visits for about 10 minutes each time and they get a perfect tan.

1. Perhaps the greatest benefit of using sunbed is its link to vitamin D.

1. The main benefit of being tanned is seen as looking and feeling healthier. The main reason for using a sunbed is for a pre-holiday tan. Whilst the sun protection factor from a sunbed tan does not provide total protection, people having a base tan are less likely to over-expose themselves during the initial days of a holiday.

1. Sunbeds are comfortable as well. But people should consider how safe they are to use or is it vice versa.

Negative Effects

1. There‘s an opinion saying that sunbeds are safer than sun tanning, but it‘s certainly not true. Sunbeds use concentrated doses of ultraviolet radiation. It’s the same type of radiation that is produced by sun and is the main cause of skin cancer. It also causes skin to age prematurely. The difference is that the ultraviolet radiation produced by sun is not as concentrated as produced by sunbeds. The more exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the greater the chance of developing skin cancer.

1. Although the risk is known for most sunbeds users, most of them have an opinion that few times won’t do any harm. That is wrong opinion. The skin is harmed from the inside and it may also cause some other skin reactions, which may finally lead to cancer. As far as skin is the biggest organ of human body and has several functions, it is easily harmed and requires special care. Sunbeds has only esthetic function; moreover it may cause damage to your skin.

1. Too much time spending in the ultraviolet light will cause an early development of wrinkles in the skin and a loss of the skin elasticity.

1. An over exposure to ultraviolet light may harms your eyes by developing cataracts or pterygium which is like a white enlargement covering the cornea of the eye.

1. It may cause inflammation to the eye called photo keratinize or photo conjunctivitis.

1. However, it has been proven that tanning beds do cause sunburns, and are, therefore, dangerous. Physicians of the Geisinger Health System report that one sunburn doubles the risk of developing skin cancer.

2.

1. In 2009, the BBC made to order a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), this organization made an assessment and they saw that 75% in people are dying of skin cancer caused by sunbeds.

1. Kathy Banks, Chief executive of the Sunbeds Association, said that the relationship between ultraviolet and skin cancer is increasing due to the use of sunbeds.

2. The amount of death caused by sunbeds is increasing every year about 650. The charity predicts this number will rise to more than 15,500 by 2024. This would make malignant melanoma the fourth most common cancer among men and women in the UK. In the last 30 years rates of the cancer have more than quadrupled, from 3.4 cases per 100,000 people in 1977 to 14.7 per 100,000 in 2006.

1. Dr. Daniel McKennitt is MD in General Medicine and Dentistry from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He completed his Special Training in Research (STIR) in 2007, says that using sunbeds is putting you at risk and it may cause health problems.

1. A study conducted in Sweden helps to prove that sunbeds are a major factor in the development of malignant melanoma. Different people, all under the age of 30, were included in the study. The data concluded that the people who used sunbeds more than 10 times a year were seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use sunbeds as often. Researchers estimated that by the year 2000, the risk of developing skin cancer for those who did not use sunbeds would be one out of every 97 persons, and that the chances for those who did use sunbeds would be one out of every 13 persons

As you can see in the comparing of this evidence, there are more arguments in the opposite of using sunbeds. The Ultraviolet light caused harm to our body more precisely to our skin. By using sunbeds we are giving our life to death. People are mostly going through sunbeds just for getting a pretty tanned skin. They are not aware about the time they are using sunbeds and without any information about the effects having on sunbeds; they are just enjoying themselves by using it. By exposing themselves under long hours on the ultraviolet light, they are more at risk of having a skin cancer. The above graph show the amount of people who died with skin cancer. As you see there are more than 100,000 dying of skin cancer.

Although the use of sunbeds has some positive health effects, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) is of the opinion that it is likely to increase the risk of skin and possibly eye cancer.

Conclusion

While finding this evidence, I conclude that the use of sunbeds have positive effects as for instance, UVB exposure may increase vitamin D levels in users. Many people also claim they feel better after using a sunbed but there is no evidence of a biochemical basis for this. Potential adverse health effects from UV radiation include sunburn, inflammation of the eye, cataract formation, melanoma of the eye and different types of skin cancer. UV radiation can also reduce the functioning of the human immune system, which may be important in skin cancer and infectious diseases. The risk of developing a given type of skin cancer depends on the pattern of exposure.

According to me, I think that before using sunbed a person should be aware about the risks they are taking while using it and also if they are using sunbed they must listen to the procedures given and don’t expose their skin for long hours under this. The more time they are exposed to ultraviolet light, they are mostly at risk of getting a skin cancer.

However, both women and men agree on thing: don’t get too far. When a person starts visiting sunbeds every day the skin usually looks dry, aged and unnaturally brown. And it’s rather obvious that women and especially men don’t like such looks. Taking care of your body is always good; just try to do everything wisely and don’t get obsessed with things, especially the ones that may cause harm to your body. Sunbeds has advantages and disadvantages. Before using it think about arguments for and against it and be sure you really need it. Don’t start hurting your skin.