Tanning beds have no place in a healthy skin routine. Make sure you have the facts about this harmful habit.
Ali is the Marketing Communications Manager for The Skin Cancer Foundation. She is originally from Upstate New York, but relocated to Manhattan after graduating from Lehigh University. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2016, Ali worked as a health and science journalist, covering everything from neuroscience to fitness fads. When she’s not writing about sun protection and skin cancer, she’s probably reading a fantasy novel, sampling the pasta at a local restaurant or planning her next trip.
Tanning beds have no place in a healthy skin routine. Make sure you have the facts about this harmful habit.
Even after hearing that women who have ever been indoor tanning are six times more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in their 20s than those who have never done so, it’s hard to believe skin cancer can happen at such a young age. Most young indoor tanners probably don’t believe it can happen to them.
Wearing hats and sunglasses and applying sunscreen, for instance, are almost no-brainers for anyone looking to keep their skin safe from UV rays. But there are plenty of other products and behaviors you can incorporate into your sun protection strategy.
Sometimes identifying a potential skin cancer isn’t so straightforward. Skin cancer comes in many forms, and tumors don’t always display the most well-known characteristics of the disease.
Imagine visiting the dermatologist with concerns about a strange growth on your arm. You breathe a sigh of relief when your doctor tells you that the spot is an actinic keratosis (AK), meaning it isn’t malignant…for now. It may stay benign, but it could also turn into a potentially life-threatening form of skin cancer.
After a scary experience with melanoma, actress and author, Ariana Madix is using her platform to make a change. She wants you to know that getting a skin exam could save your life — just like it may have saved hers.
The right clothes offer more certain sun protection than sunscreen, since people often don’t use sunscreen in the right way (1 ounce applied evenly to all exposed skin every day, and reapplied every two hours if you’re exposed to the sun). But not all clothing is created equal.
Since she had a melanoma removed more than a decade ago, Michelle Monaghan has been an advocate for skin cancer education, sun protection and speaking up to loved ones.
When you consider the dangers of indoor tanning, it’s difficult to believe the practice is still legal for anyone, let alone children. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a proven human carcinogen, and more than 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year are linked to indoor tanning. Yet we know that teenagers around the country are still using UV tanning beds.
Hugh Jackman knows about skin cancer: the Australian actor has posted photos and video about his skin cancer surgeries. He also urges his fans to protect against the sun’s harmful rays and get checked by a dermatologist. Take a cue from Hugh!
