College students are known for being frugal. We are the first ones to pick Taco Bell for dinner and will do almost anything to save a dollar. A roommate and I even went through the campus trash to find a coupon for dinner.
That’s why it was such a treat to most when Union students received a coupon from Suntan City that was valid for five free tanning bed visits.
The word “free” is the holy grail of buzzwords for 20-somethings, and this coupon was gold.
According to an article published Jan. 31, 2014, in USA Today, “More than 35 percent of American adults report ever using a tanning bed, along with 59 percent of college students.
This is this perception that goes along with having sun-kissed skin – people just look better. Now, my skin is as fair as it gets.
Kids in middle school used to call me Casper, and I begged my mom to let me go to a tanning bed.
All my friends were doing it. But my mother was persistent and said no each time. I was allowed to get spray tans instead.
Looking back, I’m glad the answer was always ‘no.’
There was a girl in my high school that loved to tan. She once told me that she didn’t care if she died, because she would die tanned.
Heather Warren, senior sports medicine major, had a scare with skin cancer at age 20.
“In high school my mom and I were always very skeptical of the tanning bed but I always assured her it would be okay if I went so I did but only for special occasions,” Warren said. “I was born with a tiny mole on my head that I had checked once a year at the dermatologist. I have grown up going to the dermatologist and she always told me it was nothing to worry about because it was pink.
“Well, I had dealt with it for 20 years and I was ready to have it removed. I felt confident waiting for test results because I was told that everything would turn out normal because it was a pink mole. I remember the day they called me with my results and told me that I had atypical cells located in the mole I had removed.
“No, it was not cancerous but it just meant it was precancerous and could have led to cancer if I would have waited to have it removed. I would have never thought that a mole in my head covered with hats in the summer and hair constantly would ever be affected in that way.
“After this incident I have never stepped foot back in a tanning bed. Hearing the word ‘precancerous’ was scary enough. I always protect my skin with higher sunscreen now than what I used to wear. It is scary and it can happen to anyone. So protect yourself from the sun.”
According to King 5 News, a news station in Seattle, Wash., a story by Jean Enerson on Feb. 22, 2013, Ashley Trenner, 40, used to think a bronze glow made her look younger and that’s why she was so determined to keep it year-round.
Now, the tumors she has are too numerous to count. Trenner developed melanoma at age 33 as a result of tanning bed use starting in her teenage years.
“I paid. I paid money to be in the position I am now,” Trenner said. “I was literally paying someone to get this terrible disease that’s killing me. That’s killing me. Terminal.”
Trenner warned anyone that will listen.
“It’s just not worth it,” Trenner said. “I can’t express that enough. It’s just not worth it.”
Trenner is one of many who have lost the battle against melanoma.
According to Cancer.org, “About 9,710 people are expected to die from melanoma. The rate of melanoma has been rising for at least 30 years, and melanoma is not uncommon even among those younger than 30. In fact, it is one of the most common cancers in young adults (especially young women.)”
So is it worth the risk? I’ve heard numerous explanations as to why my friends go to the tanning bed: “It’s relaxing. It’s so cheap. I just look better tan. You can get melanoma from the sun, too.”
According to WebMD, “Regular use of tanning beds triples or even quadruples the risk of developing melanoma. Compared to people who have never used a tanning bed, indoor tanners had a 74 percent increased risk for developing melanoma.”
Sure, not everyone who goes to a tanning bed gets melanoma, but I don’t want to be the one who does.
God gave you one body, and you can’t get new skin. I do not want to look 45 when I’m 30. I’ll stick with my spray tans and SPF 30.
Mckenzie Masters in a senior public relations major and the editor-in-chief of the Cardinal & Cream.
