Underneath the lights

With spring break ahead in the not-so-distant future, many students are already preparing by soaking up rays at local tanning beds.\nUnfortunately, a little color isn't all they're picking up.\nIn order to promote safe sun exposure, the IU Health Center will be sponsoring free skin cancer testing Feb. 17 in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nTanning beds are not any safer than roasting in the sun, said Anne Reese, director of heath and wellness education at the IU Health Center.\n"Any type of exposure to ultraviolet light can increase your chances of skin cancer," Reese said. "It doesn't matter whether you get exposure from the sun or a tanning bed."\nReese said two types of rays are responsible for skin damage. Exposure to UV-B rays results in burning, while exposure to UV-A rays causes deeper damage, and overexposure is said to suppress the immune system and possibly cause melanoma.\nRyan Chandler, owner of A Total Tan of Bloomington, said the beds in his tanning salons emit both UV-A and UV-B rays.\n"Ultraviolet rays come out of the bulb -- UV-A and UV-B," Chandler said. "They penetrate your skin just as it would from the sun, then your skin will become a darker color."\nChandler said his employees do what they can to protect customers from harmful tanning by regulating the amount of time customers spend in the beds.\n"There is a risk factor if you don't do it in moderation," Chandler said. "When you come and tan, don't go for too long."\nReese said even people who avoid tanning beds and overexposure to the sun are at risk for skin cancer. However, people who spend time outdoors can take steps to decrease their chances of developing skin cancer.\n"Stay out of the sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and when you are in the sun, wear sunscreen with SPF 15 or more," Reese said. "If you want full blockage, use zinc oxide."\nReese said going to a tanning bed to get a "base tan" before going on vacation is actually harmful, despite what many people think.\n"Base tanning gives people a false sense of protection," Reese said.\nNew alternatives to traditional tanning beds provide a safer alternative. Chandler said his store recently acquired the Mystic Tan spray tanning machine, which tanners can use for $25 per session.\n"I like it better than tanning beds -- it takes 30 seconds in the spray tanner," Chandler said. "You can't shower for four hours, then you'll notice your skin changed color. It works with negative and positive energy, so it's always even."\nSophomore Lindsay Turner said while she has considered spray tanning, she prefers traditional tanning beds.\n"I've thought about spray tanning," Turner said. "But I haven't done it because I hear that it wears off pretty fast and it costs more."\nTurner said she thinks excessive tanning is unhealthy, so she only goes once every two months.\n"I think that going tanning all the time is an unhealthy habit to adopt," Turner said. "I think girls who go tanning all the time are going to regret it in the future because their skin will not look very good, and of course, skin cancer."\n-- Contact senior writer Alli Stolper at astolper@indiana.edu.