Introduction: “On an average day, more than a million Americans patronize the nation's 50,000 tanning facilities”
(DeNoon). That is more than a million people every day laying down in a tanning bed and exposing themselves to
cancer. Voluntarily exposing themselves to cancer. In a world full of heartbreak and pain, incurable illnesses that
attack randomly, and families destroyed by job losses and divorces, why would anyone voluntarily choose to put
themselves at risk for even more pain? Although some argue that tanning is good for you because it helps you
form a “base tan” and acts as “nature’s sunscreen” (COUNTER-ARGUMENT), the truth is, all tanning, is bad for
your health, especially the unnatural exposure to close UV rays. Tanning beds should be banned because they are
too expensive, inaccurate information is being provided to teens causing them to make ill-informed decisions, and
tanning is unhealthy.
1. It’s expensive
a. Getaway Tan-$50 for 10 visits
i. Once a week=52 visits
ii. Buy 5 packages= $250 year
b. Economy
i. A lot to pay
ii. Job losses
iii. Job cuts
iv. No raises
1. companies can’t afford it
c. Save that $-Buy other things
i. New cell phone/mp3 player
ii. Clothes shopping
1. Old Navy 12-$20 shirts
iii. Shoe shopping
1. 5 pair of $50 shoes
2. Even more at Payless BOGO
d. Sources
i. Getaway Tan. "Package Prices." Getaway Tan Package Prices. Getaway Tan. Web. 09 May
2012. <http://getawaytan.com/packages.php>.
2. Inaccurate info being provided to teens
According to an article published by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
a. Nearly all salons denied the known risks of indoor tanning.
i. 90% of the salons stated that indoor tanning did not pose a health risk.
ii. Salons said link between tanning and cancer
1. “a big myth”
2. “rumor”
3. “hype”
b. Salons listed benefits
i. 78% of salons said indoor tanning is actually beneficial to a young person’s health.
ii. Several salons even said that tanning would prevent cancer.
iii. Other health benefits claimed by tanning salons included:
1. treatment of depression and low self-esteem
2. prevention of and treatment for arthritis
3. weight loss
4. reduction of cellulite
5. “boost[ing] the immune system”
6. sleeping better
c. Tanning salons fail to follow FDA recommendations on tanning frequency.
i. The Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than three visits in the first week
1. Despite this recommendation, three quarters of tanning salons reported that they
would permit first-time customers to tan daily
2. several salon employees volunteered that their salons did not even require 24-hour
intervals between tanning sessions.
d. Sources
i. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. "Skin Cancer Foundation." Congressional
Report Exposes Tanning Industry's Misleading Messaging to Teens. Skin Cancer
Foundation, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 08 May 2012.
<http://www.skincancer.org/news/tanning/tanningreport>.
3. Bad for your health
a. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation- Premature aging
i. Wrinkles, brown spots, saggy skin
ii. A world of beauty-keep looks
b. Skin cancer
i. “indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those
who have never tanned indoors.” (Skin Cancer Foundation)
ii. Melanoma is a form of skin cancer
iii. “The chance of developing skin cancer jumps 75 percent in those who use tanning beds
before the age of 30” (Odell)
iv. Cancer is bad. Cancer can lead to death. Why tan?
c. Tanning is comparable to smoking
i. Dr. Jody Levine, a dermatologist says "We know that ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen
just like tobacco… Radiation use has been declared a carcinogen by the National Institutes
of Health. And the World Health Organization recognizes that no person under 18 should
use a sun bed."
1. We know smoking is bad
2. The leaders on health in our nation say its bad
3. So why would you tan?
d. Sources
i. Skin Cancer Foundation. "Skin Cancer Foundation." Tanning: The Dangers of Tanning.
Skin Cancer Foundation, 2012. Web. 08 May 2012.
<http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/tanning>.
ii. DeNoon, Daniel J. "Indoor Tanning Bad, Docs Say." WebMD. WebMD, 20 Jan. 2006. Web.
08 May 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/news/20060120/indoor-tanningbad-docs-say>.
iii. Odell, Amy. "New York Magazine." The Cut. New York Magazine, 29 July 2009. Web. 08
May 2012. <http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/07/this_just_in_tanning_beds_are.html>.
Conclusion: Overall, tanning beds are bad. They cost way too much money. Money that could be spent on other,
more desirable items. Items that can be kept and cherished for year unlike the quickly fading tan. Tanning salons
are basically lying to teens making them believe that tanning really isn’t all that bad. We know, doctors know, the
World Health Organization knows, that tanning is unhealthy, is just as bad as smoking and can lead to cancer,
which can lead to death. Don’t waste your life, literally, on tanning.