Tanning is the wrong choice, Let’s face it:

We all look forward to the summer months-enjoying the weather, by the beach or poolside. Everyone wants a beautiful tan to make our skin glow and look oh-so healthy. But are these looks deceiving?

As much as tanning seems appealing and temporarily gives you that healthy, glowing look, it is very dangerous. The long term effects of UV rays cause premature aging. The top medical-grade sunscreens, at best, give you only about 55% of protection and will not protect you against the infrared rays.

Leather looks good on your shoes, not your face.

Aesthetics aside, everyone should be concerned with the impact tanning has on health. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it kills one person every hour. It does not discriminate on age, gender, or race. Everyone is equal under the sun.

The good news is that it can easily be caught early with regular skin checks. In the meantime, the simplest form of prevention is keeping sun exposure low; make sure you wear a hat whenever possible, polarized sunglasses, and maybe even some long-sleeved shirts and light cotton pants. Applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30-50 30 minutes before going out and reapplying it every 2 hours (more often when participating in water activities) will help to cover what clothes can’t.

Every little bit helps

To significantly increase the level of protection, choose a medical grade topical Vitamin C, after consulting with a medical professional to determine which one is the best choice for your skin type. A small amount once a day is all it takes.

We have to choose between young looking, healthy skin, or tanned skin. We can’t have both. Remember, your tan will stay with you only a short time. Your beautiful, healthy skin will stay with you until the end.

Be safe and have fun this summer!

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Article contributed by: Flavia Thornson, an RN at Avalon Medical Spa.

Contact Flavia: avalonmedicalspa@gmail.com 774-202-7049

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