What do you really know about tanning? Tanning consists of a wide variety of ways to get that golden glow. The benefits of tanning continue to be discovered and are unknown to many. Different types of fake tans have made their way into our generation and continue to gain popularity. Natural tanning, considered healthier for our skin, is not always the case. But the risks of tanning also provoke people against tanning. Skin cancer became a threat in the 1980s when scientists realized that tanning carried the risk of developing skin cancer (www.skincancer.org). “One in three cancers diagnosed worldwide is skin cancer” (www.who.int/mediacentre).I. General information about tanningWhat do you think tanning is? In the article “Tanning Addiction: The New Form of Substance Abuse,” he defines tanning as caused by harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds (www.skincancer.org). “Tanning” states that tanning or simply tanning is the process by which the color of the skin is darkened or tanned (www.studymode.com). “The melanin pigment produced when UV light encounters the skin literally envelops and protects skin cells in the epidermis, protecting each cell from excessive UV exposure” (www.tanningtruth.com). Melanin, a powerful antioxidant, can help skin rid itself of damage-causing free radicals (www.tanningtruth.com). The outer layer of the skin thickens as the skin tans, therefore making it naturally more resistant to sunburn (www.tanningtruth.com). “Sunburn is a popular term applied to the marked erythema and pain that commonly follows careless sun exposure” (health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care). “Intermittent exposures to intense ultraviolet radiation leading to sunburn, especially during childhood and adolescence,......half of the article......cinoma (SCC) in 67% and basal cell carcinoma ( BCC) in 67% twenty-nine percent” (www.skincancer.org). Indoor tanning can increase a person's risk of melanoma by 75% (www.aad.org/dermatology). The risk of melanoma for those who don't tan is 2% compared to the 3% risk for those who tan (that's a difference of one in a thousand) and the body needs ultraviolet rays to survive (www.tanningtruth.com ). B radiation can suppress the proper functioning of the body's immune system and the skin's natural defenses, making you more vulnerable to disease, including skin cancer” (www.fda.gov/forconsumers). “Many studies of tanning bed use actually do not consider professional tanning salons, but rather include tanning beds used to treat cosmetic conditions in doctors' offices and unmonitored home tanning units” (www.americansuntanning.org).