Beware the health risks of a glowing tan

By Susan Anderson

As spring rolls around, the overall feel of Santa Clara undergoes a drastic change. The mid-day stroll across campus is suddenly much more pleasant, as throngs of smiling faces assemble on every square inch of available grass. Everywhere you turn, someone is playing catch while someone else has decided to ditch our stuffy, less than welcoming library and enjoy some fresh air while they study. The most common outdoor activity I have come to witness, however, is laying out.

If there ever were an activity that everyone actually was doing, this would be it. Bikini-clad females sprawled out carelessly on the lawns and basking in the warm, California sun seem to be the norm on campus by early May. Everywhere you turn you'll find at least a handful of half-naked women. (Maybe that's why they have Preview Days at this time.)

I must clarify, however, that there are a few men choosing to partake in this business of laying out. And I'm not talking about the poor, sexually frustrated individuals that sit gawking from their Graham windows at the ladies enjoying the Graham pool. I have actually noticed a few males clad in swim trunks sprawled out on the grass, much like the ladies.

But I caution you, before you hop into that cute little suit and join your friends, take a moment to reflect on why you're about to do this, and if it's really worth the risk. Why do you want to lay out? Dumb question, I suppose. We all want to have that "healthy" golden tan. It's early May, which means it's crunch time. One more month before we are to be spending as much time as possible in our bathing suits, or at least outfits that cover about as much skin as do most bathing suits. Maybe you're thinking, "Oh, but I look so much thinner with a tan," or, "Hey, I'm in California, I'd be a major 'weirdo' if I didn't have a tan." Whatever your motives, take another moment to consider the risks involved in tanning.

Cancer rivals strokes as one of the leading causes of death among U.S. citizens today. In fact, one in every three Americans will develop some form of cancer, with skin cancer being the most common form. These numbers are devastatingly high. And, for those of you fooled by the myth that you might escape such risks by visiting tanning beds, studies have now shown that the ultraviolet (UV) rays emitted by the tanning beds can be as damaging to the skin's genetic make-up as the sun's rays, if not more so.

Other possible adverse side effects to add to the tanning bed's ever-increasing list include frequent skin dryness and itching, rashes, eye irritation, conjunctivitis and even cataracts. Perhaps the most disturbing idea is that, considering the relative youth of the tanning bed and the fact that, on average, skin cancer takes 20 years to develop, we still have much to learn considering the true scale of their effects.

I don't mean to sound holier-than-thou. It's not like I have never laid out. In fact, I even visited a tanning bed once � only to spend the next month with red stripes burnt into my skin. Let's just say that zebra-patterned skin didn't exactly match my school uniform.

We are attending one of the finest universities this nation has to offer, yet we continue to participate in such irrational, truly stupid activities such as laying out. I wish I could say that we've transcended that, that we were beyond sacrificing our precious health for vanity's sake. Hopefully someday I will not feel as though I should join some group session (Glowers Anonymous) for the naturally pale tone of my skin. My dream is to say with pride:

"Hi, my name is Susan Anderson and I glow in the dark."