Why do we long to have the once reviled bikini brands today?
Tell me what tan (or self-tan) you use, and I'll tell you what social class you are from
We have come so far in
sun protection
since those times when, almost literally, we fried ourselves in the sun and, far from protecting ourselves, we promoted this 'frying' by applying carrot oil, Nivea with Mercromina and other concoctions that had not seen
SPF
even in paint, that many of us even find it strange that
artificial tanning booths
still exist. We are not referring to those in which
self-tanning
is applied with a spray or gun in a professional manner
like Ross in 'Friends',
but to those that simulate the real effects of the sun, since they work with ultraviolet radiation of controlled intensity and wavelength
( that are not harmless).
It has been a while since these tanning cabins or beds seemed to have disappeared from our lives, having diluted their use and consumption in the face of the avalanches with respect to the fact that
the sun, like tobacco, kills.
In fact, sun and tobacco are sins of our past lives: in the 80s and 90s we lived oblivious to all this damage from UV rays, just as the protagonists of
'Mad Men'
in the 60s not only ignored
the damage of tobacco,
which they not only smoked, but also advertised with great fanfare.
Today we know that the sun is an accelerator of
skin aging,
not to mention that it is a cause of skin cancer. According to data from the
AEDV, Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology,
around
6,000 new cases of melanoma
are detected each year, the most common of them, not to mention that
"40% of Spaniards
are going to suffer from skin cancer." throughout our lives," according to dermatologist
Ricardo Ruiz.
GTRES
And it seems that the message is getting through to the population: today, according to the data from the "
VII Heliocare report on habits in the sun"
of 2023, carried out annually by the
Cantabria Labs laboratories,
hope exists, because in the last five years it has increased almost 50%
of the population uses sunscreen all year round
and 30% does so with
SPF 50
or more. However, there is still much to do in this area, since
7,474 new cases of melanoma
were diagnosed in Spain - according to "Cancer Figures in Spain 2022", prepared by the
Spanish Society of Medical Oncology -.
The case of Kim Kardashian and her UV ray cabin
The message is getting through to the population. In everything? According to what was seen a few days ago on
Kim Kardashian's TikTok account,
and not only on hers, be careful, there is a part, like the Gallic village of Asterix and Obelix, that still resists.
The publication of the almighty Kardashian included a tour of her
SKKN offices,
her own cosmetics brand, and among many extravagances worthy of the businesswoman - a
room designed by Rick Owens,
a wall full of all the covers she has starred in -, the What was most scary, at least for those of us who work in the 'beauty' world, was precisely
a tanning bed
- which has little of a bed, more like a 'bed' -.
Until then, one more extravagance, if it weren't for the fact that the comments (and because it is not the only publication on TikTok where these stretchers are promoted) give a lot to think about how this might be received by ordinary mortals according to some comments from guy: "Does this mean we can tan again?" or "
Are tanning booths safe?"
The dangerous reality of UV ray booths
Nothing like going to an expert to remember the great - and negative - truths of these cabins.
First of all, it should be said that although tanning booths are completely prohibited in
Brazil or Australia
and for minors under 18 years of age in countries such as
the United Kingdom or California,
in
Spain
their use is legal from the age of majority. In 2018, in France, the National Health Security Agency (Anses) called for its ban based on a report on recent data prepared at the request of the country's Ministry of Health, which showed that people who have used tanning cabins at least once time before the age of 35 have
a 59% higher risk of developing melanoma
, to which they added that
43% of melanomas
in young French people
could be attributed to the use of these cabins
before the age of 30.
As Dr.
María Victoria de Gálvez,
dermatologist at
Gedet
(Spanish Group of Aesthetic and Therapeutic Dermatology of the AEDV), says, "centers with tanning cabins are regulated by regulations (the Royal Decree 2002 on tanning) regarding training, information, equipment measurements within the limits that are determined and if these guidelines are followed, they are within the law. Like tobacco, a parallel we made at the beginning of this report, legal, with warnings. Which would lead us to wonder if there should not be a clearly visible label in the cabins stating that it
seriously harms health...
Not exactly, but the doctor does clarify that in tanning centers "there must be
a sheet information and a sign
at the entrance or reception warning of all the risks caused by UVA, as well as in the work room.
As De Gálvez emphasizes, "UV radiation is currently considered a carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Making a simile with tobacco,
the occasional use of tanning booths is bad, just as smoking cigarettes in isolation is also bad. ".
The AEDV (Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venerology) also recalls that since 2009, tanning booths in particular have been officially considered
a cancer-causing factor
according to the report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). mentioned WHO.
Aside from the fact that burns may appear in people with photosensitivity, "the main problem is that UV rays have an
oxidative effect
and in situations of prolonged exposure can produce genetic mutations. Scientific studies indicate that prolonged exposure to UVA rays from tanning booths
increases the incidence of some types of skin cancer,"
the dermatologist states emphatically. In addition to accelerating photoaging: more wrinkles, more spots, less firmness...
Skin problems and UVA rays
If anything could lead to the Kardashian case being excused, it is that the businesswoman suffers from
psoriasis
and, as María Victoria de Gálvez acknowledges, "there are many inflammatory diseases such as the one mentioned above,
dermatitis or mycosis fungoides,
among others, that can improve with UV phototherapy."
Here comes the big 'but': "Although UV radiation can improve some skin diseases, tanning beds for cosmetic use
are not useful in therapy.
Phototherapy with UV rays has to be performed in health centers, sometimes it has "It must be preceded by drugs and always follow the instructions of
medical personnel and UV-emitting devices certified
for therapeutic purposes."
We repeat, then, solarium tanning booths can only be used for
aesthetic, not therapeutic, purposes.
"Tanning devices that are for cosmetic use can be placed in any location whose manager has a trained technician and tanning devices following current regulations. UV ray cabins for phototherapy must be in health centers with a medical manager and health personnel expert to guide the doses and recommendations based on your dermatosis and skin type.
It's not the same, Kim Kardashian, it's not the same.
beauty