Sun Beds | Worth The Risk?

Picture Link

Hey everyone! Hope you are all well and ready for the weekend. Its meant to be glorious for the next few days and seriously warm. Im gutted because I am working the entire weekend so am missing out on decent weather.. boo! Should still be hot on Monday which is my day off so I'm just going to look forward to that! Anyway, onto todays post. I have been wanting to do a post on this for a while now, so finally decided to sit down and get to it. :)

Now I love getting a tan, whether it be on holiday or in my own back garden. I love the feel of the sun on my skin and how healthy I look once I have a bit of colour and glow about me. When I have a tan I feel great, I love the fact I don't have to wear nearly as much make up, I can show my legs knowing they look fantastic and I just instantly feel more confident. But what I would love to know is why so many people put their lives at risk just for the feeling?

Sun beds are the largest cause of skin cancer in the world and after just one use, they can increase your chance of getting it by 90%, especially if you are under 25. That is massive and a risk I would never be willing to take. Why so many people do is totally beyond me. A tan is basically your body's way of protecting itself from the UV rays and too much can cause serious damage. What's more, sometimes you wont be able to see the damage until 20 years later. Obviously by then, its too late.

Sun beds can give out greater doses of UV rays then the midday Mediterranean sun which seems pretty extreme to me and aside from the damage they cause and the high risk of developing Melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer), they also can turn your skin leathery and wrinkled. I mean, who would actually want to end up with skin like that? We spend ages making ourselves look good but to then ruin your skin that way is crazy. Once your skin is like that, you cant go back. It's far better just to wait until you go on holiday or can enjoy the natural English sunshine (with sunscreen of course!). If you're really desperate, there is always fake tan!

Like I said, I understand why people like having a tan. I totally agree with them, who wouldn't want to have a nice golden tan all year round? But is it really worth the risk? Is it really worth maximising your chance of getting skin cancer just for the sake of a bronzed look? I really don't think so and I do think people need to understand what spending 12 minutes a ay on a sun bed does to them. Too many people think 'it won't happen to me', but how do you know that? You don't and its just not worth it.

Lots of love

Luci xo