Fun in the sun comes with risks

Spring is a wondrous time in Chapel Hill: the temperature begins to rise, the flowers begin to bloom, the girls begin to tan.

Throngs of bikini-clad tanners can be seen stretched out in the quads and in the lawns of South campus.

“Pretty much any time the weather is nice, I’ll bring my work out and chill,” freshman Hayley Vermillion said.

Spring staples of tossing the frisbee, spiking the volleyball and even walking to class offer prolonged exposure to the sun.

To get her desired base tan, freshman Kendall Riggs stays out as long as the sun is in the sky.

However, she never ventures into a tanning salon because the UV rays emitted in tanning beds can be more than 10 times stronger than the sun’s rays.

“Tanning beds are a lot worse because you don’t realize how long you’ve been in there,” Riggs said.

But tanning outdoors comes with health risks as well.

“The fact of the matter is that tanning is tanning, so it’s all bad for your skin,” said Joan Potter, a physician at Campus Health Services.

Any darkening of the skin means that pigment-producing cells in the skin — called melanocytes — are being stimulated, Potter said.

But over-stimulating these cells can lead to melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

Even when avoiding a burn, melanoma is a concern.

“I think there are some misconceptions that tanning is better compared to a sunburn, but tanning still damages the skin,” Potter said.

Someone who has gotten five or more sunburns in childhood or adolescence is twice as likely to get melanoma.

Apart from the increased melanoma risk, damaged skin also ages faster, which can lead to early wrinkling.

Potter recommends that anyone should regularly apply and reapply sunscreen between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from April to October.

Despite their desire to earn an epic bronze, Veramillion and Riggs said they still consider the long-term health effects of tanning.

“I definitely think about it — that’s why I always put sunscreen on my face,” Riggs said.