It is no secret that tanning beds are horrible for you. It is a scientifically proven fact that the UV rays used by tanning beds directly cause skin cancer. It is common knowledge that the use of tanning beds directly increases an individual's chance of skin cancer significantly after every single use. Yet here we are, in the 21st century, and people are still lining up to fry themselves under these lights day after day, ignoring the warnings and putting personal appearance above their own health and safety. We are surrounded by a culture that puts a stronger emphasis on artificial beauty and manmade tanned skin, rather than encouraging everyone to embrace the skin color that he or she was born with.

It is hard to ignore the similarities between this tanning bed movement and the once widespread popularity of cigarettes. Despite knowing that cigarettes directly caused lung cancer, it was seen as glamorous and high fashion to smoke, so people continued to subject themselves to the inhalation of deadly chemicals. Tanning beds are no different. People have the knowledge to realize that using tanning beds directly leads to skin cancer, yet they continue to seek the artificial bronze skin that society has deemed beautiful.

Artificial tanning is deadly. Melanoma kills someone every 50 minutes. The current number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the current number of lung cancer cases due to smoking. We cannot continue to look at tanning beds as a harmless leisure activity while our young generation continues to poison their skin cells. There are 2.5 million teens using tanning beds each year, seeking the beauty that is defined by perfectly tanned skin. We cannot continue to perpetuate this dangerous practice, because if we continue telling people that it is okay to kill their skin cells in the name of beauty then the skin cancer statistics will just keep growing. We need to begin telling individuals, primarily young women, that their health is more important than their outward appearance and they should embrace themselves as beautiful just the way they are.

Stop letting people voluntarily fry themselves in a UV oven. We tell our friends and family that smoking cigarettes is deadly, so we need to start telling them the same about tanning beds. Don't let your loved ones become another statistic.

For more information, please visit http://mfne.org