We've all seen her. That girl who has that amazing, just-got-back-from-the-Caribbean tan year round. You envy the way she can wear those short, sleeveless dresses to Winter Formal without blinding people with her pale skin. And on top of that, she has perfect, blemish-free skin with a smattering of freckles year round. Yeah, we all know that girl, but what we also know is that this girl is hitting up a tanning bed on a regular occasion. She probably goes 3-5 times a week for her 15-minute bake at Sun Tan City with her JWoww tanning lotion in hand. And, it is this nasty little habit of hers that should make you start to envy her less and less because the flawless, tanned skin comes at a price, and honestly, it is not worth it. 

Now, I want to start by saying I used to go to the tanning bed. I loved how that was fifteen minutes of my day when I could relax in a warm bed; in fact, I would be lulled to sleep by the cozy environment the tanning bed offers. It always brightened my day to see how tan my face looked right after I got out of the tanning bed and to see the little freckles that had blossomed all over my nose, and yeah, occasionally I would see some little red sports where my skin had gotten a tad too much sun, but it was nothing to be worried about. And that is the problem. We never worry about the negative effects of tanning beds that everyone tells you about. It is so easy to feel so invincible when you are young and to think that you could never be that girl who gets skin cancer from tanning. Well, that is not true.  

It wasn't until I read an article on the internet that I realized how reckless and stupid I was being by going to a tanning bed. The article started by outlining the life of a girl who was 18 years old, just like me. It told of how she was very athletic and healthy and had this great social life and family; her life seemed near perfect. And just like that girl you see in class and on-campus, she had that enviable year-long tan from frequent trips to the tanning bed. And it was that little tanning habit that would rip apart her seemingly perfect world. She was diagnosed with Melanoma, and she did not survive her fight with skin cancer.

This article was the reality check I needed. I mean this girl was a runner and a healthy eater, and still, she was not able to fight off her disease—a disease brought on by visiting a tanning bed. So, how would I, the much lazier, Netflix-in-bed loving, tanning bed enthusiast, be able to survive if I was to share in her diagnosis due to my tanning habit? That is what scared the hell out of me. 

Now, this is probably not new information to you. We've all been told cautionary tales about the dangerous effects of tanning beds. So, why do we still pay to go to these tanning beds? Do we not care about the potentially deadly risks, or are we just not as knowledgeable as we should be of the risks? Well, this article will solve at least one of these. I can't make you care about the deadly risks, but I can make you aware of them. 

Of course, the main health risk associated with tanning that we all hear about is cancer. The c-word. That word that is so terrifying it is hard to even say out loud. But, people need to talk about it. People need to tell their friends and family that cancer could very well be in their future if they keep up a tanning habit. The cancer that manifests from tanning is skin cancer, and its most severe form is called Melanoma. The International Agency for cancer research has recently "concluded that tanning devices that emit UV Radiation" should be moved from the "possibly carcinogenic" category to the "highest cancer risk" category. This is a big deal. This not something you can push into the back of your mind every time you step into a tanning bed. The health risks are proven, and you are being reckless with your life by ignoring that tanning beds are seriously affecting your health. 

Beyond the risk of cancer however, there are numerous other negative health effects the FDA has published that result from tanning bed use. These include premature aging, immune system suppression and permanent eye damage. These are not trivial effects. No one wants or needs wrinkled skin at 20, a weakened immune system and loss of eye sight.

I am not trying to be bossy or scary by writing this article, but I want people my age to know that these health effects are very real. They do not go away just because you ignore them, and there is no reason for you to be that 30 year old woman/man with Melanoma who asks themselves how they could have been so stupid to tan for so long? If I could go back and smack my 17 year old self, who thought it was necessary to tan everyday for prom, I would. 

Now, I have a feeling that I will have lost the die-hard tanners by now. They will have closed out of the article because they don't care to be scolded by me or to face the danger they are intentionally placing upon their bodies, which is sad. But, for those of you that did stick around, maybe you can convince your tan friends to ditch the tanning bed habit for good.