Aimee Bird: do not get me started

To Fry Or Not To Fry?

Recently I and a friend trotted off to a local sun bed place in the windy city of Brighton and purchased some sun bed minutes with the hope of getting a nice tan before the summer really hits. And some people reading this will be shocked and appalled! Is the risk of cancer and a variety of other health issues worth a couple of minutes to get a tan?

Yes… and here’s why.

I understand that there have been many studies done over the last ten years, since sun beds have become a massive taboo subject, about the damages and health risks caused by these cocoon like instruments; but are they really that bad? Admittedly I haven’t been using them that long, with only two sessions down; yet I am not avidly checking myself for moles and signs of cancer. People have become far too obsessed lately with the damages that everything can cause within 30 years of you starting them. Yet that is the whole point, it is 30 years away!

Let me put this into perspective for you, I am 20 years old, perfect health and no major conditions that have so far impeded my life (touch wood). I know that that can all change, but is the simple sun bed going to be that catalyst? My rational mind begs to disagree, so I took myself to the streets of Brighton to ask fellow seaside residents what they thought… and I found some startling results.

8/10 sun bed users of over a year have never received any health worries or issues from regular use (being once a week for 6 minutes).

9/10 people, when asked if they would be interested in trying a sun bed said ‘yes’. When I asked the reasoning behind this, most of the Brighton population that I hassled on a sunny Saturday morning commented ‘the sun is never really out enough to achieve anything, why not. I wouldn’t use them regular but they can’t be that bad for a one off’.

Only 2/10 people I asked point blanked refused the idea of never using a sun bed, claiming them to be ‘harmful from the first go’ and ‘improper’ or ‘a waste of young people’s money in their investment for looks’.

Yet that is what we are… young, vibrant and healthy people, why should we be worrying about what our skin is going to look like in 30 years’ time? Who says I will even be here in 30 years’ time?

I say a sun bed is related to a tattoo. It is something that you can’t rationalise by thinking about the investment you are making in your skin, both are staining your skin one way or another. Why not do it if that is what you want from life, a tan? It brings out confidence and happiness, where is the damage in that?

And with the sun disappearing for about 10 months of the British calendar, I think we could all use a bit of UV happiness.