As the days warm up and wintry layers of clothes come off, many students start to worry about pasty white skin. However, the dangerous risks of tanning outweigh any look you’re going for.

 Tanning beds are especially dangerous and have been proven to cause cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Studies have shown that women who use tanning beds once a month are 55% more likely to develop the most deadly kind of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

“I’ve only bed tanned around 6 times to get a base tan before going on vacation. I do worry about the health risks, so I would never do it regularly,” said sophomore Shelby Trinca.  While this might sound reasonable, Trinca went on to say “out of my groups of friends, I probably do it the least.”

Whether or not students worry about their health as they get older, there are risks that appear much more quickly. According to health teacher Ms. Bent, “MRSA can actually be a really big problem if the beds aren’t cleaned regularly.”

Spray tans are another alternative, and have limited risks. “Even though tanning beds give you a more natural color, I would rather have my health and not take the risk of skin cancer,” said junior Marnée Elise.

However, since spray tans only stain the skin, it can cause allergic reactions, excessive skin discoloration and do not last very long, according to healthyskinportal.com. Not to mention, spray tans are notorious for having an orange tinge.

Over time, UV rays from tanning beds and the sun do affect your skin and appearance.    As a proudly pale person myself, it’s easy to get jealous of the golden tan that seems to come so easily to other girls. But in the end, you can’t fight your genes and can be equally beautiful if you keep your skin healthy and protected.