For sophomore biology major Bri Funk, tanning is a family affair. Born into a self-described family of sun worshippers, Funk, the daughter of two doctors, has a tanning bed in her Pennsylvania home. Her father bought the bed for her mother as a birthday present almost 10 years ago. Funk began using a tanning bed around the age of 14 and was quickly hooked.

While she is aware of the medical world’s warnings of the link between skin cancer and excessive tanning, Funk, who at one point last year tanned everyday, said she chooses to tan because of its uplifting effect on her mood and life in general.

‘I worry about it, but there are so many other things you can die from,’ Funk said. ‘Why not enjoy yourself while you can? I don’t smoke and I really don’t drink that much. That’s my little thing that keeps me happy.’

Funk is not alone in her reasoning.

Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the United States annually, and 2.3 million of them are teenagers, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. On an average day in the United States, more than 1 million people tan in tanning salons.

Many Syracuse University students, both males and females, are part of the massive number of Americans who frequent indoor tanning salons.

The scary thing is that attending tanning salons is linked to an increased chance of skin cancer, said Michelle Gallant, health educator with SU Health Services.

Women who use tanning beds more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to develop malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute, a division of the U.S. National Institute of Health.

Exposure to tanning salon rays increases damage caused by sunlight because ultraviolet light thins the skin, making it less able to heal sun damage, according to the NCI.

‘The effects of tanning may not be seen immediately, but we know that (they) will contribute to increasing your risk of skin cancer later in life,’ Gallant said. ‘Another thing for students to consider is that tanning causes your skin to age prematurely, causing wrinkles.’

Gallant also warned people can become addicted to tanning because it stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with 1 million new cases diagnosed each year, said Amy Norpell, the director of media relations for the American Cancer Society. The age of people being diagnosed is getting younger and younger, she said.

‘This is a trend that we have only recently seen develop,’ she said, explaining there are several studies currently underway specifically analyzing the ages of skin-cancer patients.

Gallant said she is disturbed by how many students choose to go to local tanning salons. She cited that many tanning salons pass out coupons and offer deals to SU students.

‘I think this is something we might want to address somewhere along the line,’ she said.

‘How would we feel if tobacco companies gave out free cigarettes on campus? They are creating a lifelong customer by getting someone at this age hooked on this product. It’s the same thing with tanning.’

Dominick Barbano, the owner of Garbo’s Salon located on Crouse Avenue, said moderation and careful consideration of someone’s natural skin tone are key factors in tanning safely.

‘Alcohol is medically proven to cause cirrhosis of the liver,’ he said. ‘Does that mean you shouldn’t ever drink? Tanning is the same thing. If you tan slowly and in moderation, you are being safe. Burning your skin is the problem that should be avoided.’

Barbano said at Garbo’s, tanning can be customized to the person’s skin tone and heritage, stressing paler people must be especially careful when tanning.

‘Some people shouldn’t tan and can’t tan,’ he said, adding that he recommends Garbo’s other option of personalized airbrush tanning for those people.

Norpell commends any salon that offers spray or airbrush tans because they are a wonderful, safe alternative to tanning beds, she said.

Garbo’s offers unlimited tanning packages like many other tanning salons, but Barbano said if he sees someone tanning excessively, he steps in and talks to them about it like a bartender would cut off a bar patron who was drinking too much.

‘I won’t allow people to abuse themselves,’ he said. ‘I want people to be safe.’

Garbo’s has thousands of clients, Barbano said, and though there is often a misconception that only women tan, 20 percent of the salon’s tanning business comes from men.

Funk, who did not tan at Garbo’s, said her parents have always told her tanning in moderation was safe. She admitted last year when she began going everyday she went a little overboard. She plans on tanning once or twice a week this winter instead.

Julia Plunkett, a sophomore marketing major, tans once or twice a week in the winter. She said despite the health warnings she has received from friends and family, the possible negative effects of tanning seem too far in the future to convince her to stop.

Both Plunkett and Funk began tanning in salons during high school but said the cold, long Syracuse winters have only increased how often they tan.

‘I like it in the winter because it is freezing outside and you get to be warm for 10 minutes when you tan,’ Plunkett said.

Funk said tanning helps her combat the winter blues.

‘The weather gets you a little depressed … I went to improve my mood after lack of sunshine,’ she said. ‘It lifted me up, the heat and the warmth of it.’

Whether or not people choose to use tanning salons, they should always be on the lookout for funny looking moles or spots on the skin, Norpell said. If anything seems suspicious, asking a doctor to check it out is a smart action that can quickly catch cancer before it spreads.

‘Skin cancer is one of the few cancers that affect people regardless of age and sex,’ Norpell said. ‘It affects everyone, so awareness is key.’

Published on September 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm