Ah, October. What a beautiful month to enjoy the changing of the leaves and your own pigmentation! Pigmentation? Yes, pigmentation! As you all know, as August comes to a close, so do our days at the beach basking in the sun. As autumn rolls around, our crisp, bronze outer layer converts to a ghostly white.
Depression runs rampid during the winter months. According to CNN, about 15% of the U.S. population experiences Seasonal Affective Disorder during the winter months. This disease can be caused by a lack of natural sunlight, which is said to increase Vitamin D which promotes serotonin levels. What is serotonin, you ask? As defined by Medical News Today, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is “responsible for maintaining mood balance.” It is known to calm anxieties and increase happiness within the human mind.
HealthGuidance released information regarding individuals who used tanning beds and also suffered from SAD. This prescription is known as light therapy. “UV rays exposure favors vitamin D synthesis in the skin. That is why persons who go to tanning salons have noticed mood improvement and keep the habit in order to maintain the state of well-being,” stated the article.
It was no surprise, however, that HG was not able to supply statistical evidence. The main reasoning behind this is because people believe the “bad” parts of UV ray exposure outweigh the “good” benefits.
The National Skin Care Foundation provided a wealth of information and clarified why UV exposure is definitely not the answer to curing SAD. “Using indoor UV tanning beds to alleviate SAD has been linked with tanning addiction and seriously increases skin cancer risk,” said Perry Robins, MD, President of The Skin Cancer Foundation. “There are ways to ward off symptoms of SAD without compromising your health, such as receiving light therapy from a visible light box and adjusting aspects of your lifestyle, including your sleeping pattern, diet and physical activity,” (skincancer.org). This article also explained that tanning can become highly addictive and just one trip to the salon can increase skin cancer probability to 20%.
After much research, I discovered that tanning beds are often misconceived as a legitimate cure for low serotonin levels. In reality, most doctors recommend a form of visible light, as previously stated because the risk of UV ray exposure is just too dangerous. Light therapy, as described by Andrew Weil M.D., works in 80% of patients. The light enters through the eyes, which UV rays cannot do, unless you are willing to put your eyesight at GREAT risk.
The CDC offers alternative and easy habit changes to deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Getting up earlier in the morning and taking a simple stroll outside will allow your body to be exposed to natural light. Relaxation and enough sleep are also key factors.
Overall, SAD can be cured without the risk of tanning beds. So next time you reach for your tanning lotion to fix your health, remember its not all “sunshine” and rainbows.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24224577
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Coming from Connecticut, I’m used to it being cold and wintery at this time but have never even thought about purchasing a light box myself. I would seriously love to know if you buy one and if it works! Thanks for the link!
Personally, I loved your post. I think that once my tan finally fades and Halloween passes I am ghostly pale, awaiting the brutal winter to come. When it gets so dark many people get Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and I learned about this last year in AP Psychology. Like you mentioned some people try to solve the issue by using tanning beds but there are other methods. My Spanish teacher in class last week mentioned that there are these lamps that are specifically for SAD. The light from these “boxes” is significantly brighter than usual and is a type of light therapy. Im sure many students, including myself should invest in one of these. Here is a link where you can learn more about ways other than laying in tanning beds to fix SAD.