Leah Naddaf, senior, has tanned more than 200 times and has spent more than $1,000 on tanning.
Out of the millions of people who go to tanning salons each day, 71 percent are between the ages of 16 and 29, according to skincancer.org.
Leah Naddaf, senior, falls into this 70 percent.
“I go pretty much every day,” Naddaf said. “I like to be tan, and I think everyone looks a lot better tan. Pale people are ugly.”
Naddaf spends $100 a month on tanning and another $60 a month on tanning lotion.
“I usually go to Tan Co.,” Naddaf said. “I go in the strongest bed for the maximum amount of time.”
Naddaf is aware of the negative effects of tanning, but still chooses to tan.
“I don’t think tanning is a problem, of course I don’t want to get cancer, but I want to be tan,” Naddaf said. “It’s risky, but I’m young. I’m not going to turn into an old raisin. I have my limits, I’m not going to tan forever.”
People who use tanning beds more than once are 55 percent more likely to develop malignant melanoma than non tanners, and frequent indoor tanners are 74 percent more likely, according to skincancer.org.
Ofri Yaar, junior, has never gone indoor tanning.
“I don’t think it’s a smart idea. In the summer I can tan outside and in the winter everyone is pale, so I don’t really see the point,” Yaar said. “I think a lot of people are just concerned with being tan and don’t really think about the long-term effects.”
The American Academy of Dermatology is against the use of tanning beds because they can emit about 15 times the UVA rays of the sun.
Lauren Starr, senior, works at Tanfastic tanning salon in Chesterfield.
“A lot of people go tanning before going on vacation so that they get a base tan, which will keep them from burning,” Starr said.
The common thought that a base tan, or tanning prior to going on vacation, will prevent a sunburn is a myth. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation website, the people who get a base tan are only hurting themselves, since tanning itself is what damages the skin.
“We got really busy before spring break,” Starr said. “Normally we have about 50 bookings a day but since about January we have had about 150.”
Chris Elledge, Health and PE teacher, is against indoor tanning, and said tanning before spring break is silly because the tanning bed damages the skin anyways.
“Although a blistered burn from the sun is worse than tanning in a tanning bed, sunscreen will work almost anyplace you go, as long as you reapply,” Elledge said. “Most people don’t go [to tanning beds] to protect themselves from burning, they go because they want to look good.”