Skin care

Popping Zits, Tanning & Boozing: It's OK (Sometimes)

When you only have two options, and both are bad, which should you choose? Our experts weigh in on the beauty version of "Would You Rather?"

by Emily Woodruff | 1 COMMENT

PHOTO 4/9

Option 1: Fake Bake -- and Tempt Fate Using a tanning bed makes our list of the seven deadly skin sins, because women who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to get squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. According to the National Skin Care Foundation, those who use tanning beds before the age of 35 are 75 percent more likely to develop skin cancer. In individuals aged 18 to 29, tanning beds were cited as the cause of skin cancer in 76 percent of cases. Not scared yet? Read on, brave tanner.

If you hit a tanning salon, remember that just 10 minutes inside a tanning bed is equivalent to a full day of sun exposure. And, as Condon points out, you directly absorb UVA rays, which play a key role in contributing to the development of skin cancer.

Condon says she's seen many clients age themselves by a decade or more with their tanning-bed habit. "Once you stop tanning, the aging process doesn't stop with it. It just keeps going," she says. Condon reports that she notices more "criss-cross" wrinkles around the eyes, freckles and blotchy skin tone in patients who use tanning beds than in those who don't.

And, just so you know, that whole "base tan" thing is a myth.

Don't say we didn't warn you ...

SEE NEXT PAGE: Take It Outside -- Just Keep Your Sunburn Count Under 5

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