Relocating from Tucson to Eugene nearly four years ago, I have yet to become accustomed to the sun not making a daily appearance. When I saw your column pertaining to ten different ways of battling seasonal depression, I definitely got excited. The suggestions started off funny, (Super Mario Bros. was my fav!), but when I reached the seventh suggestion, I was extremely disappointed.
“Two-dollar tanning Tuesdays.” Like most young women, I too was once an avid tanner. Something about tanning and having that year-round glow definitely seemed to make up for the lack of sun. That is up until last May when I learned that of the four areas in which I had skin removed and biopsied, two of them contained cancerous cells.
It has definitely added additional stress and anxiety, not to mention it kills my self-esteem to see my body covered in very noticeable scars — a constant reminder of the effects of tanning. Of course I prefer a bronzed complexion, and nobody likes to fork over $50 for a custom spray tan, but there is no denying statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in America, with latest reports of having more than 50,000 new cases of melanoma and nearly 10,000 deaths in a one-year time span.
The Emerald should be ashamed for promoting indoor tanning.
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