Students fake warmer temperatures

As the days become shorter and sunlight disappears, some students long for the bronze look of summer. But if a trip to Hawaii isn't in the holiday plans this year, many overlook health risks and choose to hop into the tanning beds or use self-tanner to achieve that sun-kissed artificial glow.

The web site of Tan Works, a tanning salon in Boston, underlines the main reason why most people go tanning -- physical appearance: "By attaining a healthy-looking tan, you can appear fitter and slimmer."

Senior Alex Kenney does not go to tanning salons frequently, but has used tanning beds to achieve a warm glow. "I've tried it a few times, but basically I think it's stupid," Kenney said, citing health reasons.

A recent Dartmouth Medical School study, reported in a WebMD Medical News article, found that people who had used a tanning bed were 2.5 times more likely to have squamous cell cancer and 1.5 times more likely to have basal cell cancer. The study also reported that the younger the age someone starts tanning, the higher the risk of getting cancer.

While tanners often get their fake bronzes to improve appearance, not all are purely in it for vanity. The Tufts Ballroom team, for example, gets fake tans in an effort to "look Latin," since they compete in Latin dancing. "Most of us don't like using fake tanners, but eventually you succumb to it," sophomore Emily Mangone said.

"Although some people do become obsessed [with the practice]," she added.

For those who want the look of a fake tan without going into a tanning booth, there are the sunless self-tanning lotions and creams that range in price from cheaper drugstore brands like Neutrogena to high-end department store brands like Estee Lauder.

Mangone opts to use Pro-Tan lotion, a safe alternative to tanning salons. Pro-Tan is a thick, orange self-tanner used by body builders to show off muscle definition.

Self-tanners consist of a "compound called dihydroxyacetone that binds to the dead upper epidermal cells and as those cells are washed off daily, it begins to fade" explained dermatologist Dr. Robert Harla, on a recent WHDH Boston news report.

As self-tanner technology evolves, more students turn to bottles than tanning beds, and salons now provide sunless tanning alternatives. The Suntique Tanning Salon in Medford Square offers Mystic Tanning, a spray booth which coats a person with a week's worth of bronze in less than a minute.

Senior Michele Bordieri prefers Mystic Tanning, not only for its safety, but also for its speed. "Mystic tanning is great if you have to go out that night because the results are fast," she said. The process is faster: Mystic Tanning takes 28 seconds, while regular tanning beds take ten to 15 minutes.

Bordieri says that the result is as natural as regular tanning if used at a safe level. "It looks pretty realistic, as long as you get level one," Bordieri said. "The girls who work there always push higher levels, but they are generally disastrous."

She also advises to moisturize before sunless tanning because, it soaks in more in dry places, causing an uneven complexion, a telltale sign of a fake tan. "It is really crucial that your skin is not dried out when you go because then it is heavier in places, like your knuckles or knees," she said.

Overall, sunless tanning booths provide a quick, natural glow without the risk, but is not recommended for frequent usage. "It is a great one-time, one night out alternative, but it is not realistic for long term upkeep because it is expensive and it dries out your skin," Bordieri said.

Regular tanning costs $6 per visit and Mystic Tanning costs around $20 per session.

Sunless tanners have gained popularity as more and more studies show the dangers of tanning bed. The bond between "healthy" and "tan" is a tenuous one, considering the list of unhealthy side-effects associated with tanning, both artificial and the real thing. Studies have shown that the sun's rays cause damage including, premature aging, sun spots, and wrinkling.

The trend toward tanning began with Coco Chanel, when she denounced the pallor that had been in style since the Victorian age, and declared tanned skin to be vogue. Americans came to recognize a tan as a sign of free time and leisure, since the laboring work force had been moved indoors, after the Industrial Revolution.

Amanda Mu?±oz contributed to this article.