Indoor tanning beds and eyelash extensions: are they safe for teenagers? | Expert Opinion
The school year ends soon and thoughts are turning to prom dresses, teenagers may decide to experiment with beauty treatments. Here's the 311 on indoor tanning and fake eyelashes.
3-2-1 Action! Puberty is the second fastest time of growth in the human life cycle – second only to infancy. Tweens and teens are famous for dramatic transformations during this time. Ironically, this is also the time during normal adolescent development when they believe in the “imaginary audience” – the feeling that they are constantly “onstage” and the object of everyone’s attention. No wonder they care so much about how they look!
Behind the scenes, adolescents are also starting the task of separation and individuation from their parents. Enter stage right – peers! It’s important for adolescents to feel like they “fit in” with their peers. This involves conforming with peer values, codes, and dress. Now that the school year is ending soon and wardrobes are changing from puffy coats to prom dresses, teenagers may decide to experiment with beauty treatments like indoor tanning and fake eyelashes to be more like their peers. Let’s explore the health effects of both so parents and teenagers can make informed decisions.
Indoor tanning beds
According to an article in the Journal of Adolescent Health, 25% of female high school students and 7% of male high school students reported using indoor tanning. While natural sun tanning involves both UVB and UVA radiation, indoor tanning uses mainly UVA. UVB radiation burns the upper layers of the skin, causing sunburn. UVA radiation penetrates deeper into the skin, causing the skin to produce melanin, the brown pigment responsible for tanning.
Fact or fiction: Indoor tanning is safer than natural sun tanning.
Fiction; here’s why:
Increased cancer risk: Tanning beds emit up to three times more intense UVA radiation than natural sunlight. Both sun tanning and indoor tanning increase the risk of skin cancers, but indoor tanning increases the risk more. Skin cancers include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Research has shown that indoor tanning before the age of 35 can mean a 75% increased risk of skin cancer. In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified indoor tanning as a human carcinogen.
Skin damage: The “glow” of a tan is evidence of DNA injury to the skin. Tanning indoors and outdoors can cause wrinkles, sagging skin, pigment changes, and weathered skin.
Eye problems: UV radiation from indoor tanning can lead to macular degeneration, dry eye, cataracts, blurry vision, and eye cancer.
Given all of these risks, it’s not surprising that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children and teenagers avoid indoor tanning and intentional sunbathing.
If your teen must have a tan for a special event, professional spray tans aren’t permanent, but they also aren’t permanently damaging.
Eyelash extensions
Back for an encore from the 1960s! And they’re bigger and bolder. For their second act, popular eyelash extensions are made of synthetics, silk, or mink and come in different shapes and sizes. Lash extensions are usually applied by a beauty salon technician using tweezers and a semi-permanent glue to attach each lash individually. They fall out with the natural lashes in 3-4 weeks. The procedure takes about two hours and requires the eyes to remain closed.
Fact or fiction: Eyelash extensions are safe for teenagers.
Mixed reviews; According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, eyelash extensions can be safe, but they can also cause problems:
Eye infections can occur from inadequate hygiene in the salon or damage to the eye during the application. Extensions can also trap debris, increasing the risk of eye infections. Infections can cause damage to the eyelids and cornea and cause loss of natural lashes.
Allergic reactions to the glue and other chemicals can cause pain, itchiness, redness, swelling, and interference with vision. Allergic reactions can cause eye damage and eyelash loss.
Damage to natural lashes: The additional tension on the hair shaft can harm the hair follicle and slow down natural lash production.
Eyelash extensions and glue are not regulated by the FDA. While there is no legal age requirement for eyelash extensions, most salons and technicians recommend that clients be at least 16 years old and require parental consent under the age of 18.
Our advice:
Tanning beds are not safe for any age, especially not children. Prevention of skin cancer starts in childhood. According to the AAP, sunless tanners are a safer alternative to tanning beds. Sunless tanners use dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a chemical that reacts with amino acids in the top layer of skin to form brown-black compounds which deposit in skin. Bronzers are water-soluble dyes that temporarily stain the skin. Bronzers are easily removed with soap and water.
Eyelash extensions should only be done in a reputable salon and by an experienced professional.
Praise children for all their amazing qualities and remind them that true beauty lies within. No acting required!
Seema Balasubramaniam is a Pediatric Neurology Resident and Rima Himelstein is an adolescent medicine specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.