A 22-year-old Belleville woman battling deadly melanoma is the new face of a campaign to ban youth under 18 years old from tanning salons.
Kate Neale, whose idol like many young teens was Paris Hilton, said she began tanning regularly at indoor facilities when she was 16 and later worked in a tanning salon where she was top salesperson for more than a year.
“My parents were very against it but I started tanning anyway,” she said Thursday at Queen’s Park.
“At first weekly, until I stopped burning, and then three times a week. I ended up tanning up to 16 times a month for up to 12 to 15 minutes a session.”
Now Neale’s body is scarred from surgeries to remove skin cancer.
“I had truly believed what I had been taught by the industry that tanning prevented cancers, and that the industry had the documents and scientists and even some dermatologists to back up these claims,” Neale said.
“Instead, it seems I had a death wish.”
NDP MPP France Gelinas is introducing a private member’s bill that would ban people under the age of 18 from using tanning beds, mandate warning signs in tanning salons and guarantee salon workers are properly trained.
Gelinas said the industry is targeting teenagers through promotions such as prom tan packages.
Neale cited a recent Texas study that found being in a tanning bed lights up the same part of your brain as drugs and alcohol.
“And I really do believe it is very, very addicting,” Neale said. “It’s what they call ‘tanorexia.’ ” :from torontosun.com
Would you be on board for a teen ban on tanning? Or should they (and their parents) be allowed to make up their own minds…?
2 Comments User Comments
Add a commentRainbwoRay
April 27, 2012
2:41 pm
Life is about making choices (hopefully good ones, but sometimes people don’t for whatever reason). WIth the tanning salons, I guess before you try, you shold get to “know ahead of time” what your getting yourself into. The tanning salons claim one thing (hey it’s a business), when it turns out to be no so hot.
I’m in favor of this proposed legislations for those under 18, but I think it’s up to the person 18 over to decide for theselves if they want to use the tanning salon , but like I said, fidn out first before you try. At 18 youur considerd a full grown attitude (legally), capable of making your own decisions and choices. RainbowRay says “Knowledge is POwer” so finding out ahead of time in this cas e(and many other instances) would be beneficia. “Try before your buy” maybe one thing, btu “Caviot Emptor(?)” (Let the buyer beware is another).
LVOe
RainbowRay
Johnathan
December 8, 2012
2:24 pm
Rumour has it (from Kate’s friends in teh Belleville area) that Kate used to spend hours upon hours out in the sun only to go lay in a tanning bed afterwards. Apparantly she used to have competitions with her friends to see who could get the darkest.
It seems to me she is not telling the whole truth here. From everything I’ve read in medical journals, there is nothing wrong with tanning in moderation and, in fact, there are quite a few benefits that can be gained from it.
I understand that someone in her situation would want to point the finger but she needs to be honest with herself!