Safe and Sunless Tanning

Although many find that being tanned is attractive, it is also very damaging to the skin.

Research shows that if you are out in the sun for 15 minutes or longer, you are at risk of getting skin cancer, malignant melanoma and photoaging.

Photoaging happens when the sun effects cause the skin collagen to break down, which then results in premature aging—in other words, you’re going to look older than you really are.

Photoaging is quite apparent in many women from the 1950s because tanning salons weren’t as available as they are now.

Women used to lie out in the sun for hours to achieve that “bronzed look” because it was popular and attractive.

“It was very becoming. It made my eyes look bluer,” a woman on The Learning Channel said.

She is now suffering from a sever case of skin cancer. She is also in her mid-fifties but appears to look ten years older.

People think that tanning booths and beds are a safer alternative to the sun, but unfortunately tanning beds are worse.

What most people don’t know is that tanning beds use ultraviolet bulbs which give out predominantly UV-A rays.

According to MedicineNet.com, the sun emits a mixture of UV-B and UV-A rays. The difference is that UV-B rays causes the skin to tan quickly while UV-A rays “do not cause burning until exposure levels are very high.”

UV-A rays go deeper into the skin and increases the chance of getting skin cancer and malignant melanoma.

Tanning beds also require a few sessions for a nice tan to build.

However, there is good news for those who enjoy being bronze.

The safest and easiest way to tan is called mystic tanning or also known as airbrush tanning because it is 100% UV free.

Mystic tanning consists of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which is FDA approved.

The DHA is a clear solution that is sprayed onto the body by either a professional using an airbrush gun or you can stand in a stall and an automated machine will gently spray the tanning solution. (It feels misty, therefore acquiring the name “mystic tanning.”)

In about 30 minutes, the tan will start to show and usually lasts 5 to 7 days. There is also tan extending lotion available to help you keep your tan longer.

You come out of the first session of mystic tanning with a near perfect tan, depending on how picky you are.

If you’d like to be darker, another layer can be applied. Most people wait a couple of days before deciding whether to go darker.

Mystic tanning is also great because whereas many do-it-yourself tanning solutions can cause streaks, mystic tanning is streak free. Also, if you have any tanning lines, a professional can airbrush the lines away within a matter of minutes.
Mystic tanning is also known to be cheaper than tanning beds.

The average cost for a mystic tanning package deal is about $130 while tanning beds cost about $200. Of course, the sun is free but living without skin cancer is priceless.

Most importantly, mystic tanning is not damaging to the skin and you can maintain your youth for as long as possible.

Mystic tanning has become quite popular in the last few years. Many celebrities often use airbrush tanning. Now, we common folk can afford to be airbrushed too.

Hopefully, tanning beds will fade out and those devoted to them will realize how old they’re going to look ten years from now.

If you choose to be out in the sun for any reason, it is strongly recommended by dermatologists to use a sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or higher.

If you’re out in the sun to tan, think twice about how much damage you’re causing to your skin—and with our ozone layer depleting, it won’t be such a good idea.

Teen Drivers Banned to Use Cell Phones

Starting next July in California, the law requiring drivers to use hand-held devices while behind the wheel and the law banning teens from using any electronic device while driving will take effect.
Legislatures are stricter on teens because they believe that teenagers are not experienced enough behind the wheel to multi-task.
Using a cell phone, or any hand-held device, can easily distract a driver and cause an accident, especially now that technology has enhanced cell phones so that one’s phone can be like having a computer.
Actually, palm sized laptops are out in the market as well and can be hazardous if they are being used while driving.
I once saw someone text messaging on her cell phone, drinking a Coke, and driving at the same time. I didn’t even know that could be done!
The leading cause of teen deaths has been because of car crashes and, according to California Highway Patrol, “cell phone use is a leading cause of distracted-driver accidents.”
When I first got my license at the age of 17, I couldn’t even have a conversation with a passenger or have the radio on too loud because I was afraid I’d lose my concentration on the road.
While I was in my junior year in high school—the year when just about everyone got their license—three students died of a fatal car crashes and one student was severely injured. That is a high death toll within a school year.
The car crashes might not have been related to using cell phones while driving, but it certainly shows the inexperience of a teen driver and how easily teenagers can be distracted on the road. Talking on the cell phone can only distract a driver further more.
I mean, a teenager only has an attention span of so much, right? Trying to pay attention to the road while having a full on conversation isn’t the safest way to go.
If the call is an emergency, there is always the option of pulling over to the nearest parking lot to talk—not at a gas station though because if you don’t get into a car accident while using your cell phone, rumor has it you can explode by talking on the phone at a gas station.
Now we really have to weigh the pros and cons of having a cell phone!
Of course, many teenagers will be angry at the idea of not being able to do what they want in the privacy of their car, but that’s not a surprise. How many teens are actually happy to be told what to do?
After spending a great amount of time with the youth group at church and having two teenage sisters, I’ve noticed that teenagers love saying, “It’s my life. I can’t do whatever I want.” They really think they mean it, too.
So, I’m sure there will be rebels who will talk on the cell phone just like there are those who speed on the road, just to prove their point—that they’re “cool” and they can do whatever they want.
However, seeing as though most teens are getting paid minimum wage and there is a $50 fine for each violation, they will see what is more important to them.
Of course, not all teenagers are careless or irresponsible, but many other drivers including myself would just feel more at ease if teenagers kept both hands on the wheel and their full attention on driving safely.
Obviously, that doesn’t only include teens. Every driver in general should have their full attention on the road.
Most importantly, however, is that the law will hopefully decrease the death rate in teens.

Grow Healthy Children

Obesity in children has become a crisis in the United States. The question is, how?
A family friend of mine lets her son drink as much soda as he wants and having McDonalds everyday seems to be just fine with her.
“He’ll throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get it,” she said.
Her son, Joshua, at the age of six weighs 90 pounds.
A pediatric growth chart indicates that the average healthy weight for a six-year-old boy is around 30 to 35 pounds. If a child is overweight, he or she is at risk of heart problems, diabetes and more.
Not only will the child face health issues, he can also face emotional issues as well.
Joshua’s mother said that he has a hard time being active in sports because running is difficult due to his weight.
He starts breathing heavily about after three minutes of running and then gasping for air and wheezing after five minutes of running.
If you are a parent or have ever been around children, you would clearly notice that most of them seem to have an abundant amount of energy.
Due to Joshua’s weight and lack of athletic abilities, other children in his school tease him and make fun of him.
He gets picked last to be on a team. He gets called names such as “Fatty” and “Jumbo Josh.”
Speaking from experience of having been called names such as “Skinny” and “Miss Slim” while I was growing up, I can say that being made fun and receiving nicknames you didn’t pick for yourself can scar you emotionally and mentally.
It literally brings down your self-esteem and confidence.
Obviously, children are known to throw tantrums and fits when they don’t get what they want. Sadly, even adults do it.
The point is that parents need to maintain control of their child’s eating habits and what goes into their child’s body to give them a healthy life—even if they scream about it.
Almost everyday, Joshua gets to eat at McDonalds for lunch and dinner. His mother says that he eats adult sized meals “because the kids’ meal doesn’t fill him up.”
There is 250 calories in a McDonald’s hamburger, 380 calories in a medium size cup of french fries and 150 calories in a 16 oz. cup of Coca-Cola. Six-year-olds should be consuming only 1400 calories per day.
The Harvard School of Public Health says that “eating at fast food restaurants has been associated with an additional 120 calories per day.”
However, there are great solutions and tips out there for parents who are having trouble getting their kids to eat healthy.
It doesn’t mean bad parenting if your child is overweight. It just means you need to start taking control and start early on giving your child a healthy diet.
There are great tips from just about every pediatrician in the United States on how to diet and exercise.
However, I’ve come to realize that kids learn better when they get to be “hands-on.”
North Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op offers programs and classes for parents and children to learn how to eat healthy.
“Our classes and programs are designed to teach parents and childrenhow to take delicious whole foods and make simple meals out of them andthat eating well doesn't need to be a daunting prospect,” Julia Thomas, Education Coordinator for the Co-op, said.
The Co-op lets children see how things are grown with a guided tour of the Co-op.
“I think that children need to experience food by seeing how it is grown, learning how to make it, and by tasting new foods,” Thomas said.
Hopefully programs like these can help decrease the obesity rate in children and can keep them living a full and healthy life. Best of all, these programs are absolutely free!

Big Mistake!

Walking into the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco is a lot like going through airport security. I stood in a line at the door while the security guard searched the purses and bags of each person who was entering and thought, “Are they going to ask for my ID too?”
I entered the store and inhaled a distinctive scent of what, I know not, but I’m sure if the word “expensive” had a scent that would be it. I walked around the place, fascinated by the beautiful brown leather purses with the gold initials LV written all over them. There are even spotlights above the purses on the wall shelves. I was awed. All the while, my significant other is exclaiming at the “outrageous” prices of “just a purse” and that he could actually buy a car.
And then I saw it. “Perfection” was written all over it. It looked strikingly like the one Jennifer Aniston had. I had to have it—and even if I couldn’t have it, I just wanted to touch it. The purse was in a glass case and I looked around for a sales associate. My heart was pounding the words, “Open, open, open.” If love at first sight truly existed, this is probably what it would feel like.
There were no sales associates in sight. This was odd considering most sales associates in retail get paid based on commission. I thought there would be a flock of them smothering me but there were none.
I looked at the countertop for a bell to ring but instead a woman in a chocolate brown suit materialized and asked, “May I help you, miss?”
When I pointed at the purse, she raised an eyebrow at me. “This is $1095,” she said haughtily, not making the slightest gesture to open the case.
First of all, I don’t think I’d pay that much—not even for love. That’s not the point, however.
What does this scene remind of you of? I felt like Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” except I wasn’t wearing cut-off shorts and over-the-knee boots. Even if I had been, who was she to judge? Am I not the one paying and she not the one working?
“Excuse me?” I asked, and rudely too I might add.
She repeated the price just as haughtily and even had the audacity to raise her chin up a notch. My jaw almost dropped at the rudeness of this lady. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening in real life—and to me!
My boyfriend tugged on my arm and told me that we should leave through the corner of his mouth. I didn’t budge. I’m pretty sure my face turned a deep red from the anger boiling up inside of me.
I usually avoid making scenes but the snobby sales associate put me on the edge. I was on the brink of speaking my mind when something incredible happened. Someone stood up for me!
Another customer in the store said, “I think everyone here is aware of the price. The young lady asked if she could see it. Is that a problem? Should we ask your manager?”
My heroine!
“No, never mind. I’m not interested in it anymore,” I said.
I almost wanted to flip my hair at the sales associate. Instead, I reenacted the scene from “Pretty Women.”
“Do you get paid based on commission?” I asked the sales associate.
“Yes,” she answered, confused at my question.
“Big mistake,” I said. “Big mistake.”
I winked at my heroine, turned on my heel and left that Louis Vuitton store. Behind me, I saw my defender leave as well and saying very loudly, “That salesperson is so rude!”