About the New Tan Tax

Description

Rhiannon and Jeanine sit down to talk about how summer effects skin, indoor tanning, tattoos and more

Transcript
About the New Tan Tax Rhiannon Ally: Welcome back to Better! We have dermatologist Dr. Downie joining us today to talk about our hot topics and we’ve got some really interesting ones today, Dr. Downie. Dr. Jeanine Downie: I think so. Rhiannon Ally: Yeah. Okay, first of all, there are photos all over the internet. If you haven’t seen these, you have to Google it, of Michael Jackson’s kids on vacation in Hawaii and there's one picture in particular that’s really interesting, it shows his 13 year old son Prince with what looks to be some type of skin condition on his arm. And so, a lot of people are questioning, is it vitiligo or was it something else? Was it sunburn? You’ve seen the pictures. What do you think? Dr. Jeanine Downie: I have to be honest with you. I've never examined Prince. He’s not my patient. I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan but unfortunately, it does look like it might be vitiligo. Rhiannon Ally: Michael Jackson actually had vitiligo. Dr. Jeanine Downie: But we are not sure if he actually had it or not to be honest with you because I never examined him. That was the theory that we have. And so, vitiligo is something that’s heritable. So, that would be very unfortunate. So, I hope that that’s not it and that it was something else or the picture of that was retouched or something. I mean we just don’t know. But I think that study show that I need to go to Hawaii and check. Rhiannon Ally: Yeah. Let’s go together and we can do some research on that one. It is an interesting but you’re right. The photos are retouched; that is a possibility. You can’t believe everything you see online. Another picture I found was Miley Cyrus and she has a new tattoo on the inside of her ear right there. It says “Love.” Dr. Jeanine Downie: Oh, it’s her seven old year daughter who loves her. Rhiannon Ally: Yeah, I know. Dr. Jeanine Downie: She's such a role model. This is how I feel about tattoos. First of all, in the ear, it’s super painful. It can get infected. It could lead to swelling. It could lead to all kinds of other issues for months. But the newest thing with tattoos is not only are people getting hepatitis and rare but reported cases of HIV but now, they are getting mycobacterium. So, a mycobacterium is like -- tuberculosis is a type of mycobacterium. So, it’s called mycobacterium colony that’s coming up in tattoos. So, this is something where -- Rhiannon Ally: So, this is new. Dr. Jeanine Downie: This is something new where the vat of ink is reused. So, if the first person of the day has mycobacterium and the needle is dipped and re-dipped in there, the blood from what they are tattooing on that comes off in the ink and then they reuse that ink with the next person because it’s a vat of blue ink, so they are not tossing the ink although they have to use new needles. And that’s how they can spread disease. Not all tattoo parlors do this but in general, I'm against tattooing. Rhiannon Ally: I didn’t realize that. Dr. Jeanine Downie: I’ll put on something that’s like one of those beautiful tattoos, the hennas that a lot of the people in the Indian culture use. That way, it fades off in six weeks. Six weeks is your typical time for tattoo regret. Rhiannon Ally: Six weeks. Dr. Jeanine Downie: Six weeks later people are like “Oh no.” Rhiannon Ally: Yeah. But that’s interesting that that’s happening and people don’t even realize it. You said that that is especially sensitive. Are there areas that are maybe a little bit better or worst? Or is it just bad altogether? Dr. Jeanine Downie: It’s bad altogether but I mean, unfortunately, I've seen them in the ears, I've seen them on the genitals. Rhiannon Ally: I've seen along the lip. Dr. Jeanine Downie: I’ve seen them on the inside of the lip and one on the tongue. Come on. Rhiannon Ally: Ouch, yeah. Dr. Jeanine Downie: Yeah. Rhiannon Ally: Okay, that doesn’t seem like a great idea. But another thing, a couple of weeks ago, the new tan tax actually went into effect and that’s a 10% surcharge. Dr. Jeanine Downie: July 1st. Rhiannon Ally: That just went into effect and it’s interesting because some people are now saying it’s discrimination because they say, mostly white people are the ones that go to the tanning beds but you disagree, you say that’s not true. Dr. Jeanine Downie: Well, first of all, the tan tax, the reason that they're doing this is because the ultraviolet rays in the tanning beds are 12 to 15 times the natural sunlight. So, people that are going in there are exposing themselves to skin cancers especially melanomas. They have 35% higher rate of getting melanomas and skin cancers. Two, a lot of African- Americans, Latinos and Asians use tanning beds; it’s not just Caucasians. It’s not discriminatory. It should stay and it should be 50%. Rhiannon Ally: Thanks Dr. Downie as always. We’ll be right back.
Related Articles

About the New Tan Tax

Stand Up Tanning Beds - Better Tan Coverage

Besides sun, the natural tanning agent, technology has given us two more options for turning our skin golden brown....

Tanning Is the New Sheikh

Tanning over the summer gives us an effervescent glow that we can only dream of in the dark days of winter. But at what lengths will we go to in order to give ourselves that killer tan we oh so need. Would we risk giving ourselves a potentially life threatening disease in order to get the girl we like to notice us?...

Tanning - New And Improved

Sun tanning has been a craze for a long time....

The Horrible Truth About Tanning Bed Bulbs

We all want a gorgeous bronzed body before we slip into our suits this summer. After all a beautiful tan can hide flaws, make your skin more radiant, and even make your body look thinner. There are a few ways to achieve this, however probably the most popular way to get a gorgeous tan is through a tanning bed. Tanning beds offer a quick tan in as little as three sessions. Tanning in the sun could take weeks and spray tanning could cause awful orange streaks. However, most people like to avoid the topic of the dangers of tanning bed bulbs....

Spray Tan - For a Year Round Tan

Spray tan products are ideal for those living in colder climates where you are not able to be out in the sun enough. Thousands of people are already using the product....

The Truth About Sunless Tanning Lotion

The tanning lotion industry has exploded over the past decade and a half. It's almost overwhelming to try to determine which is the best product and which to avoid. Luckily, there are some basic ways of wading through all that's out there, but it all begins with knowing what to look for in a quality sunless solution....

Avoid Tanning Beds - Use Sunless Tanning Instead

Tanning beds have long gotten a bad rep and for good reason. Tanning beds have been proven to be as harmful as overexposure to the sun and cause premature aging, skin conditions and even skin cancer. This is a harsh environment for your skin and while it may leave your skin darker, it also leaves it much unhealthier and nourished than it was. Add to that the enhancement products many people are using and you are essentially laying there frying your skin....

A Fake Tan is a Safe Tan

Fake tanning was once not seen as a viable alternative to spending some time in the sun. These days, however, its reputation has changed. As people begin to get increasingly worried about the dangers of skin cancer, fake tan products are flying off the shelves....

The Tanning Bed Debate

Tanning beds were once considered safe because they used mostly UVA light, which was thought to be not as harmful as UVB light. However, doctors and researchers then discovered that UVA light is actually the most damaging of the two types of sun rays. On July 28, 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer moved tanning beds up to its highest level of risk: carcinogenic to humans....

All About Spray Tan

So, you want a beautiful and sun-kissed bronze tan that looks like you just got back from a month's vacation in Hawaii? But, the threat of melanoma and skin cancer from laying out in the sun or in a tanning bed is too much of a risk for a nice tan. Luckily, the spray tan is here to save the day....