Introduction
The solarium is an artificial radiation source that imitates sunlight. Modern solariums offer different strengths of UV radiation to achieve different degrees of cosmetic skin tanning. In Germany, visits to solariums are only permitted from the age of 18 years onward upon presentation of a valid photo ID. This has to do above all with the high health load, which results from regular Solarienbesuche, to do.
What damage does a visit to a solarium cause to my skin?
Solariums are supposed to imitate the influence of sunlight by targeted irradiation with UV light. UV light has a small amount of health-promoting effects, but to a greater extent it also has harmful effects. UV radiation induces so-called DNA strand breaks in the DNA of our skin cells.
Such DNA strand breaks can be intercepted and rendered harmless up to a certain point by the cell’s own repair mechanisms. However, too many strand breaks lead to the death of the cells and to various damages of the skin structure. Furthermore, UV radiation can lead to mutations in the skin cells, which then lead to cancer over a certain period of time.
A chronic damage of the skin due to the exposure to UV radiation is also called actinic keratosis. These so-called precanceroses, i.e. cancer precursors, can develop into a white skin cancer, also called spinalioma. The black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) is also caused by UV radiation.
Solariums can damage not only the skin but also the eyes. Damage to the cornea caused by visiting a solarium is also known as keratoconjunctivis photoelectrica. About six to eight hours after visiting a solarium, strong pain in the eyes, a foreign body sensation in the eye, dripping tears and a reduction in visual acuity occur.
What exactly is harmful in a solarium?
The solarium is so harmful because of the high and targeted irradiation with UV radiation. The UV radiation can have different health-endangering effects for humans, which potentiate themselves particularly with frequent visits of the Solarium. Furthermore, many people are in danger of a real addiction to the solarium, as UV radiation is felt to be very beneficial. Especially in the winter months many people therefore tend to make regular visits. The solarium demonstrably promotes the skin aging process.
