[quote]By Kiera Donovan
Online Writer
Photo by Jack Heerhold[/quote]

The sun kissed skin has been a desired look for decades. From tanning beds to DIY lotions, the obsession to have glowing skin has hit a shiny peak. With Prom right around the corner, both girls and boys have been taking steps to get that bronze color.

“People obsess over being tan,” senior Megan Weist said. “People start tanning more the closer you get to a school dance.”

Tan is the Prom-look for 2016.

“Everyone wants to look their best for prom,” senior Katie Brown said. “If everyone in your group is tan and you’re not you’ll look like the odd one out.”

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There’s a stigma that this desire for the bronze coating is exclusively related to girls, however, this is not the case. According to an article on PBS.org, 28 million Americans use tanning beds and those most likely to use a tanning bed live in the midwest.

“Yeah, I went to a tanning bed last week, on a bet,” senior Rodion Podlesny said. “But, it was super relaxing.”

PBS.org also explained the health benefits to tanning. It can increase vitamin D levels, decrease acne, and improve moods tremendously.

“A lot of dermatologist prescribe it for skin problems,” senior Katie Brown said.

However, there are drawback to the golden glow. Spray tans and lotions can be expensive and are more difficult to maintain than a natural tan. The use of UV beds are also expensive and increase the chance of burning and/or developing skin cancer. Natural tanning can also cause you to burn and repetitive sunburn increase the chance for skin cancer.

According to the FDA, “Exposure to UV radiation—whether from the sun or from artificial sources such as sunlamps used in tanning beds—increases the risk of developing skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).”

Tanning can also be expensive. A membership for three months can cost up to $80.

“If it was free I would go again,” Podlesny said. “I wouldn’t pay for it because I can get the same results and in a safer way by tanning outside.”

In Illinois you must be 18 in order to use a tanning bed so others have tried spray tans until they can use the beds.

“I hated it,” Weist said. “The worker did it wrong and it smelled horrible.”

Tanning, whether it come from a bottle, lamp, or the old fashioned style, of laying out has benefits and drawbacks.

“I don’t care if I am tan for prom,” senior Mikaela Keeney said. “I can look just as good in my dress when I’m not tan.”