Staff Writer

Summer sun is high in the sky, and San Diego beaches are a main attraction. The warm sandy beaches of La Jolla Shores and the calm crash of the waves attract numbers of people who want to enjoy the sunshine and work on their tan.

It is a common trend to be tanned in the summertime. It is thought by some to connote vitality and the sense that one’s summer was lived to its full potential. The sizzle and the heat of the magnificent sun are welcomed at the beach, as people lay out to expel their winter and springtime pallor.

But whatever happened to the glory of paleness? Snow-white skin was highly coveted in the past. To be darkened by the sun’s rays was by all means avoided, while today it is the nearly opposite.

For centuries, those who were fair skinned were considered as upper class since they did not labor under the sun. They remained indoors in the comforts of their wealth and would not venture outdoors to work in the harsh sunlight. Instead, it was left to the peasants and farmers.

In 19th century America, women from the South took great measures in maintaining fair complexions with parasols, fancy hats and gloves. Ladies of ancient Greece and Rome concocted pastes with lead residues as a cosmetic for that extra pale look, without realizing that it was poisoning them. Fair skin was attractive because it labeled people of wealth and prestige. The thought that a gleaming tan would ever be stylish was an absurd thought to women and men of the past.

Tanned skin finally got its opportunity to shine in the 1920s when French fashion designer Coco Chanel sported her newly bronzed skin after vacationing on French Riviera and returning to her home in Paris. Her tan was probably unintentional, but the French, as well as the rest of the world, were taken aback by the fresh new look of the influential designer and thus began the craze to copy that golden, sun-kissed look.

There has been a complete reversal of what skin tone indicates about power and prestige. Most celebrities today sport brilliant tans. Britney Spears seems to have a radiant glow all year round and Brad Pitt was only pale when he was one of the undead in “”Interview with a Vampire.””

Many tanning salons offer tanning booths, which are just as harmful as the rays of the sun. These salons provide tanning beds for those who don’t wish to lie out and bake in the sun and would rather bake in an enclosed compartment. According to California Tan’s Web site, tanning beds originated in the late 1950s, when a mirror-like panel was used to blindingly reflect ultraviolet rays into the user’s face and neck, providing that extra brightness to achieve the perfect sun-kissed look.

Little did anyone know that the harsh ultraviolet rays that the sun emits causes skin cancer. As the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere progressively depletes in certain areas of the globe, UV rays pose a greater danger than ever. Nowadays, it is well known that skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanomas are caused by overexposure from UV rays, yet people consistently head out to sun themselves.

According to a BBC news article, UV rays that seep from the sun cause DNA breakup and mutation within cells in the skin. This in turn excites the melanocytes in the skin and release melanin, producing the characteristic brown pigment that is associated with a tan.

The Skin Cancer Foundation states that people who burn rather than tan are mostly at risk for cancer, specifically those with fair skin, red or blond hair, and blue or green eyes. These people have a higher risk of developing malignant melanomas. Tumors that develop from the growth can lead to deeper tumors under the skin and even death if not treated in its early stage.

The sun, however, does have its benefits. Besides providing the shining glow and warmth that is essential to the building of life, humans soak up the sun’s rays and convert the energy into vitamin D. But one only needs to stand outside for a few minutes to gain this effect, not hours under the hot sun. BBC news also states that limited exposure to the sun actually prevents such cancers as breast and prostate cancer.

With the knowledge of the dangers of UV rays and skin cancer, people have become aware of the risks involved in sun exposure. Products of “”sunless tanning”” offer the much safer option of attaining that golden sheen with tanning creams. The only risks involved with these products are allergic reactions that some might develop after using them. Other products like moisturizers contain sunscreen with varying sun protection factors for your UV-blocking needs.

Summertime enjoyment need not be limited by blocking out the sun entirely. But taking precautions like applying a sunscreen with a healthy SPF will prevent harm done to the body by UV rays. Only time will tell when the decades-long trend of a luminous tan will end and another fad will come into picture.