why are lifeguards all so tan. Even in the winter they are tan. Do they have to go tanning for there job?? ive always wondered. Thanks.
2007-06-15 11:12:05 · 8 answers · asked by ~Alecia~ 1 in Sports ➔ Swimming & Diving
Not all. I'm a lifeguard and so is a friend of mine- lots of lifeguards that work in indoor pools NEVER get tan!!
2007-06-15 12:34:34 · answer #1 · answered by ~Merisa~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Starbrite said it best, tan retention has to do with skin tone and melanin. It's almost along the adaptive features line. Some people who lifeguard for years and years will get "perma-tan" which means their exposed skin retains the darker color for the rest of their lives. This has to do with the skin adapting to the upsurge in sun exposure. Ask someone who's been lifeguarding for ten or more year if they have any perma-tan lines and they just might! Personally my lower back is tanner than the rest of my body and I have a perma-tan line across it where the suit would be. That came from years and years of summers spent surfing and swimming competitively coupld with years as a waterfront lifeguard. I no longer guard in the summer but I still have that tan line! I am still a swimmer (open water distance mainly!) and a coach and I see my athletes with perma-tans all the time. It's just one of those things things!
As for going tanning I never recommend anyone go tanning for any reason. Lying in a tanning booth is basically an open call for melanoma (skin cancer) and why would any employer ever suggest their employees do that!? Most guards are given sunblock and use a high SPF to prevent burn. The suntan is the skin's defense to being burned in the first place which is why so many guards get so tan.
For more information on the benefits and risks of sun exposure, check out The Skin Cancer Foundation's website:
www.skincancer.org
2007-06-18 09:56:35 · answer #2 · answered by Kristy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The simple answer is next winter ask the next tan lifeguard you see how he/she does it.
2007-06-15 22:38:32 · answer #3 · answered by ready001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no my other lifeguard said that the reason why they are soo tan is cause they are always oustide..... and in the winter they go to california and other places
2007-06-15 19:18:06 · answer #4 · answered by mtv_luver87 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Outdoor guards tend to get a lot of sun. Even those of us who wear lots of sunscreen and other protective items (shirts, hats, glasses, etc) tend to pick up some color. I tend to retain my tan for many months after the summer. Part of that has to do with my particular melanin content and skin type. Part of it is that I live in San Diego, where we have year-round outdoor pools, so I guard year-round.
Recent studies show that certain amounts of daily sun exposure are good for you; however, for the amount of time most outdoor guards spend in the sun, there is a high risk for developing skin cancer - one of the many important reasons for always reapplying your sun screen. There is legislation in the works that, if passed, will require employers to provide medical coverage for their employees who develop skin cancer as a result of job-related exposures. Tanning is generally not good for you to begin with - over time it leads to premature aging of the skin. Tanning recreationally just strikes me as being very irresponsible.
2007-06-15 22:53:51 · answer #5 · answered by * starbrite * 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no you don't have to go tanning, it's just that you usually get a really dark tan during the summer so it lasts all winter....
2007-06-15 19:01:34 · answer #6 · answered by Susan W 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maybe cause lifeguards are always outside watching people and in the sun a lot!!!.... dur
2007-06-18 01:04:55 · answer #7 · answered by sk8rgurl14 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
think it is probably because they are outside all the time
2007-06-15 18:45:21 · answer #8 · answered by liz 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋