TeachableMedicalNews article 03272022
Teachable moment in classrooms:
- chemical basis of life – proteins are made of amino acid building blocks
- integumentary system – layers (strata) of the epidermis
- integumentary system chapter – melanocytes make the brown pigment melanin
- endocrine system chapter – anterior pituitary makes the melanocyte stimulating hormone
The news item: Recently a report appeared about TikTok influencers who inhale nasal spray to get a tan:
I inhale dangerous tanning nasal sprays because I’d rather die hot than live ugly
Beauty influencers are taking to TikTok to show themselves snorting sprays that they claim give them a golden tan – but doctors warn the products could be both ineffective and dangerous.
The article states that the influencers claim to get a glowing bronze skin color from the inhaled spray, that the spray has the active ingredient dihydroxy methylchromonyl palmitate which is not approved for inhalation, and that the TikTok posts have hundreds of thousands likes.
So, Why Do I Care?? Social media influencers can act very convincingly, even when they encourage unhealthy actions for their followers. The use of a chemical designed to be used on top of the skin may damage the nasal passages, or it may cause serious illness. This is a great example of how vigilant and skeptical we have to be when seeing something that looks too good to be true.
Plain English, Please!!!
First, let’s talk about the natural process that gives skin a tanned color. In the top region, the epidermis, of the skin there are cells called melanocytes that make a brown-colored pigment called melanin.