While most people avoid the outdoors on hot August days, many college students prefer to be lying out in the sun.

Tanning is commonplace on the Kansas University campus and in Lawrence. Students flock to apartment pools, large lawns and residence-hall rooftops trying to catch rays in hopes of obtaining a bronze body.

Students who want a dark tan lay out several times a week. Even in the winter, some students go to tanning beds to maintain their tan.

However, there are downfalls to spending too much time in the sun and at tanning beds. Most students ignore the risks, such as early aging and skin cancer, and remain in the sun for extended hours because they like being tan.

Lisa Williamson, an Overland Park junior, said she tried to lay out every day the weather was nice.

“Whenever the sun is out, I’m at the pool,” she said. “I usually tan for about two hours.”

The winter makes tanning more challenging, but students find alternatives to the sun. Tanning salons become busy in the winter months because of the demand to be tan the entire year.

“In the winter, I usually go to a tanning salon once a week, unless there is an event that I want to look tan for,” Williamson said.

Students could suffer consequences in their quest for a bronzed look. Dr. Randall Rock, staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said tanning often was not healthy.

“Students put themselves at risk for acute and long-term damage when they tan,” he said. “They may experience anything from redness and blisters to early aging, wrinkles and skin cancer.”

Lisa Williamson, an Overland Park junior, squeezes tanning lotion on her legs. Williamson says she tries to lay out every day the weather is nice.

Leo Rottering, co-owner of Tantoo Tanning Salon, 1410 Kasold Drive, agreed that some people go to the extreme when tanning, but he added that it was safe in moderation.

“People come in and think they can get tan in one day and then they burn,” Rottering said. “Tanning is a gradual process.”

Williamson said she didn’t feel at risk when she tanned.

“I never let myself burn because the experts say that you’re not supposed to let yourself get that much sun,” she said.

Rock said controlled exposure to sunlight helped maintain normal health and regulate metabolism as well as improve some skin conditions such as psoriasis.

In an image-conscious society, being tan helps some students feel better about how they look.

“When I am tan, I feel like I look healthier and have a brighter skin tone,” Williamson said.

Williamson, Rock and Rottering all said tanning was image based. College students want to have a certain look — whether it is sexy, edgy or outdoorsy — and tanning may help them achieve it.

“I compare tanning to smoking,” Rock said. “People do these activities for appearance, not to enhance their health.”