Lets get one thing straight first off - whether you are tanning outdoors or indoors, you are still damaging your skin. Just as over-exposure to the sun can cause premature wrinkling of the skin, sunburn and an increased risk of developing skin cancer, using a tanning bed at home or in a tanning salon can be just as damaging. A friend on mine recently told me that the staff at the salon she had been visiting had told her that their tanning beds were safer than being exposed to the sun and she asked me my opinion on this.

In explaining myself fully here, I wish to give a brief overview of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the tanning process. UV radiation can be emitted from several sources, but we are most familiar with its natural source - sunlight - of which it forms part. Its name is derived from the fact that the UV spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans see as the color violet. 

Basically, when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation, it produces additional levels of the pigment (melanin) that colors the skin. This is one of our bodies natural defence mechanisms - the darker pigmentation helps protect the skin from burning which otherwise damages the cells. This darker skin tone, which many of us crave, is actually intended by nature to protect us rather than make us look good in that skimpy summer wear. So, to get our bodies to react and produce more pigmentation we need to expose it to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which fundamentally is the thing that is obviously damaging our skin in the first place, otherwise the defence mechanism wouldn't kick in. 

There is one distinction between the sun and a modern sun bed and this is the point that my friends' salon staff are probably referring to. In recent years, the sun bed industry, being aware of the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, decided to develop bulbs, or lamps, that only emit the UVA portion of the UV raditaion. Going back to our understanding of UV raditaiton, we can break down the UV portion of the electromagentic spectrum further into groups based on wavelength. Generally, we refer to these groups as - UVA (the long wave portion), UVB (medium wavelength), UVC (the shorter wavelength portion).

Not wanting to get too deep into the science - (I must remember to dig out that thesis I did on this subject) - all these portions of UV 'light' have both beneficial and damaging effects on human health. UVB for example stimulates the production of vitamin D which is important to us, and UVA is found effective is some medical treatments for skin conditions. Conversely, in high quantities both of these types of radiation destroy vitamin A in the skin however, which can be harmful. UVA, UVB and UVC are all known to damage collagen fibres thereby accelerating the ageing of our skin.

Probably the most important implications for our health are the effects of UV on our DNA and its potential to cause skin cancer. Both UVB and UVC are proven to directly damage DNA and cause skin cancer. It was once thought that UVA was not responsible for cancer but it is now understood that whilst it does not destroy DNA directly, it does stimulate the production of reactive chemicals which in turn do destroy DNA and thus potentially cause skin cancer. Indeed, some scientists have suggested that it is the lack of UVA filters in sunscreens that may be responsible for many instances of melanoma. Although UVA does not cause sunburn it penetrates the skin deeply and is more responsible for collagen damage than UVB.

Where is this article going? Well, I think you have worked that out alrelady if you read through the preceeding text. It is impossible to say that tanning beds are safer than being exposed to the sun, in my opinion. However, it is possible to say that they are indeed harmful to your skin and can be responsible for contributing to the cause of some skin cancers.

Precautions

If you do intend to use a tanning bed then here are a few precautions:

1. Limit your exposure - only use one for short periods and infrequently
2. Never, EVER, let children use a sun bed!
3. Never use one if you have a history of skin cancer
4. Never use one if you are taking medication that is known to cause problems such as skin sensitivity - some birth control pills and immunosuppressants can do this for example
5. Wear goggles to protect your eyes
6. Wear a sunscreen but bear in mind that while UVB can be blocked out, there is no product available that can block out all UVA (there isn't even a system for rating UVA protection yet!).

Regardless of what anyone advises you about tanning beds, UVA radiation is not safe.

If you are concerned about wrinkles and ageing then you may be interested to read my other article on how RoC skin care products help combat wrinkles