Tanning Salons began to emerge around 1980 and were pandemic by 1990. Until recently, tanning beds were the only option to the hours of sun basking required to achieve and maintain a "natural looking" sun tan. For roughly $5 to $8 a pop and 20 minutes several times a week, one can lay or stand under the lights and have a tan. A little bit of time and money now, but the long term costs are far higher in terms of skin damage, premature aging and cancer, according to dermatologists. On the average, there are a million tans delivered in tanning beds every day in the United States and more than 28 million Americans patronize tanning salons each year. Young women constitute the fastest growing group. A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that 51 percent of high school girls visited tanning beds at least four times in the past year. What many of them don't realize is that the damage caused by the indoor lamps is just as dangerous as outdoor sun exposure and can lead to the same deadly consequences. 
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Dermatologists across the country are alarmed with the number of teenagers and young adults who continue to patronize tanning salons regardless of the studies reporting the link between sun exposure and a wide array of skin cancers. Dermatologists are treating more and more fatal skin lesions in remarkably young patients with the common denominator being overexposure to the sun before the age of 18, when skin cells are especially vulnerable to injury from UV radiation. There will be over one million new cases of skin cancer and more than 78,000 deaths attributed to skin cancer this year.
 
The powerful Indoor Tanning Association uses its muscle to keep Americans' heads in the sand. Skewed information is constantly being touted to allay consumer fears and encourage their continued patronage of its member salons. It exalts the need for UV light (very little) to make vitamin D and absurdly asserts that the hundreds of scientific studies that affirm the cancer dangers from UV rays are invalid. It tries to explain that its brand of UVA is "different" and that its small amount of UVB is insignificant and therefore irrelevant.
Dr. Steven K. Spencer, M.D., a researcher and professor of medicine and surgery, section of dermatology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, N.H. points out the obvious, UVA and UVB are UVA and UVB and it doesn't matter where they come from. "The tanning industry says modern devices are safe. They can control the dose, but the rays are still harmful. They would like you to think that they control what they're doing, but it doesn't mean that what they are doing is not harmful. It's like putting filters on cigarettes." Read more about: Killer Tans >>
 
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), studies have found indoor tanning to be just as harmful to the skin as outdoor sun exposure. Salon bulbs provide a significant amount of UVA and UVB radiation. Both types of radiation, also found in the sun, cause various types of damage to the skin that may lead skin cancer and should be avoided. The AAD opposes indoor tanning, except for medical uses. In the absence of banning the devices, the AAD advocates that operators post clear warnings about the risk of skin cancer, patrons should sign statements to that effect, and minors should not be allowed to use tanning beds without written permission from a parent or guardian.
 
Despite significant evidence supporting the relationship between indoor tanning and skin cancer, as well as the significant skin damage and breakdown of the connective tissue producing premature aging, regulation of the two billion dollar tanning salon industry in the United States is limited. Bucking the Indoor Tanning Association and to help protect its citizens from the dangers of indoor tanning, the state of Texas passed House Bill 663 (HB 663) in 2001. This bill prohibits any person under the age of 13 from using indoor tanning salons, except under a doctor's supervision. Adolescents ages 13 through 15 must be escorted by a parent, and 16 and 17-year-olds must have a note from their parent in order to use the indoor tanning equipment. House Bill 663 also mandates that the tanning salon keep a record of each customer, including information on the patient's eye color and skin type, and document any injuries related to tanning, as well as providing a toll-free number to the Texas Department of Health to encourage reports of injuries.  California has also recently enacted legislation to protect the public from the dangers of indoor tanning and other states are soon to follow.
 
As the best airbrush tanning results are achieved through a professional application, not a do it yourself at home project, airbrushed tans are little more expensive than a visit to the tanning bed. While tanning beds and booths are a product of the past for educated consumers, they require the least amount of [current] expense to be tanned.  Therein lies the continued lure of tanning beds, especially for teenagers and college students, those still in the higher risk period for UV skin damage. Airbrush tanning provides the healthiest way to have both the tan you desire and still save your precious skin, and possibly your life.