covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before usin

A lot of people feel good with a tan and think that it improves their appearance. So what are your options? You can get a tan in three different ways: outside in the sun; by using a bronzing creams or lotions; or by sunbathing under a tanning bed.

The advantage of a tanning bed is that it does not rely on the weather - outside sun-bathing in winter is not a pleasant experience in many parts of the world. Sun bed tanning also allows you to place very strict limits on your exposure the harmful rays that both beds and the sun itself give off.

If you choose to use a bed with artificial light to get your tan then you need to know how to do it as safely as possible. It is not true, as some advertisements claim, that tanning beds are a 100% safe alternative to sun bathing, so you need to know what you are doing.

To understand why you hear the safe-tan claim made for sun beds, we need to detour into a little science. Sunlight is made up of ultraviolet light - this is what leads to the tan. Scientists divide this light into UVa and UVb light, with UVb causing burning more easily than UVa. Early tanning machines were a UVb source which was fairly harmful, and all modern machines are UVa sources, which is more healthy. Though it is true that chances of burning quickly are less with UVa, it is wrong to suggest that this form of ultraviolet light is safe. It is still important to keep a watchful eye on the clock when using a UVa tanning bed.

Another false claim that you should ignore is the idea that UV-A tanning beds do not damage your eyes so you do not need to wear goggles. They do, and you should always wear protective goggles (not sunglasses, not simply keeping your eyes closed, and not some bits of cotton wool!) - the FDA has made this a rule for all tanning salons, so your salon should insist you wear them.

Another question to ask yourself is whether you want to have a tan all year? Using tanning beds on a regular basis will mean that your skin will age prematurely. This is something to consider - how about, rather than tanning the whole year-round, restricting yourself to the summer months? This is especially appealing if you live in a country that has its own seasons and where you will be covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before using

u choose to use a bed with artificial light to get your tan then you need to know how to do it as safely as possible. It is not true, as some advertisements claim, that tanning beds are a 100% safe alternative to sun bathing, so you need to know what you are doing.

To understand why you hear the safe-tan claim made for sun beds, we need to detour into a little science. Sunlight is made up of ultraviolet light - this is what leads to the tan. Scientists divide this light into UVa and UVb light, with UVb causing burning more easily than UVa. Early tanning machines were a UVb source which was fairly harmful, and all modern machines are UVa sources, which is more healthy. Though it is true that chances of burning quickly are less with UVa, it is wrong to suggest that this form of ultraviolet light is safe. It is still important to keep a watchful eye on the clock when using a UVa tanning bed.

Another false claim that you should ignore is the idea that UV-A tanning beds do not damage your eyes so you do not need to wear goggles. They do, and you should always wear protective goggles (not sunglasses, not simply keeping your eyes closed, and not some bits of cotton wool!) - the FDA has made this a rule for all tanning salons, so your salon should insist you wear them.

Another question to ask yourself is whether you want to have a tan all year? Using tanning beds on a regular basis will mean that your skin will age prematurely. This is something to consider - how about, rather than tanning the whole year-round, restricting yourself to the summer months? This is especially appealing if you live in a country that has its own seasons and where you will be covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before usin

ng machines were a UVb source which was fairly harmful, and all modern machines are UVa sources, which is more healthy. Though it is true that chances of burning quickly are less with UVa, it is wrong to suggest that this form of ultraviolet light is safe. It is still important to keep a watchful eye on the clock when using a UVa tanning bed.

Another false claim that you should ignore is the idea that UV-A tanning beds do not damage your eyes so you do not need to wear goggles. They do, and you should always wear protective goggles (not sunglasses, not simply keeping your eyes closed, and not some bits of cotton wool!) - the FDA has made this a rule for all tanning salons, so your salon should insist you wear them.

Another question to ask yourself is whether you want to have a tan all year? Using tanning beds on a regular basis will mean that your skin will age prematurely. This is something to consider - how about, rather than tanning the whole year-round, restricting yourself to the summer months? This is especially appealing if you live in a country that has its own seasons and where you will be covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before usin

t simply keeping your eyes closed, and not some bits of cotton wool!) - the FDA has made this a rule for all tanning salons, so your salon should insist you wear them.

Another question to ask yourself is whether you want to have a tan all year? Using tanning beds on a regular basis will mean that your skin will age prematurely. This is something to consider - how about, rather than tanning the whole year-round, restricting yourself to the summer months? This is especially appealing if you live in a country that has its own seasons and where you will be covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before usin

covered up in the winter months - but hey, it's up to you!

If you have children it is good to give some thought to how much time they spend in the sun or on tanning beds. Research suggests that sunburn to young skin has much more damaging consequences than burns to adult skin. This research looked at the sun damage by UV-B rays but experts also believe that sun beds should be treated with care - it is certainly something to bear in mind when your children or teenagers are thinking of a tan.

A medical opinion should probably be sought before using tanning beds. This is because some conditions - diabetes, lupus and herpes simplex (cold sores) - are made worse by sun bed use. On top of this you need to be cautious because some medication makes skin more susceptible to artificial tanning rays - the list includes certain types of birth control pills, anti-histamines and tranquilizers. So talk to your doctor.

If you want a tan badly enough, then go ahead and use an artificial tan bed. Taking note of the guidance and warnings above can help make it as safe as possible to get that desired tan.