To be quite honest, I’ve personally never been a big user of tanning beds.  I do however know a few people that do.  The funny thing is, that lately I’ve been interesting in doing a bit of research on the subject, and was surprised at some of the things I found.  I must admit, that I did have a few misconceptions about them.  First of all, for some reason I always believed that tanning in a salon was safer for you then spending time in the real sun.  I always thought, that the harmful rays were filtered out in the tanning salon booths.  As it turns out, that’s only partially true.   While the majority of tanning beds emit the UVA rays, there is still a potential for certain types of melanoma cancers.  There’s also some evidence that the UVB rays not used in these salons can actually help fight some forms of cancer.

UVB is what helps the body to develop vitamin “D”.  At my last doctors visit, my doctor actually recommended taking vitamin “D” especially during the winter months.  Living in a region that doesn’t get a lot of winter sun our bodies don’t get as much “D” vitamin as it should.  Tanning under UVB lights is a good way to supplement this, as is taking supplements.  Their seems to be much bantering back and forth of opinions as to which is the better / safer approach.  I’ll leave you to do your own research.  As always, consulting with your own personal doctor is a good place to start.