With the modern trend towards embracing anything that is easier and quicker, there has been a rise in popularity of sun bathing using tanning beds. The time spent in a tanning bed is typically much less than an afternoon at the beach, but the radiation levels are more intense than from sunlight and the UVA to UVB radiation ratio is much higher than from the sun. The wavelengths of UVA light are longer and penetrate farther into the skin. UVA radiation is a more potent cause of skin cancer than the shorter UVB light.

UVA radiation, and UVB less so, puts people at risk for DNA damage and skin cancer, but only exposure to UVB radiation will produce vitamin D, which protects against many illnesses. The amount of UVA radiation in the light of tanning beds is typically between 3 to 8 times greater than in sunlight, so you can see that tanning in the fresh air and sunlight in the natural way would appear to be much safer than using tanning beds. Go out and get your healthy glow from the sun at a safe time of day, nourish your body with good nutrition, and you will also get your quota of vitamin D.

Please don't overdo your exposure to sunlight if you want to maintain a youthful appearance. Too much sun on your skin dries it out and forms wrinkles, but not enough sun means you don't get your quota of vitamin D, so as with many things in life it's a balancing act.


Reference Woollons, A., Clingen, P.H., Price, M.L., Arlett, C.F., Green, M.H.L. (1997). Induction of mutagenic DNA damage in human fibroblasts after exposure to artificial tanning lamps. British Journal of Dermatology 1997; 137: 687-692.