With the summer months almost here the strong desire to already have a nice golden bronze tan will start to creep up on folks. Unfortunately unless you're living somewhere in Southern California you may not have the opportunity to achieve the goal of a pre-summer tan. However, for many consumers that have access to a nearby tanning salon they will attempt to obtain a nice even tan with the possibility of harming their skin, especially teenagers.

For many teenagers the lure of having the best tan prior to summer will cause many of them to eagerly hit the local tanning beds in the salons located near their homes. The problem with this stems from the possible abuse of the tanning beds if there is no regulation or supervision on the amount of time they spend in a tanning bed. Many people may not know this, especially teenagers, but the UVA rays emitted by tanning bed lights can actually be detrimental to your skin at the cellular level. Although many tanning beds have a protective shield made constructed from plexiglass it's not enough to block the harmful effects of the UVA rays used during a normal tanning session. The opportunity to get burned during a tanning bed session is very real and the damage could occur at the level where your melaninoid is located. The effect is actually mare harmful then the rays currently emitted by the sun and could be the precursor to skin cancer.

Interestingly enough this information isn't hidden from the public as there are numerous agencies and websites located on the Internet that provide details on the harmful effects caused by tanning bed salons. In fact, many tanning bed operators readily admit that their tanning equipment does emit both UVA and UVB rays but in a small quantity that won't readily harm you when properly used. The reality is there is still a chance no matter how slim that you could suffer some form of skin damage when improperly using a tanning bed. One word of caution that is repeated by many dermatologist and other leading skin specialists is the increase of damage occurring in teenagers as they are exposed to these harmful rays during their tanning sessions. The danger is so high that it increases their chance of developing cancer by as much as 50%.

The real culprit behind all of the dangers associated with indoor tanning is due to the fact that the UVA rays used in tanning beds don't have the ability to offer some form of natural protection like the rays emitted by the sun do. Additionally, The natural rays from the sun actually increase the thickness of our skin layers thereby offering an additional measure of protection. One little known fact is that the UVA rays stemming from a tanning bed do offer the opportunity to let someone obtain a nice dark tan but that's because their rays are almost five times stronger then the sun's UVA rays. Word of caution here, don't be fooled into thinking that the sun's rays aren't harmful. They actually can be quite deadly and you must always use a potent sunscreen lotion in order to protect your skin while obtaining a natural tan.

As you can see even though the desire to have a gorgeous looking tan is in all of us and it can be obtained through the use of a commercial tanning bed the dangers associated with getting that tan are very real. Tanning beds should be used in moderation and should ideally be avoided by teenagers as a means to protect their skin from the harmful effects of the UVA rays emitted by the tanning bed lamps.