Back in the 1990's I used tanning beds often. It usually started in early spring and went straight through summer so I could maintain my tan. That added up to be about 5 months worth of tanning each year over the course of about 10 years. If you really break it down, with an average of 3 tanning sessions a week, I used a tanning bed over 600 times in that decade alone.

Years ago when I was "going tanning" there was incorrect information circulating out there concerning the health benefits. My understanding back then was a tanning bed was healthier than going out in the sun. I also was led to believe that it was far better for your skin to start out in a tanning bed in short sessions before sunning outside for hours. All of this couldn't be farther from the truth. The fact is, any unprotected sun bathing is damaging to your skin, even more so in a tanning bed since they are 4-10 times stronger than the sun because of the intensity of UVA rays.

Research has now found that people who used tanning beds when they were teenagers and in their 20s, have a 75% increase of getting the deadliest skin cancer known to man, melanoma. The tanning industry is hiding the truth from us so they can continue to make money while patients as young as 12 are getting diagnosed with skin cancer. The FDA has finally become so concerned with the risks of tanning beds that they are requiring a warning label be affixed on the outside of the bed, sort of like a pack of cigarettes. In fact, the tanning industry has become a lot like the tobacco industry, they want to hide the truth from you so they can continue to be profitable. I know it's hard to believe because we look so much healthier with color, but try to remember this, tanned skin from the sun is damaged skin.

A couple of years ago I noticed a spot on my forehead and every time I scratching it off, it would grow back. After a few months of this happening, I went to my dermatologist and found out that it was a form of skin cancer called basil cell carcinoma. This skin cancer is the most common and 700,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. It was a scary moment for me and all I could think about was how many times I had exposed my skin to sunlamps when I should have been protecting it. I had the cancer removed and completely changed my attitude about tanning beds and exposing my skin to the sun.

After all was said and done at the end of the day, I still wanted to have tan skin, especially during the warm months of the year. Here is the wonderful news, you can still have that beautiful brown skin all year long without the use of tanning beds or going out in the sun. Sunless tanning products have come so far in the past few years and there are a few that look amazing on every skin tone. There are a couple self-tanners that will give you a natural glow, without that orange look or foul odor, in 3-4 hours time. I have found one that I love and can not live without, at the same time I feel good about how healthy I am keeping my skin. I will never be able to go back in time and take away the damage of those 600 tanning sessions, but going forward I can maintain what I have and still have a beautiful tan all year round.

Stop using tanning beds today, it is the worst thing that you can do to your skin, save yourself from cancer and premature aging. This product has changed my life, it is naturally-made, odorless and the longest-lasting self-tanner on the market. I get the medium to dark color here:

http://wholemindandbody.com/newstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27&products_id=335

This same amazing self-tanner is also available in light to medium color here:

http://wholemindandbody.com/newstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27&products_id=311