http://www.kttc.com/News/index.php?ID=17139
Could Tanning be Healthy?
After over a million skin cancer cases in the U-S, researchers are searching for a "safe tan" to give people the protective benefits of a tan without the hazards.
Doctors say tanning can be hazardous to your health whether outside or in a tanning bed, but recently Harvard researchers reported that a tan might be the body's best effort to fend off the known cancerous effects of ultraviolet light.
"It's almost like getting a callous on your hand when you do a lot of hard work," said dermatologist Stephen D. Maberry.
Doctors say before you toss your sunscreen, there's no such thing as a "safe" tan yet.
"One of the things that we see is just an increase in the aging appearance of the skin and we call it photoaging, it actually breaks down elastic tissue in the skin, so it makes you look older," said Maberry.
Doctors say for now a tan is protective, but it's not sufficient protection and researchers are still searching for a way to offer safe tans.