Whether you are tanning indoors or outdoors, the ultraviolet (UV) light that is absorbed from the sun or tanning bed light bulbs puts you at risk for contracting skin cancer.Tanning causes three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.According to a study conducted in the mid-2000s by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, there are 603 people living in New Hampshire with basal cell carcinoma and 263 people with squamous carcinoma. Of all surveyed, only 540 were without cancer.Research has also shown that persons using tanning beds or booths are two-and-a-half times more likely to have squamous cell carcinoma.However, despite the shocking statistics, much of the American population still tans. At any time of the year, people bronze themselves in order to get their skin glowing to perfection.Tanning beds, stand-up tanning capsules, spray tans or bronzing lotions – people resort to all of these options in order to maintain a groomed complexion. But why do people enjoy looking as if they just returned from a trip to the Bahamas? When you are tan, you feel as though your skin is clearer, you may not need that extra make-up and you can maintain an all-natural look.If you “lie out” in the summer by a pool, on a beach or while you are vacationing, sun rays do enough damage to your skin that the potential for cancer arises. In addition to summer tanning, tanning in the off-season in beds and stand-up capsules greatly increases the chance that you will get skin cancer.I enjoy tanning every once in a while during the winter, just to keep my skin clear and my complexion smooth; however, I do not feel the need to tan seven days a week. I do not believe that dark, leathery skin is very appealing, and I am sure that many people agree with me.Now, nearly all natural or artificial things can be indirectly or directly linked to cancer, so I do not believe that tanning a few times in the winter will do you much harm. However, I am now aware of the consequences for my tanning.While tanning beds are efficient, convenient and easy to use, they can cause vision damage or cataracts. Due to the extreme UV rays in the tanning bed, you may actually be safer in natural sunlight.Although indoor tanning can have damaging consequences, it can nevertheless be beneficial. Research has shown that tanning in indoor beds helps your body produce more Vitamin D, which is beneficial to your bones, teeth and joints – a substitute for a GNC daily pill. Tanning has also been proven to improve a person’s mood, sometimes even becoming an addiction, according to a 2006 study done by the American Academy of Dermatology.In realilty, having a “tan” just damages your skin because of the excess melanin that is produced in your body. Melanin normally protects the body from burning, but in large amounts, it only protects people with naturally darker skin. When the skin is exposed to UV rays, the pigment of the skin is darkened, giving you a suntan, but excess light attacks the skin’s DNA as well, producing genetic defects.Although the negative facets of tanning are scary, many people still lie in tanning beds to improve their appearances and turn their skin golden brown. Despite all evidence that should warn them away, people will tan anyway.