Everyone loves a beautiful bronze tan and with the season's fashion trends getting shorter and shorter, no one wants to brave the streets with pasty white legs. However, the dangers of tanning far outweigh the benefits. While there are dozens of reasons not to tan, here are the top five reasons to just say no to tanning beds:

Wrinkled, Sagging Skin - It's a well-known fact that tanning causes wrinkles in the skin. While small, fine lines are common even with mild exposure, excessive bed exposure leads to deep wrinkles and lines. It can also cause the skin to lose elasticity, leading to loose, sagging skin. Avoid the bed to avoid wrinkles, and help keep naturally occurring wrinkles at bay by keeping skin moisturized. We recommend Wrinkle Revenge rescue & protect facial cream to help improve your skin's vitality, lift and elasticity.

Faded Hair Color - The average woman pays $150 each time she has her hair cut and colored. While most stylists will swear to a six-week fade free shade, exposing hair to the UV rays of a tanning bed could fade your hue in only a few sessions. Skip the tanning bed, and you'll likely spend less time and money at the hair salon.

Age Spots and Freckles - As if wrinkles and sagging skin were not enough to help wean you off of your tanning addiction, people who regularly use tanning beds are twice as prone to freckles and age spots. While some freckles can fade soon after tanning, age spots can be much harder to remove, if not permanent. You can, however, reduce the appearance of age spots with a retinol infused product like Poetry in Lotion intensive retinol.

Dry Skin - It's a fact that tanning drastically dries the skin and can even lead to a scaly appearance. Keep skin soft and supple by reaching for a moisturizer daily. We suggest KP Duty dermatologist moisturizing therapy for dry skin to help keep your skin healthy and nourished.

Skin Cancer – As you may already know, the number one reason to avoid tanning beds is skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation suggests that it is likely that one in every five people will develop some form of melanoma in their life. More than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year with melanoma predicted to be around 76,600 of those cases. A person who frequents the tanning bed is 74% more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer than a person who does not.

So the next time you feel that bronzing itch come on, reach for a bottle of self-tanner and step away from the tanning bed! Your skin will thank you.

By Jen Mathews
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

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