Some states are considering banning teens from tanning in tanning beds, to protect them from the sun damage that most teens don’t care about yet (I know I didn’t when I repeatedly and stupidly fried myself in the sun and in tanning beds, my poor skin!) Ironically, the sunshine state Florida is one of the seventeen states that are now considering putting a ban on teenaged indoor tanning because of the dangers it poses and because teens aren’t thought of as emotionally mature enough to consider the consequences that habitual tanning has on the skin and the overall health.
This would make the tanning decision up to the state, not the parent. Currently, in most states if a person is under the age of 18, which is considered under the age of consent in most states, a parent must sign for their child to have permission to tan in a tanning bed. Some say that this type of legislation goes overboard, but others say that it is necessary to protect them from themselves at that age. I’m tossed up, I’m not really happy about over regulation of any industry, but at the same time I know that I was not fully aware of what I was doing to my body at that young age, nor did I particularly care – I just wanted to look good and fit in – even though my pale skin barely held a tan for a day!
The rules could vary per state, with some states all out banning teen tanning below a certain age for any reason, and some states requiring a doctors note for indoor tanning for anyone under the age of 18, and some states would have different reasons why they may allow tanning to occur in those that are still teens. At any rate, we all know that indoor tanning, especially in excess and on people with very fair skin, increases the risk of skin cancer. The best option is to try a self tanning formula, I do it all the time, and once you get it down to a science, you wouldn’t even know the difference between a fake tan and a real one.
