TANNING, IT'S NOT ALL BAD

 People get 90-95% of their vitamin D through exposure to the sun. Over the years in our society, we are seeing much less of it. For example, we work indoors, and get our sunlight more sporadically than we used to. It is difficult to duplicate the benefits of getting a vitamin naturally. Getting vitamins through the sun or foods are better absorbed by the body. One of the benefits of going to the tanning salon for a cosmetic tan is that the exposure to UVB light is the body’s natural way to produce vitamin D. Medical professionals are just now starting to see that individuals who have healthy vitamin D levels are much less likely to develop certain forms of cancer. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer are significantly less common in people who receive regular sunlight. There is also research that show vitamin D playing a role in slowing the growth of cancer cells in these types of tumors. Going to a tanning bed 2 - 3 times a week for 10 - 15 minutes can help your body produce vitamin D. Tanning can also help with acne, because it dries out the skin. Especially for people that have acne on their back since it is a hard place to reach.  Sunlight also causes your body to release Serotonin, which is your happy hormone. Indoor tanning from sun lamps was first invented in Europe to help people that lived in places that did not see sunlight for many months or could not stay outside because they would freeze. This sun "therapy" helps with depression. Tanning outside is the best for you, but if you have to get it from sun lamps ... its better than nothing at all. Now there are many harmful effects from tanning, such as the risk to skin cancer or drying out your skin which can cause wrinkles. If you do it slowly and don't get out of hand on wanting to get as dark as possible, you can get a nice healthy glow along with vitamin D and seretonin! I use lotion to tan and immediately when I come home I put after-tanning lotion on. These lotions are specially made to hydrate your skin after you tan and are formulated to absorb into the skin quickly. So be careful, but not afraid to tan.

source: expertvillage