Fact or Myth?

With many facts and myths about tanning circulating today, how are people supposed to be able to separate fact from fiction in order to make educated choices? What are some of the most common myths that people, over time, have come to believe to be true?

Myth #1: You can contract AIDS or herpes from the tanning. This is totally impossible and absurd.
Fact: The AIDS virus is transmitted only by bodily secretions. There should be almost no risk on a tanning bed. The possibility is "extremely remote". Moreover, the professional tanning salons are required to sanitize each bed after each use.

Myth #2: You can "fry"your internal organs if you tan excessively.
Fact: The reality is that something like this cannot possibly happen. The UV rays, if absorbed in an uncontrolled dose, can penetrate your skin but that's about as far as they can go in your body. Tanning could potentially lead to skin cancer, but there is absolutely no chance that your internal organs may get 'fried'.

Myth #3: Tanning before you go on vacation so you won't later burn, also known as the "base tan", is a safer way to expose yourself to the sun.
Fact: The theory behind this is a few sessions of indoor tanning will protect your skin from sunburn in a sunny climate. But, very little evidence supporting the validity of this theory exists. Tanning under the sun or a sunlamp gives protection that is equivalent to a sun protection factor (SPF) of 4 or less, which translates into a little extra time in the sun before you start to burn. But the larger issue is that any change in skin color is a sign of damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.