These are some of the questions that my patients ask me on a daily basis, during the summertime.
And since we're in mid-summer… I decided to write this article that tackles all of your concerns.
So… in that spirit, you should know that, simply put, the answer is no. Going to a tanning salon won't prevent you from getting sunburnt. Not even getting a tan from natural sunlight will prevent any future sunburns. That is nothing more than a myth.
Let me explain why.
Getting tanned won't actually provide you with any sort of protection, because the benefits of being tanned are not skin deep. A tan does not act as a shield against the UV rays.
In fact, researchers at Yale discovered that a tan is equivalent to a sun protection factor of 3 or less. That's pretty much useless in terms of defending your skin against the damaging UV rays.
Because, a tan in itself is a damage to your skin - caused by exposure to either natural or artificial sunlight.
Within minutes from exposing yourself to the sun, the radiation rays can damage your DNA structure and cause skin cancer.
