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Yes, I believe that minors should be allowed to tan. But I do feel that there should be restrictions put on this privilege. I own a tanning salon, and we do have quite a few teenagers that come in and tan. However, we do require parental consent, and I don't feel that the majority of these kids are abusing the beds. Our biggest group of kids comes in right before prom. We live in a very cold climate, so getting a tan outdoors before prom is completely out of the question. These kids usually tan for a month, and then they disappear for a year. Just like anything else, I feel that tanning is okay as long as it is done in moderation. We have not ever seen or experienced an incident where we had kids that took tanning too far. I am sure that there are a few out there that do, but I bet more of them drive too fast than tan too much.

The truth is anything can be abused. Tanning beds have caught a lot of blame for skin cancer. Yes, there is no doubt that overexposure contributes to the development of skin cancer. However, are you aware of the risks that too little sunlight (UVA and UVB rays) poses? Sunlight is the best absorbed and purest form of Vitamin D. We can get Vitamin D through our diets, but it's not the same as getting it from the sun. Vitamin D helps the body absorb Calcium. In recent years, children have been developing rickets. Rickets is a condition where the body does not get enough calcium, and the bones become brittle and break easily. They also grow crooked and can be soft. This condition was obsolete just ten years ago. We knew what caused it and how to fix it. But now, we are so afraid that the sun will give us and our children cancer, we aren't getting the vitamin D we need, and therefore not absorbing enough calcium into our systems. The sunscreen we smear all over our bodies not only prevents sunburns, but prevents Vitamin D absorption.

Rickets isn't the only thing that Vitamin D deficiency can cause. True, overexposure to UVA and UVB rays can lead to skin cancer. Skin cancer is one the most treatable forms of cancer there is. Mostly because it's highly visible. However, liver and pancreatic cancer rarely have a good prognosis. Both of these cancers can be linked to Vitamin D deficiency. They are hard to diagnose and hard to treat. The outcome when a person is diagnosed with these kinds of cancers is rarely good.

In closing, here's just a little food for thought. What does a plant require to live? The answer is sunlight and water. What makes us think that we are any different? I don't think we are. Sure, if you leave a plant out in thousand degree heat with no shade, it will burn, wilt, and die. So will we. But the death will find us just as quickly if we are left in the dark. I'm not saying we should all look like old leather handbags, but how much harm could a little (I stress little) ray of sunshine do?

Learn more about this author, Brenda Adams.
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