I used to tan.

You know, "fake bake," in an indoor tanning bed.

In high school, before prom and Homecoming, I tanned for a month or two at a time. I remember going to the tanning salon after volleyball or track practice, sweaty and hungry after the workout, yet waiting to eat and change just the same.

Some of it was peer pressure. Some of it was that the golden glow was that important.

I also tanned for a short time my freshmen year in college and for a few weeks before I got married.

I worked many high school and college summers as a lifeguard, and truthfully, I liked the "perk" of getting a tan on the job. I always wore sunscreen, however, and did what I could to make sure I didn't get burned.

I knew the risks of sun damage and skin cancer. It was just easy to have an attitude of, "Well, that's not going to happen to me. I'm young!"

As a true grown-up now, I know it's not a good idea to "fake bake." And if it's true what they say about indoor tanning bringing on wrinkles even faster, no thank you!

Still, I understand the appeal. We all want to feel like we're attractive, right? Young and lively. I'd trade my fair skin tone for one with slightly more melanin. And in the summer, I like to sit in the sun. But I hope I'm smarter about it than I was back then.

Nationally, folks are talking about this issue.

A bill in the U.S. House right now asks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to consider tougher federal regulations of tanning beds.

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission charged the Indoor Tanning Association with making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning.

And in March, FDA advisers will hold a public hearing to consider amending tanning-equipment labeling requirements to strengthen warnings about skin cancer and eye damage and make the warnings easier to read.

Read more about that on omaha.com.

What do you think? Do you tan? Did you tan? How about your daughters?

posted by Veronica on Friday February 12, 2010