While safer than tanning under the sun, the dangers of tanning beds still need to be understood.

If you were to ask a tanning salon owner about the dangers of tanning beds, he may tell you there aren't any, or that the risks are limited, provided you limit your time in the beds. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disagrees.

The tanning process, whether under the sun or tanning lamps, is similar. Ultraviolet light (UV) darkens the skin pigment. There are two types of UV rays ? UVA and UVB. The sun emits both types of rays, but after having discovered that UVB rays cause burning, tanning bed manufacturers switched to UVA lamps under the logic that the burning was the cause of skin problems such as premature aging, immune system deficiencies, and skin cancer.

Recent studies have proven that prolonged exposure to both types of UV rays can damage your skin as well, leading many medical professionals to warn patients about the dangers of tanning beds. Other steps recommended by the American Medical Association to protect your skin from UV damage include:

1 - Avoid direct sunlight between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

2 - Wear hats, long sleeves, and pants to reduce UV exposure.

3 - Wear a sunscreen with a 15 SPF or higher.

4 - Wear sunglasses that block 100 percent of all UV rays when outdoors.

This has led sun and tan worshippers to questioning how best to get the color they want without endangering their health. One answer has been to move away from tanning beds and toward spray on tanning booths. With spray on tanning, a patron stands in a booth and color is sprayed onto the skin. They then shower off the excess to reveal an almost instantaneous tan that will last several days before fading. If they want darker tans, they can go back the next day and repeat the process to build onto their existing tans. Best of all, the FDA has issued no warnings against spray on tans.

Until the dangers of tanning beds are fully understood and overcome by tanning bed manufacturers, perhaps the best rule of thumb is to proceed with caution and limit your exposure. At the very least, wear protective eye goggles, avoid tanning every day, and carefully consider your other tanning options.