Which is better/safer, tanning beds or the sun (natural tanning)???

i'm 16 and wanted to start tanning in tanning beds and my parents want me to be safe about it. i have never done this before and i wanted to get some info on which was safer, tanning beds or tanning outside? if anyone can provide a website or something or if you just have info let me know please.

Tanning is not safe...any way you do it. You are setting yourself up for skin cancers when you are older and wrinkles way sooner than you would expect. It is best to stay out of the sun, wear sunscreen and enjoy being beautiful for many years of your life!

A canned tan! Neither the sun nor tanning beds is safer. Both are dangerous without protection. My ten-year-old niece, who goes to the pool everyday during the summer for hours and whose mother puts sun block in her hair, just had a pre-cancerous mole removed from her head. Why would you want to risk cancer?

Neither one is safer..

Spray tanning is about as safe as it gets.

I don't tan {I'm black} but my friends who have used them said that tanning takes alot of time and money I had one friend who started getting skin blotches from a tanning salon so she stopped going and it was she fine but her doctor says she can't go back to tanning salons so I say and she says that they aren't safe some doctors think they cause cancer

They are both dangerous try that new spray tanning thing..

Neither.
Tanning beds serve no purpose other than causing cancer. Sure you look good while you're doing it.
Natural sunlight is better but you should avoid it while it's at its strongest between 10 am and 2 pm, again, because it causes cancer.
Melanoma is not a pretty death.

Actually the safest way to tan or get darker skin is a spray on tan, with safe brand names like Neutrogena.

But honestly, if you like to lay out in the sun, then you should, but just limit your exposure. Make sure to use sunblock if you do end up in the sun a lot, better to be safe than sorry.

I do not recommend tanning beds, they're the unsafest.

I was told a long time ago that a tanning bed was similar to a microwave and that it could actually "bake" your ovaries. Also, it could be unsanitary to lay in someone else's sweat if it isn't cleaned properly. I even remember a time when I had blisters in my throat so bad I couldn't drink a milkshake. The doctor concluded it was a reaction to the tanning bed.

Both are equally dangerous~!!!! try the cans or the spray thingy if u wanna be tanned.. at least u are not at risk of getting cancer.

I would say as long as you go to a tanning salon that knows what they are doing, tanning in a bed is better than tanning outside. It also depends on the types of lotions that you use outside vs inside and everything else. It is very important to not push yourself and go for more than 8 minutes the first time in a bed. Gradually work yourself up to 20 minutes.

Between outdoor and indoor tanning, the 'safer' approach is a tanning bed. Let me qualify 'safer'. Sunlight produces UVA and UVB rays (about equally). Sometimes the sun produces more UVB than UVA (during midday). Think of the B in UVB as Burn. UVB rays burn you and produce redness, blistering and pain. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply, but do not burn you. UVA activates the tanning mechanism. Tanning beds produce both UVA and UVB, but there are some beds that produce nearly all UVA.

When you tan outdoors, unless you are very diligent and set a timer to get out of the sun, it's very easy to forget or misjudge how long you've been exposed. UVB also doesn't immediately burn you. The effects take time to show (usually 3-4 hours after exposure and can last for several days if the burn is severe). So, when you tan outdoors, you risk overexposure unless you know your exact exposure limits. Basically, by the time you realize it, you can be burned already and not know it until later that night. Because sunlight varies in strength based on time of year, cloud cover, time of day and various other factors, 1 hour outside could equate between 15 minutes of exposure and up to 2 hours of exposure (depending on strength and other factors).

When you tan indoors, tanning beds have timers. Each bed (depending on number of bulbs, type of bed and how new/old the bulbs are) provides a specific amount of exposure for the time allotted. Even then, the bed exposure levels are governed by the FDA so there are tolerance limits (max and min) that a bed can provide. So, as long as you use the same bed, you will be exposed to the same amount of UV for the same number of minutes. Effectively, this is controlled exposure. It's very difficult to get overexposed with one tanning bed session (as long as the bed is in proper working order and it is being maintained properly) as long as the salon staff is knowledgeable and set the timer properly based on your skin type.

The reality in UV exposure is that you never want to burn. Burning leads to problems up to and including the possibility of cancer. A tanning bed provides controlled exposure that outdoor tanning does not provide. Because of the controlled exposure that beds provide, you are far less likely to burn in a bed. Outdoors, you are taking chances because exposure is not exact and it's easy to overdo it without knowing.

So, tanning in a bed is 'safer' because it offers controlled exposure where outdoor tanning does not. But, that doesn't make the UV any medically safer for your skin than outdoor tanning. UV is UV no matter the source.

As a comment to other answerers... keep in mind that all of the sunblock proponents answering this question have had the 'cancer and UV' line drilled into their head by the sunscreen and medical industries. But, the reality is, sunscreens are not necessarily any safer for the body than UV exposure. These man-made chemicals placed in sunscreens (and then wiped all over the skin) could easily be just as damaging to the body (both the skin and the internal organs) as the sun exposure itself. So, you risk your health using either sunscreens or being exposed to UV. Also, sunscreens break down rapidly on the skin surface (especially the UVA blocking chemicals). This is why it's important to reapply it frequently (risking even more exposure to the chemicals). Sunscreens are effective against UVB rays and only somewhat effective against UVA (chemicals break down rapidly in the air/UV).

What is a tan? A tan is the body's mechanism to shield the skin from further UV damage (basically, a natural sunscreen). A tan is effective against both UVA and UVB rays. The melanocytes produce melanin (pigment/color) that reflects light (UV rays) away from the skin. The melanin (starts out as pink) oxidizes to shades of brown. UV exposure also helps the body synthesize vitamin D. The darker you are, the less UV that is absorbed into the skin and the less vitamin D that's synthesized.

Finally, UV exposure kills many surface and subsurface bacterium that cause skin problems including some forms of acne (up to and including cystic forms of acne).

Note: If your family history includes melanoma or cancerous skin problems, you might not want to expose yourself to UV (at the tanning levels) because you may be genetically predisposed. However, keep in mind that you risk your life and health everyday with the foods you eat, the sunscreens you wipe on, the car you drive, the clothes you wear and all the things you do. Only you can weigh the risks of UV exposure and then make your own choice.