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A study on the International Prevalence of Indoor Tanning- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis have been released by the JAMA Dermatology stating that the number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases caused by smoking, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports.

There is a growing widespread of the use of tanning beds among adults and young people alike in the U.S. where 55 percent of college students and 35 percent of adults have admitted to getting an artificial tan from tanning beds. Due to this, the study reveals that more than 419,000 new skin cancer cases were attributes the use of indoor tanning each year.

Specifically, tan is the skin's first defense mechanism in response to the damages that too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation might bring from sunlight and other light sources. However, the study states that indoor tanning or tanning beds are not the solution since those are not safe alternatives to natural sunlight, the
Healthline notes.

In the present society, a tan is a symbol of attractiveness, health, and youth, but what most people don't know is that a sunburn or a tan is the body's way of saying that it has been exposed from too much UV radiation which might have harmful effects on the skin.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one must completely avoid artificial UV sources such as tanning beds because its sunlamps may be more dangerous to the skin, unlike the sun which comes and goes depending on the weather.

Too much UV radiation from the sun, as well as artificial light sources as the tanning beds, are known to give off carcinogens which could cause cancer. A total of 419,254 cases of skin cancer from indoor tanning have been reported in the U.S. alone- 6,199 of those were melanoma cases.

Health professionals urge those patronizing artificial tanning like those of tanning beds to stay away from it. Instead, experts suggest looking for sunless tanners and sprays found in local drugstores and supermarkets.