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Question:
I was told that tanning beds are safer than the sun. Is this true? Are there any foods I should be eating or supplements I should be taking?
Answer:
Tanning booths are not safer; in fact the beds are thought to be potentially more harmful to the skin because the ultraviolet rays (UV-A rays) emitted are deeper penetrating. The rays promote tanning and not a burn because of this deep penetration. Whether you are exposed to the sun or a tanning bed, you should make sure you are consuming enough protective factors in your diet, particularly carotenes.
Carotenes are plant pigments which function in protecting against damage produced by the sun. A great deal of research supports the contention that when humans ingest carotenes; these molecules are deposited in the skin where they function in protecting against the damaging effects of sunlight. In fact, beta-carotene, has become the treatment of choice for severe sun reactions and for increasing the amount of time some people can stay out in the sun without getting a sunburn. With beta-carotene, some people have been helped to stay in the sun long enough to get a "tan" for the first time in their lives.
The leading sources of carotenes are dark green leafy vegetables (kale, collards and spinach), and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables (apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, and squash). Supplementing your diet with carotene-rich food products like spirulina, chlorella, barley green, as well as beta-carotene in pill form is also a very good idea to protect the skin against the sun, especially if you are fair-skinned.
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