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" I grew up in Southern California, so I understand why people are obsessed with tans. (There was a $3 tanning salon across from my high school!) But even back then, my friends knew their thrice-weekly visits weren&amp;#x27;t healthy. So when I heard about a new study that found that indoor tanning salons outnumber McDonald&amp;#x27;s or Starbucks in many cities, I did a double take. Really? People still do this? Researchers at San Diego State University looked at the number and density of indoor tanning salons in more than 100 of the largest cities in America and then compared them with two &amp;quot;ubiquitous institutions&amp;quot;: Starbucks and McDonald&amp;#x27;s. They found that Charleston, West Virginia had the highest density of tanning salons with a total of 18 facilities for a population of more than 53,000 (the city only has one Starbucks and seven McDonald&amp;#x27;s). New York City had the largest number of tanning salons (183) but with its population of 8 million, it had one of the lowest rates of density. We&amp;#x27;ve already gone over the dangers of tanning on Vitamin G. To refresh: Studies have shown that excessive exposure to UV radiation from tanning beds could lead to premature aging, dampened immunity and eye damage--eep! In fact, the U.S. Department of Health &amp;amp; Human Services has declared both tanning beds (and the sun) to be known carcinogens. Have you ever used a tanning bed? Do you still go to tanning salons? Do you think you look better or healthier with a tan? Photo: iStock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/03/be-honest-do-you-fake-and-bake>