The warmer days of summer usher in a season of sundresses, sandals and swimsuits. For many teens, visits to the tanning salon are another summertime tradition. According to one study, 24 percent of teens have visited a tanning bed at least once; many are frequent customers. Another study reports tanning bed use in children as young as 11.

“In many areas there are more tanning salons than there are McDonald’s and Starbucks,” says pediatrician Sophie J. Balk, M.D., lead author for the American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 policy statement on the risks of ultraviolet radiation to children and adolescents.

Balk is one of many health experts working to raise awareness of the hazards of teenage tanning. The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Dermatology support legislation banning minors from tanning. Six states (California, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, Vermont and Oregon) now ban the use of tanning beds by minors under the age of 18, and at least 33 other states regulate the practice.

Many parents simply aren’t aware of the risks, says Balk. “If most parents knew that going tanning at a young age raises their child’s risk of developing skin cancer later on, they would not allow it.”

Safe Tanning: Myth and Reality

Many habitual tanners believe the tanning industry’s claim that artificial rays are a safe alternative to the sun. Not true, says the AAP. Their 2011 report states that UV radiation produced by artificial tanning beds can be 10 to 15 times stronger than the midday sun.

UV radiation is a known carcinogen, like arsenic, asbestos, and cigarette smoke, says Balk. The rates of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, have been on the rise for the past 30 years, with rapid increases in recent years in white women aged 20-29. According to the AAP report, tanning beds are partly to blame.

The statistics are sobering. Melanomas represent only five percent of skin cancers, but they cause three times more deaths than non-melanoma skin cancers. Early detection is key, because melanomas that have metastasized (spread) have no good treatment options. The five year survival rate for metastic melanoma is only 20 percent.

This deadly cancer is now striking teens. “I have a patient who developed a melanoma at 18,” says Neera Agarwal-Antal, M.D., director of pediatric dermatology for Akron Children’s Hospital. “She started tanning at 14.”

Like Balk, Agarwal-Antal compares indoor tanning to smoking. “There are no benefits to using a tanning bed. It’s not OK, even in moderation,” she says.

Tanning bed users can suffer from other maladies, including early cataracts, rashes and prescription drug interactions. “You can get all sorts of infections in tanning beds—herpes, warts, molescum, viral disease, fungus. They’re not exactly bastions of cleanliness,” notes Agarwal-Antal. Early aging, wrinkles, and sagging skin add to the list of unsightly effects.

Addicted to Tanning?

Even when faced with disturbing evidence, many teens are undeterred in their quest for sun-kissed skin. Why is it such a difficult habit to break? Are some teens truly addicted to tanning? Possibly, says Agarwal-Antal. “My patients tell me that they’re addicted to how they look when they tan,” she says. “They feel social pressure to be tan. That needs to change.”

One step is promoting a new beauty ideal. The fashion industry is doing its part; some fashion magazines, including Cosmopolitan, are working to change cultural messaging that promotes indoor tanning.

Surprisingly, Hollywood is helping, too. Many of today’s biggest stars are living proof that you don’t need a tan to be pretty. “It girls” Amanda Seyfried, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Kristin Stewart are glamorous examples of young celebrities who stay out of the sun.

Toward Safer Sun

The best tan is no tan at all, says Agarwal-Antal. Parents and teens need to regard tanning the same way they see recreational drug use or smoking: a risky behavior that can have long-lasting health consequences, she says. “We need to teach our kids to be wary of the sun.”

The safest sun is shade, agrees Charles Shubin, M.D., director of pediatrics at Mercy FamilyCare. Even with sunscreen, there’s no safe way to bake in the sun or in a tanning bed. Sunscreens aren’t foolproof, he notes; they wear off, and most people don’t use enough.

To safeguard skin health, experts recommend avoiding sun exposure during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; wearing hats with a three-inch brim; choosing clothing with built-in sun protection; and always using protective sunscreen (apply one ounce per application: that’s 1/4 of a four-ounce bottle). Agarwal-Antal advises patients to choose an SPF of at least 50 for the body and 70 for the face.

True Colors

Moms can wield great influence over their tanning teens by embracing their natural complexions. Don’t show your kids that you need a tan to feel good or attractive, says Agarwal-Antal. Accept your own natural skin tone, and you’ll encourage teens to do the same. The payoff: a healthier, more beautiful future for you, and your teen.

Malia Jacobson is a nationally published health journalist and mom of three. Her latest book is “Sleep Tight, Every Night: Helping Toddlers & Preschoolers Sleep Well Without Tears, Tricks, or Tirades.”

Vitamin D: Bottled Sunshine

When kids and teens are protected from the sun, they need to add vitamin D to their diet, says Charles Shubin, M.D., director of pediatrics at Mercy FamilyCare. Vitamin D is essential to bone health and plays a role in cell growth and immune function. There’s a connection between sun safety and a need for vitamin D supplementation; the body’s vitamin D production is triggered when UV radiation hits the skin and triggers vitamin D synthesis. Kids who are properly protected from the sun won’t make enough on their own, says Shubin.

Pediatricians recommend that babies, children, and teens take 400 IU of additional vitamin D daily—the amount available in many children’s multivitamins. Food sources include salmon, sardines, liver, egg yolks, and fortified milk and orange juice, but it’s difficult to get enough from food alone. To get their daily dose of D, kids would have to consume 10-15 eggs per day. That’s one big omelet.