Today, tanning in a professional facility minimizes risk, as indoor tanning devices are government-regulated. Exposure times for every tanning session are established and displayed on a schedule accompanying every piece of equipment. This carefully researched schedule considers the tanner’s skin type and the power of the equipment.

That kind of control is impossible outdoors, where variables including seasonality, time of day, weather conditions, reflective surfaces and altitude, all making outdoor tanning more random and sunburn prevention more difficult.