I heard a very interesting article on NPR today about the dangers of sun exposure. Supposedly, young women between 20 and 40 are much more likely to get melanoma than young men because of sun bed tanning. The dermatologist being interviewed said that this happens as women are the ones more commonly using sun beds. He also explained that damage to the connective tissue under the skin is what causes premature ageing and wrinkles and it's UV exposure whch causes this most often. He claimed that you don't see much ageing in the skin of someone under 45 or so unless they go out in the sun or use sun beds. He likened sun beds to cancer causing cigarettes.
Also, dark skinned people are only one twenty fifth as likley to get melanoma as pale skinned people, though the palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet are as vulnerable as those of pale people.
He said that skin creams are mostly a waste of money as they can't change the connective tissue under the skin. Retinols may make a slight difference around the eyes but even then maybe only a 10% difference and only in someone with very little fine lines.
Anyway, we know a lot of this already but I found it interesting that sun beds are so dramatically dangerous.