To tan or not to tan, hmmm that is the question?

This is a question that many people have strong opinions on. Since I've had cancer twice most people assume I'm against tanning. I in fact love getting the "Perfect Tan", that's also where I go to achieve this "Perfect Tan", My good friend Lisa Byers owns this company with her husband, and I've been going there fairly consistantly for about 13 years. I've loved how the sun feels on my skin since I was a little girl. I got my first sun burn at 4 years old, i've never have a bad burn again (until my radiation burn) From then on I used sun screen or covered up before I'd burn. when I went to Australia at 19, that's when I really learnt about sun safety, skin cancer is a major problem there because they have hot sun all year round. They had a campain "Slip. slop. Slide" (Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slide on a hat") I did tan fairly irresponsibly for a few years, not wanting to spend money on good lotions and tanning a lot all year round. My skin on my face started to age beyond it's years and my pigment on my face got tired and started getting really blotchy. So when I was 27 I made a decision to give it up partially. I began always using the good lotions provided, and covering up my face, ears, neck and chest, the most likely places to get skin cancer. So for nine years I've tanned only a few months of the year and always covered up my upper parts. I realized some years ago that I was a summer girl and aways got a little down around Feb/March and couldn't wait for the sun to come. I found out later that this is very common in the Northern Hemisphere and is called, seasonal depression. I know I have a mild case of this and the Vitamin D and calming warm comfort of the tanning beds releaves the symptoms. Canadians generally only have natural tanning weather a few months of the year and are encouraged to get more vitamin D one way or another. My prefered source of Vitamin D is the sun. I use some sunless tanning lotions, especially on my face, and chest which I normally don't tan. I've had fun with Mystic Tan the last couple days, it's a natural spray on tan, that you can find at perfect tan. I love the color it gives me and I feel and look so much healthier with a tan. I haven't been able to tan very much at all the last few years with chemo last summer and babies and pregnancies, when I couldn't stand the heat. I'm making up for lost time:)
Tanning also provides me an outing each day or so, Dr's orders that no matter how crappy I feel I must get up, and go out, even if only for a little bit. Tanning is a short outing that makes me feel so much better, I find it so relaxing, and it's something I can do just for me.I don't remember the last time I had a burn, so I believe I'm doing it right. I made Chris go a few times, so he'd look more like an outdoors mand and less like a studio rat:) He was so white in California, he got burnt really bad in one short morning time, and had to wear long shirts to cover-up his sensitive burn the rest of the holiday. Not my idea of a good time.
Off I go for another tan today, My idea of a good time and a good use of my time, as the tanning bed gves me the color in 20minutes, that 3-4 hours of tanning outside woud take.
Using my time wisely, as far as I'm concerned. Loving the sun, loving my tan, feeling good in my skin. (darker stretch marks and cellulite just look better)
If you don't share my opinion for any reason, please just read my truth (or not) but please don't shoot something negative back to me, especially not stats that I already know. Thanks.
Enjoy your summer, what ever way works for you!