Using indoor tanning can accelerate the visible signs of aging, like wrinkles and age spots. This is because UV radiation from tanning lamps can damage your skin’s collagen and elastin proteins, which make your skin look thin and less youthful. Additionally, tanning may cause localized sunburns that further damage cells and increase the risk for skin cancer.
UV exposure from the sun also dramatically ages your skin, but most people are not regularly exposed to enough sunlight to cause significant aging effects. Tanning indoors will markedly hasten the visible signs of aging in those who sunbathe regularly – even if they do not develop any skin cancer as a result.