Visiting the tanning salon is a popular activity during the spring, just as people start to prepare their base tan for the summer sun, but the dangers remain in the dark for many oblivious indoor tanners. A new study has found that the base-tan can seem deceivingly harmless because it doesn’t burn, but tanners should be aware of the damage they’re inflicting and the risks they’re raising for themselves, the Medical Daily reported.

Researchers from Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, published their findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which looked at diagnosed melanoma patients from 2004 to 2007, between the ages of 25 to 59 years old.

Researchers took a total of 1,167 melanoma patients with 1,101 control subjects and matched them by age and gender, and asked them questions, such as age, gender, income, education, eye color, skin color, hair color, number of freckles and moles, family history of melanoma, and their tanning practices. After looking at all of the information they collected, researchers concluded that “…indoor tanning, even when used in a way that does not produce burns, is a risk factor for melanoma."

Melanoma is usually, but not always, a cancer of the skin. It begins in melanocytes — the cells that produce the pigment melanin that colors the skin, hair, and eyes. Melanocytes also form moles, where melanoma often develops, which is why it’s important to have a dermatologist check new skin growths as early as possible. Having moles can be a risk factor for melanoma, but it’s important to remember that most moles do not become melanoma.

Nearly 65 percent of melanoma cases can be linked to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from natural or artificial sources, such as sunlight and indoor tanning beds, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. However, since melanoma can occur in any melanocytes throughout the body, even those that are never exposed to the sun, UV light cannot be solely responsible for a diagnosis. Current research points to a combination of family history, genetics and environmental factors that may also play a big role in the development of melanoma and skin cancer.

It’s important to keep in mind that the bottom line is there is no such thing as a safe tan. Tanned skin, which is the darkening of pigment, is a result of damage to skin cells. Research is well-supported to suggest that the cumulative damage to skin cells can lead to wrinkles, age spots, premature aging, and skin cancer.