 "Photo: Tyler L. Johnson")
Kristin Richardson tanned for the first time when she was 16.
The Johnson High School graduate loved her golden complexion.
And spending up to three 15-minute sessions a week in a warm tanning bed with a fan was more relaxing than sunning for hours in the Texas heat.
But since Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 1310 giving Texas the strictest guidelines for tanning, teens who want a tan have no choice but to suffer in the sun's rays.
The law, which will go into effect Sept. 1, allows users under the age of 16 ½ only with a doctor's note and a parent present. For ages 16 ½ to 18, a parent must be present to tan in tanning salons.
The American Academy of Dermatology calls it the most restrictive law in the country.
At least 29 states and four counties regulate minors' use of tanning salons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In 2005, the World Health Organization said 8.7 percent of teens worldwide 14-17 used indoor tanning devices.
The organization WHO supports legislation to limit teens' access to tanning salons to prevent melanoma skin cancer, which claims 20 lives each day, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
"One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life," according to the foundation's Web site at http://www.skincancer.org.
The risks of teens tanning is comparable to teens who smoke, said Dr. John Browning, pediatric dermatologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
"I think the law is a good law. There are too many teens who are making hasty decisions to tan. The problem is if you start tanning when you're young, there's a higher risk of prolonged ultraviolet radiation exposure and skin cancer. The skin will also look wrinkled and older much sooner."
He estimated that less than 5 percent of his patients are being treated for melanoma.
Browning has one message for indoor tanning teens - stop.
Thirty million people tan indoors in the U.S. every year; 2.3 million of them are teens, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Another Johnson graduate, Jessica Carson, 17, works at Shades of Tan, 21711 Stone Oak Parkway. She said about 30 percent of patrons at the salon are teenagers younger than 18.
Carson said the salon features tanning beds that allow customers to experience a variety of skin shades.
"The bulbs have certain wattages," she said. "Our strongest bed is 160-watt bulbs on top and bottom, and the lowest bed has 100-watts on top and bottom."
Carson disagrees with the new law requiring teens to have parental consent.
"I think that you should get the choice, not that the government should control it," Carson said. "I think if your parents are OK with it, it shouldn't matter. I know they're trying to look out for us, but a 17-year-old can make a decision whether or not they want to tan, but I think it's different if they were 13 or 14."
Finger scanners make it difficult for teen customers to lie to salon workers about their age.
Once customers provide a driver's license as proof of identification, the salon keeps track of the information. The state restricts customers to tanning only once every 24 hours.
Richardson, now 18, said she understands and agrees with the new legislation: "Although I would have hated to have to wait until 18, and it does seem like an unfair law, it's reasonable due to the fact that everything else you do under 18 for the most part needs parental consent."
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