Will a “base” tan help prevent sunburn at the beach?

Hopping in the tanning bed before a weekend at the beach or pool is not a good idea. The skin darkening you receive from a tanning bed only offers a sun protection factor (SPF) of one through four – not enough to protect you. Keep in mind that any tan, no matter where you receive it, is also damaging to the skin. So it’s much safer to use a sunless tanning spray or lotion if you want to look tan at the beach. Be sure to wear sunscreen as a sunless tanning lotion or spray offers no protection from dangerous UVA and UVB rays.