VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – The province has promised to regulate tanning beds within months, with restrictions for young people.   But if you’re a fan of the fake and bake, the tanning industry maintains there are health benefits for everyone.

“It is education and moderation.  I totally believe in UV tanning,” says Lisa Marie Maniscalco at Planet Sun in Maple Ridge.  She spoke to News1130 before yesterday’s announcement and feels many people benefit from using tanning beds.

“I don’t sell anything I don’t believe in.  It is safe, it is healthy; it’s everything in moderation.  A lot of my clients have eczema, psoriasis, acne, arthritis, lupus plus it’s a good thing for SAD [seasonal affective disorder].”

Kathy Bernard, a woman who battled melanoma for eight years and an addiction to the salon, says she knew she had made a bad choice because she began losing her sight.

“I could smell the burning skin in my car as I was driving home, in fact, I couldn’t wait to get home and shower it off, but it didn’t stop me from going.”

She was diagnosed with the illness in 2003.  “This disease knows no boundaries.  Once your skin starts changing colour you are damaging those melanocytes.”

Bernard warns UV rays can do a lot of damage regardless of whether you think you are exempt because “what harm could come from a cloudy day in Vancouver?”

Health Minister Mike de Jong announced Monday there will be new regulations within months restricting the use of tanning beds for people under 18.

A report is coming next month and there will be public discussion on tanning beds before the government makes a move.

Victoria is deciding on whether parental consent should be required for minors to use tanning beds or if they should be banned from tanning salons altogether.  The Canadian Cancer Society supports a ban for teens given the rise in the number of cases of skin cancer among young people.

The Union of BC Municipalities passed a resolution at the end of September calling for regulation of tanning beds.