Tanning doesn’t prevent cancer. Vitamin D production in the skin by a few minutes/day exposure to the sun’s rays likely plays a role in cancer suppression.
Excessive tanning and/or tanning beds seem to me macabre, especially when you see “old skin” that has been subjected to same over a lifetime.
However, the human organism and sunlight are a natural pair. I am convinced (on no particular evidence) that Vitamin D produced in the human body through the skin’s exposure to sunlight is the most useful form of the Vitamin.
I am also convinced that one of the true downsides of women wearing the Burkha (aka “the black bug suit”) is blocking exposure to sunlight. This might be particularly troublesome for women wearing the garment in northern, low sun climes, like the north of England.
In Saudi Arabia and other desert countries, the biggest health problem might be simply suffocating in 100+ degree heat.
Another interesting topic is that wearing sunscreen and preventing cancer (esp. the deadliest form of skin cancer, Melanoma) do not, necessarily, go hand in hand.
