You usually spend a LOT less time in a tanning bed than at the beach. Usually when I go to the beach it's an all day in the sun event. If I go to a tanning bed, maybe 15 minutes.
My parents started taking us to the beach when we were infants and we had beach houses from the time I was 10 that we'd spend almost every weekend and all summer at. There are pictures of me as a child where I look like I was a black person, lol! So I figure all my damage has been done and I might as well enjoy myself at the beach whenever I can w/o having to worry about slathering SPF+++ on me. If I'm going to get skin cancer it's not going to be because of what I'm doing now. I make sure my nieces are covered always because now we know it's what happens early that makes the difference.
Some of you my age might remember putting the iodine in the baby oil or using Crisco to get that really dark tan.
