Going on a beach vacation and planning a visit to the tanning salon to get a base tan first? Bad idea. There's little evidence that a few sessions of indoor tanning will protect your skin from sunburn. In fact, repeated exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, whether at the tanning salon or by the sun, increases your risk of premature skin aging and skin cancer. The best way to prevent sunburn is to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., to cover up, and to use sunscreen liberally and often.