APRIL: Blame the weather, the cold, whatever, but I have given in on something I never thought I would...I went and baked in a tanning bed for the first time last week. I also signed up for six sessions. It works...but it's awful for me. What do you all think? Bag it or enjoy it until spring breaks?

THERESA: Hmm. I'd call that dying for spring, April... I put tanning at a salon in the same category as smoking cigarettes to stay thin. Maybe you'll look better short term, but over the long haul it's going to make you old and leathery before your time.

However, on these cold early spring days, basking in a steamy sauna sounds pretty nice. I can relate to your eagerness to feel warm again...

LAURIE: April, don't do it! Tanning salons just make the terminally pale such as myself feel bad year-round, instead of just during the summer.

JENICE: April, why not try the new spray-on tans? They're available at many tanning salons. You take off your clothes and stand in this shower-like device and get sprayed all over. This would probably be better for you in the long run than risking ruining your skin. Also, spas such as Blue Mercury on Walnut Street have special tanning application treatments. This beats doing it yourself at home since they exfoliate you first and then apply the tanner. And finally, the last option you have is one of those brush on tanners. I've been even thinking of trying one of those myself since they give you that I-just-got-back-from-the-beach glow.

YVONNE W: This is a site that gives African Americans information about the effects of tanning on our skin, and what we can do to tan as safely as possible if we choose to expose ourselves to the suns ultraviolet rays.

ELLEN: I avoid any interaction with anything related to the sun because my dermatologists told me if I don’t want to look like a prune, stay out of the sun. I am really stupid about these tanning salons. Are these UVA rays or some safer version? Is there a website you can refer me to?

THERESA: Here's something I found from the Federal Trade Commission: "Tanning indoors damages your skin. That’s because indoor tanning devices emit ultraviolet rays. Tanning occurs when the skin produces additional pigment (coloring) to protect itself against burn from ultraviolet rays. Overexposure to these rays can cause eye injury, premature wrinkling of the skin, and light-induced skin rashes, and can increase your chances of developing skin cancer."