BATON ROUGE — We all know that too much sun puts you at higher risk for a type of skin cancer called melanoma, but many people do not know that tanning beds carry many of the same hazards.

A new study out of Rochester University is raising a red flag for fans of tanning beds.

Researchers found that counties in New England with several tanning beds had some of the highest melanoma rates in the country.

Places like Vermont, where tanning beds are easy to find, also had some of the highest rates of melanoma seen in the study.

A melanoma diagnosis increased by 3% for each minute someone lived closer to a tanning bed.

Much like sun overexposure, tanning beds raise the risk of melanoma because they emit u-v rays that damage the DNA of skin cells.

So next time you’re tempted to tan, think twice. Regular sunscreen use can go a long way towards keeping your skin healthy.