"Just to put the number into context, we counted the number of Starbucks and McDonalds, two frequently occurring businesses," says Dr. Joni Mayer, professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the Graduate School of Public Health in San Diego State University. "We knew that there were a lot of indoor tanning facilities but we didn’t really know that they would exceed the number of Starbucks and McDonalds in most cases."

"We interviewed 6,000 teens across the country and those living within two miles of a tanning salon were significantly more likely to have used indoor tanning than those who didn't." says Mayer. "There's a significant association between living close to a tanning salon and using indoor tanning."

Another factor that comes into play is the cheap pricing.

"The majority if not all tanning salons offer discount price packaging on UV tanning," she says. "Which makes it very cheap per tanning session. It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet. To get your 'money's worth,' you tan more often."

Unfortunately, tanning more often means upping your risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, studies have also shown that excessive exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning leads to skin aging, immune suppression and eye damage, including cataracts and ocular melanoma. Even the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has declared both tanning beds — and that big fiery ball in the sky — to be known carcinogens.