Are there more Tanning Beds in the 'Sunshine State' than McDonald's?

It's been linked to skin cancer. An accelerated rate of aging. Too much sun just isn't good for you. And tanning beds? They're just as bad. We know that--just like smoking cigarettes (i.e., putting smoke and chemicals into your lungs) can give you lung cancer. (Heck, it's even written right there on the pack.) But we do it anyway because it looks cool, it hides cellulite, it makes you look younger before you'll ultimately look older or maybe because everyone's doing. And according to cancer research from Florida, it is probably a little bit of that last one.

The findings revealed that there are more tanning salons in the Sunshine State than there are McDonalds. (And whether you're a hillbilly or a millionaire, who here cannot say they haven't eaten a Big Mac at least once?) Translation: Floridians love to look tan, but do they really realize the price they're putting on their health and their future looks?

Researchers from the University of Miami along with Dr. Sonia Lamel worked together to come to the shocking conclusion that for every 50 square miles of state, there was at least one tanning salon. In more in-depth calculations, this means that there is one tanning salon for every 15,113 people there, with a total amount of tanning salons at 1,261. This way surpasses the amount of McDonald's joints at 868. And other stores like Bank of America and CVS were also left in the dust.

"Hindsight is 20/20, but what we need is foresight to stop indoor tanning and prevent the development of avoidable skin cancers," said Zeichner, who is also the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai according to Medical Xpress. "Dermatologists, primary care doctors, pediatricians, and lawmakers must work together to enforce stricter regulations on tanning and educate the public on the risk you put yourself at even after one tanning salon session."

And to make matters worse, Florida, along with several other southern states, tops the list as one of the highest skin cancer rates in the country. In closing, we have to ask ourselves: In a state nicknamed after the sun, couldn't you just walk outside to soak up some rays?

The study was published in JAMA Dermatology.