Last summer, the New York state legislature passed a bill keeping minors from using indoor tanning salons.

A new bill would change that age requirement again, increasing the age from 18 to 21.

This would mark the fourth change to the UV tanning age in five years.

"As an American citizen, you should have the ability to choose whether or not you tan or not,” said Tamara Gerace, owner of Extreme Sun Capsule Tanning and Spray Tan Salon in Buffalo. “This is not something that the government should make the decision for you.”

State Senator James Koufis sponsored the bill. He said the risks to younger tanning bed users are severe.

Gerace, however, argues that UV usage has declined in recent years, yet melanoma and other cancers continue to rise. She said these changes are forcing people to close up their salons. 

"It’s bad for the economy, it’s taking away jobs and it’s targeting women-owned businesses,” Gerace said.

From a medical perspective, Dr. Oscar Colegio, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, said indoor and outdoor tanning have dangerous UVA and UVB rays, which damage skin cells and cause cancer, no matter how many times you go.

"A single experience of indoor tanning has been associated with an increased risk of melanoma by 20 percent," Colegio said. "There is an association with light cycles that can help with seasonal depression. Indoor tanning… I don’t think there’s any proof to that.”

Colegio said educating a younger population on the associations of tanning and skin cancer could help people not tan in the future.