in addition to my post my son is 13 years old ( 14 in may 06 ) and is currently not seeing his friends, very housebound and hardly going out ( only to tescos to avoid teachers ). he has also not attended mainstream school for 4 months so now having to be home tutoured. anxiety problems about appearance are also difficult although since he has been tanned he has begun to really like every thing about himself (his body, hair e.t.c) Any advice would be a great help.
thanks.

I would just bin it as tanning lamps are dangerous. Maybe swap it for something else he might like as a tradeoff.

What is the big deal with the tanning lamp, I mean if it makes him happy and able to except the way he looks then why not let him have it. I am a father of two teenage daughters (14 and 15) and my youngest Keisha, is also a tan lover and spends most of her spare time either sun bathing or using a sun bed at the local salon.Although I know the long-term effects the sun can have on your skin, you can only really tell them and hope the will see sense. Maybe when she does get skin damage she might learn from her mistakes.