Almost half of sunbed centers say that more doctors are utilizing tanning services in the past year according to a SmartTan.com survey — another indication that many in the medical community are catching on to a balanced message about UV exposure.

According to the survey, 46 percent of tanning business owners say the number of doctors who utilize tanning services has increased in the past 12 months. Only 8 percent said that fewer doctors are tanning, while the remaining 46 percent reported no change.

“This is consistent with what we’re seeing everywhere — most of the medical community realizes that ‘sun abstinence’ was a mistake,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “The sad fact is that most of us live and work indoors today and aren’t getting regular sun exposure. And there’s no doubt that sunbeds are the best possible surrogate for sunshine.”

Smart Tan teaches sunburn prevention instead of sun abstinence.