BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- On an average day, more than one-million Americans use a tanning salon -- heading under the lights to get a jump on that perfectly-tanned complexion .

But starting July 1, people are going to pay 10 percent more for that tan -- Uncle Sam's way of trying to keep them out of the salon and the doctor's office.

Several studies have shown the vast majority of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, is caused by ultraviolet radiation.

U-V radiation is especially concentrated in those tanning beds -- which quickly tan the body. Three-and-a-half million new cases of skin cancer and about 25- hundred deaths are reported each year in this country.

Especially at risk are women and young girls who make up more than 70 percent of tanning salon patrons.

Researchers said the earlier a person starts tanning, the greater his or her risk of skin cancer -- as much as 75 percent higher.

Doctors got the new tax put into the health care reform bill to discourage people from heading to the tanning salon. Stop it now, they argued, and you'll cut medical bills from treating avoidable skin cancer.

The more than $2.5 billion over 10 years raised by the tax will be used to educate people about the risk of skin cancer from the ultraviolet lights and from the sun.