Ottawa tanning salons say they are seeing more teens from across the river after stricter rules in Quebec came into effect last week.

The Quebec law, which aims to help prevent several types of skin cancer, made it illegal as of Feb. 1 to offer or sell UV tanning services to minors.

Health Minister Réjean Hébert said the government wanted to use a preventive approach to limit the damaging effects of artificial tanning on people's health.

Teenager Mikhaila Johnson visited a tanning salon in Ottawa on the weekend in advance of a planned vacation. Johnson said she doesn't think the province has the right to stop her.

"It should be your decision to change your own looks because it's your body," said Johnson.

A similar private-member's bill was put forth last year in Ontario, but it died when the legislative assembly was prorogued by then Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Health officials in Ottawa are hoping the bill is reintroduced.

"Like tobacco we need to go further. Youth are invisible right. We need to legislate," said public health nurse Diane Desjardins.

Desjardins said tanning bed lights are 10 to 15 times stronger than the sun at noon and said if you are under 35, it boosts the risk of melanoma by 75 percent.

"We know that ultraviolet radiation causes premature wrinkling, brown spots," said Desjardins. "Why would you want that?"

Caribbean Exposure tanning salon manager Kelly Kaizer disagrees with the health officials and said the tanning salon offers controlled exposure to the artificial light.

"In reality you don't stop your child from going outside in the natural sun. Essentially they're getting sun there too," said Kaizer.