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When we are in the sun, two things happen to help protect us from skin damage - our skin tans and it also gets thicker. In people with white skin, the skin thickening that occurs is more effective than the tan that develops in protecting us.

On many sunbeds, however, the nature of the UV radiation that is emitted is very poor at thickening the skin and so even though you may tan, you will not be protected to anything like the same extent as a tan produced in sunlight.

So to answer your question, using a sunbed will provide you with a little protection against burning but nothing like you might expect. It's a good idea, therefore, not to rely on a sunbed tan but to use the usual forms of sun protection like clothing, shade and sunscreen - as indeed you plan to do.

I'm afraid tan accelerators provide very little in the way of sun protection. Given your past medical history, I would strongly advise that you stick to the usual methods of sun protection - clothing, shade, and sunscreen - and not rely on a base tan.