The Facts About Tanning
Your skin is designed to tan as your body’s defense against sunburn. It is a natural process whether you tan in a salon or in the sun. The tanning lamps in a professional salon us a carefully researched combination of ultraviolet light. Different spectrums of UV light work together with your skin to form a protective barrier against skin damage.
There are three types of UV: UVA, UVB and UVC.UVB rays are short intense waves of energy stimulating melanocytes in your skin to produce the pigment we call melanin.
UVA-is a longer wave that penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB, the pinkish melanin in your skin absorbs the UVA light which turns the melanin brown.
UVC is the harmful type of UV, tanning beds are designed to filter out this ray.
Why is it important to develop a base tan?
Moderate exposure to UVB helps develop a natural barrier in the skin to protect the body from excessive UV light. UVB stimulates the production of melanin which then surrounds the core of cells to protect DNA. In addition UVB thickens the epidermis (the top layer of the skin) there by limiting the amount of UV light which could penetrate to lower skin layers. If this protection (base tan) is not developed or a sunscreen used sunburn can occur and the DNA of the skin cells may become damaged. Repeated sunburn can result in damaged cells which then reproduce themselves. This can be the beginning of skin cancer.
How often am I allowed to tan?
24 hours is required to pass between tanning sessions. Pigmentation and/or over-exposure may not be fully visible for 12 to 24 hours after your original session. 48 hours is recommended to give your skin resting time in between sessions.
How long does it take to get a tan?
This depends upon the skin type of each individual, as well as the tanning equipment they are using. While some may notice significant results in just a few sessions, it can take other several weeks of tanning three times a week to get their “base tan”.
Do I have to sunburn first to obtain a good tan?
Like most activities in life indoor and outdoor tanning must be done in moderation. A beautiful tan is achievable without overexposure. Reddening is a body’s warning that the skin has been overexposed to ultraviolet light. Do not ignore this warning. If you continue to expose red skin to UV rays the skins natural repair mechanism becomes overloaded. This may lead to chronic light induced skin damage.
I have reached a point that I’m not getting any darker?
Your skin actually become thicker as your tanning progresses and makes it difficult for UV light to penetrate the skin. This is commonly referred to as a tanning “plateau”. Moisturizer is even more important at this point. Your skin cells are actually standing up and are reflecting the UV rays, using a lotion will help these cells lay down and be more receptive to UV rays. Our recommendation is to use a good step 1 tanning lotion for 2 to 3 tans to soften the skin then start a rotation with a step 2 or hot action tanning lotion. Rotate your lotion and use plenty of moisturizer and you will get over your plateau.
My face and legs don’t tan very well.
Our face is the only part of our body that does not produce its own moisture. Our legs become a little dryer because of clothing. Fact is that moist skin tans better than dry skin. Use a water or aloe based moisturizer at least twice daily. Avoid lotions with mineral oil they are actually drying and clog your pores.
A session in a tanning bed is equivalent to how many hours in the sun?
It is difficult to make a simple comparison between the sun and modern indoor tanning equipment. Just as various kinds of indoor tanning lamps and equipment differ in spectra output and energy emitted the suns strength is dependent on several factors as well. These factors include time of day or year, the latitude, cloud cover, pollution and reflection. Consequently there is no formula for relating indoor tanning exposure times to outdoor exposure times.
Do I really need to wear goggles while tanning?
ABSOLUTELY! Your skin can tan your eyes can’t and your eyelids are extremely thin. Federal law requires that tanning salons have proper eye protection available. This eyewear must meet federal government standards by blocking 99% of UVA and UVB rays. Closing the eyes, wearing sunglasses, or putting a towel over your eyes is not adequate protection as the UV rays will easily penetrate these things and continue into the eyes.
Vitamin D The Sunshine Vitamin
Sun exposure to the skin is the human races natural intended most effective and most neglected source of vitamin D.
Vitamin D sufficiency, along with diet and exercise has emerged as one of the most important preventive factors in human health. Hundreds of studies now link Vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer as well as heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases.
Sunlight is the best and only natural source of vitamin D. Unlike dietary or supplementary Vitamin D, when you get your D from sunshine your body takes what it needs and de-metabolizes any extra. That’s critical as vitamin D experts and many health groups now advocate 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, five to tem times the old recommendation.