Tanning Beds: How Safe Is Your Tan?

What's with tanning beds that make them so popular among young people? Well aside from the just-came-from-the-beach tan, most likely they're not aware or educated that tanning beds can do more harm to them than good. While tanning beds seem like a good idea you must first know the risks involved before lying down in one.

Compared to actual sun exposure, tanning beds are actually more harmful. Sunlight gives off UVB rays which only affects the top layers of the skin. Tanning beds however, give off UVA rays which penetrate deeper into the skin causing severe sun damage. With natural sunlight the most you will get are freckles or sunburn. But when it comes to tanning beds you'll get wrinkles, solar lentigines and can lead to premature skin aging.

Solar lentigines? That's doctor talk for those dark brown spots that are often seen on the forehead and cheeks of adults aged 30 and beyond. But given the popularity of tanning beds, teenagers under the age of 18 already are developing these spots. Although they can be treated with a laser, it's expensive. The price for multiple sessions can exceed $1,000 or more and that's to treat but one medium sized spot.

Despite the potentially high price to be paid either for laser treatments or irreversible damage to their skin, teenagers find tanning beds hard to resist. Why are these girls willingly risking their health? According to a study conducted on a group of tanners, tanning bed exposure causes the body to release endorphins. This is the hormone responsible for happiness. So people are happier after their exposure to tanning beds.

So much for self-love, a glowing tan can make anyone feel thinner and confident. For young women it makes them feel good about themselves. That's why they're the tanning beds' biggest user and endorser.

Besides, how can you stop if what you're doing makes you happy? That's what some tanning bed addicts would say. Just like smoking, it's a habit that's hard to break. Often one must experience a life changing health scare to be able to stop.

Probably the worst health situation is to develop melanoma - the deadliest of skin cancers. This is also the most widespread form of cancer in young adults. A recent study done by the University of Minnesota proved that excessive use of indoor tanning beds increase the user's chances of getting melanoma by 74%. Now there's something users have to think about.

TIP: What does melanoma look like? Basically it's a mole-like growth on your skin that's changing or growing in size. If you have it checked early you'll likely be fine. Problem is some are scared to have any suspicious growths checked and wait to do so until it's too late.

If you're a concerned parent, here's some good news. Lawmakers are also concerned about the welfare of the users of tanning beds. They actually decided to impose a so called "tan" tax. Plus require minors who want to use tanning beds in salons to have parental consent beforehand. Not only will this minimize health concerns but tan tax may actually cover the high medical costs associated with indoor tanning.

Despite all the health risks involved, tanning salons are still on business. There are still a lot of people who're paying to spend time in the tanning beds. They're not worried at all about the potential dangers. Or maybe they're just waiting for a major health scare to realize its harmful effects.

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November 25 2010 | Skin Care | No Comments »

Tanning Lamps

There are a number of sun bed bulbs in each tan bed on the market. When you are getting a new, or especially a used or older tanning bed, make a careful examination of the lamps. Make sure that they are real tanning lamps and meet the FDA regulations with regard to health and safety. You should also estimate how easy it is to get at the lamps. Be sure that the bulbs are easy to change when the time comes. It is quite important, and a lot cheaper, if you can perform such routine maintenance yourself, if you buy a home tanning bed.

There are two completely different sorts of lamps used in conventional and high pressure beds. Ensure you get the right sun bed bulbs for your sun bed, because you cannot use any bulbs you like. If you are ordering replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing lamps carefully. Make sure that the bulbs you are ordering are made for your bed.

High Pressure Bulbs: high pressure beds use quartz lamps in a variety of sizes. The gases inside these bulbs have a pressure that is slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The lamps in these beds are located in the top of the bed, so that you tan from above only. When you have tanned the skin on one side of your body for about 10-12 minutes, you turn over and tan the other side. The bed of these devices is much more comfortable than a conventional tanning bed.

The biggest benefit of these bulbs is the short time you have to spend on the bed. Since you tan faster, you need to spend less time in the salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can achieve the level of tan you require in about three weeks of three to five sessions a week. With a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to achieve the same level of colour. Maintaining your tan is much easier too. You only need two or three sessions each month to maintain the colour, compared with that many sessions every week on a conventional bed. Many of these lamps use UVA rays only, not UVB rays which are responsible for burning.

Conventional Sun Bed Lamps: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that look like normal fluorescent tubes. The lamps are situated in the top and the bottom of the sun bed, which means that all the body areas are tanned at the same time, without needing to roll over during the tanning session.

Conventional beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying mixes. Some use both rays and others emit mostly UVA with some UVB rays. UVA rays are responsible for the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce sun burn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to determine which kind of rays your tan bed's bulbs emit. You must ensure you replace your existing bulbs with lamps of the same specifications after about 1,000 hours of use.

Another factor when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions are better for each type of bed. The staff at your tanning salon can help you choose a lotion that will work for the bed you are using and your skin type. Regardless of the bed you are using, you should certainly always use a lotion. Lotions help you tan more quickly and moisturise your skin at the same time.

Do you want to discover more about tanning bed bulbs? If you do, please visit our web site on tanning bed bulbs Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

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November 20 2009 | Acne | No Comments »

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