Tanning Beds vs. Sunlight
Everyone wants to achieve a beautiful, glowing bronze tan, and two of the most popular ways to do it are by getting natural sunlight and lying on a tanning bed. It is a well-known fact that tanning in the sun is a harmful choice because of the dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays given off by the sun. However, many people wonder if a tanning bed is that much safer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Function
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Tanning beds (also known as sunbeds) release ultraviolet radiation to produce tans. Most tanning beds have a few fluorescent lamps that utilize phosphor blends built to give off UV rays, in a manner not too different from the sun.
Theories/Speculation
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The ratio of UVA versus UVB radiation in tanning beds is different to that of natural sunlight. Also, tanning beds have different UV spectrums than the sun. Tanning-bed radiation levels are more potent and intense, and users must limit their exposure to very brief periods of time. It is believed that UV rays emitted by tanning beds are three to eight times stronger than those released by the sun. However, since people are exposed to tanning-bed UV rays for a shorter amount of time, it is thought that, in the end, the total exposure to UV rays is less when tanning through tanning beds.
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Considerations
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Because of the strength of tanning-bed UV rays, there are links between tanning beds and skin cancer. However, it's not really possible to prove a direct correlation between tanning beds and skin cancer (melanoma), because the majority of people who use tanning beds also go outside and have exposure to real sunlight as well.
Benefits
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Are there any benefits to using tanning beds over tanning using natural sunlight? First, using tanning beds takes a lot less time than natural tanning. Who has time to spend hours tanning in the sunlight every day? Tanning sessions using tanning beds usually last between a brief 5 minutes up to half an hour. Another benefit is the idea that, since you are exposed to UV rays for a shorter amount of time, you are actually getting less harmful exposure to UV rays (even though the emissions are more intense).
Warning
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In the end, there are pros and cons to tanning using both tanning beds and sunlight. However, one thing that is sure is that people with fair, paler skin (those who sunburn easily) should avoid tanning beds and sunlight even more carefully than others, because they are at a much higher risk of developing skin cancer, skin damage and rapid aging.
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