What Are the Benefits of a Tanning Bed?

A tanning bed is a device that is meant to substitute for the sun's rays. It emits ultraviolet UVA and UVB rays from fluorescent lamps. Tanning occurs in an area of the epidermis in the skin called the malpighian layer, which contains a smaller area called the basal layer. In the basal layer is a type of cell called a melanocyte, where a pigment called melanin is produced. The amount of melanin that is produced at a given time and the activity of the melanocytes determine skin color. When ultraviolet rays touch the skin, the body produces additional melanin to protect the body from burning, and this causes it to darken.

Misconceptions

There are few benefits to tanning beds because, like the sun, they emit ultraviolet rays. UVA rays are the longer rays emitted by the sun that affect the deeper layers of the skin and can cause the skin to wrinkle and appear leathery. UVB rays are the shorter waves from the sun that cause sunburns. UVA rays are considered to be dangerous because they can go deeper into the skin, into the inside layer called the dermis where blood vessels and nerves are found. As they penetrate this layer of skin, they can damage the immune system.

Benefits

One of the benefits of tanning beds is that they help to create a skin color that is considered to be aesthetically pleasing throughout the year. In many areas, especially the Midwest and New England, it is difficult to get a tan anytime except the spring and summer months. This means that people living in these areas with white skin will likely have pale coloring during the winter and fall months. Tanning beds allow them to darken their skin during the winter months, which they may want to do if they have an event to attend such as a wedding or a body building competition where tans are expected.

Sun

One benefit of tanning has been found to be that it can help the body to produce vitamin D, which helps strengthen bones and teeth, but research has found that only the sun can help to boost the level of this vitamin in the body. Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are two diseases that are linked to a lack of Vitamin D. Some believe that exposing the skin to the sun for 20 minutes a day can help people with vitamin deficiencies by raising the amount of vitamin D in the body. Tanning beds do not help to bolster vitamin D because they often do not expose people to the UVB rays that cause this increase. Tanning beds usually emit about 95 percent UVA rays because UVB rays often cause burning.

Cancer

Most scientists have found that tanning beds overall are not safe. Exposure to UVA and UVB has been proven to be one of the causes of skin cancer. One of the most serious types of cancer, malignant melanoma, is associated with increased exposure to ultraviolet rays. UVA rays have been linked to melanoma. UVB rays have been associated with basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Prevalence

Skin cancer is a disease that has been found to affect adults more than children, especially those who are 50 or older, but this has started to change as more people have been using tanning beds. Now more people 20 and older are being diagnosed with skin diseases, and a number of scientists are associating this trend with the increased use of tanning beds. Increased exposure to the sun is also connected to premature aging in people of different ages because damage to the dermis can cause the skin to age faster.

Alternatives

There are alternatives to tanning beds that many individuals have turned to that are considered safer on the skin, such as sunless tanners. These bottles contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which only dyes dead cells in the epidermis. This "fake bake" tan can be washed off within a few days. Airbrush tans, offered at tanning salons, can also offer a natural look. Airbrush tans are produced when DHA is sprayed onto the skin.