Safety Facts About Tanning Beds
The idea of golden, sun-kissed skin is attractive and appealing to most people, especially to those who do not naturally have a golden or olive skin tone. While sun tanning requires time, ideal weather, and an ideal place to comfortably bathe in the sun's rays, tanning beds offer a faster, effective solution for achieving a golden tan. However, just as the sun's rays pose harmful threats to the skin without proper precautions, so do tanning beds. The intensity of tanning beds impose similar risks, as well as some other risks that differ from natural sun tanning. It is important for tanners to understand the safety facts about tanning beds. Does this Spark an idea?
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How Tanning Beds Work
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Tanning beds use ultraviolet light in the form of UVB and/or UVA rays, which, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, are equal to or stronger than the rays of the sun. UVB rays are generally considered the more dangerous rays, linked to sunburns and skin cancer. UVA rays are responsible for oxidizing the skin's melanin and for giving the surface skin cells the desired golden pigmentation. Most tanning bed rays are UVA.
The tanning bed rays are emitted from powerful, high intensity bulbs designed to surround the tanners body. Tanning beds vary in size and type, but the function of all beds is to surround the body with bulbs so that the tanner can effectively achieve an even tan.
Sanitizing the Bed
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Before preparing the skin and eyes properly for a tanning bed session, it is crucial to make sure the tanning bed is sanitary. Constant use of the bed by different individuals implies a high potential for bacteria and sweat buildup, and therefore the transference of a slew of conditions. The heat generated by tanning beds could easily provide a breeding ground for bacteria growth as well. Although the tanning salon employees are responsible for keeping the beds sanitary, customers should not take the chance of relying on someone else to clean the bed. Most salons offer a disinfectant sanitizer and paper towels next to the bed, so that the customer can clean and sterilize the bed before use.
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Skin Protection
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It seems illogical to apply sunblock to the skin when the intent is to allow the rays to penetrate it so that the skin tans. However, fair-skinned people should apply at least a low strength SPF to protect the skin from possible sun burn and damage, especially for those parts of the body that lie flat against the lamp lights in horizontal tanning beds. This way, the fair-skinned person can still achieve a tan, but at a slower and safer pace. It is also important that the skin is hydrated, as the UV rays dry out the skin, making it weaker and speeding up the aging process. Most tanning salons sell products that will keep the skin hydrated during a tanning session, and there are plenty of other moisturizing products to hydrate the skin after a tanning bed session.
Eye Protection
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It is imperative to wear special tanning goggles or some other protective eye wear before getting into a tanning bed. Any UV radiation increases the risk of eye conditions, such as cataracts, and in a tanning bed, the lights are glaring only inches from the eyes, making eye protection for indoor tanning substantially more crucial than for outdoor tanning. The rays pose dangers to the eye's surface tissues as well as its internal structures, such as the cornea and the lens. Cancer around the eyes is also a risk.
The Face
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Newer tanning bed models usually offer a special set of lights for the face that can be adjusted for strength and intensity. This is because tanning, in any form, has a major effect on facial skin tissue, and causes skin damage that appears on the face before any other part of the body. Facial skin is more delicate than the skin of hte rest of the body, and is therefore more sensitive to sun damage. UV ray exposure causes premature aging on the face first, in the form of fine lines and wrinkles, sun spots, skin dryness and scaliness, and an overall unevenness of skin color and texture. In many cases, this damage materializes over time, which can be years down the road, yet its visible affects can be alarming. There are plenty of self-tanning and bronzing products on the market to treat the face with a sun-kissed glow, so it is wise for a person who uses a tanning bed to wear sunscreen on the face, cover it with a towel, and turn the facial lights to the lowest setting, if the bed has those lights.
Considerations
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There are many myths about indoor tanning. One of them is that as long as the skin doesn't burn, the skin is not in harm's way. Any dermatologist or physician would verify that this is untrue. For some skin types, such as those with olive or deep golden skin, the visibility of a burn is not possible, but it does not mean that the skin is safe from UV ray damage. There is no skin type that is excluded from the risks of sun exposure. Another myth concerns vitamin D. There are claims that UV exposure is the only way to provide the body the vitamin D that it requires. This is also untrue. Vitamin D is found in fortified foods, such as fatty fish, like mackerel and salmon, and is also available in supplements.
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