Tanning Beds

Tanning beds are used to obtain natural looking tans indoors. They are typically found in tanning salons, but can be purchased by individuals for use at home. The popularity of indoor tanning has exploded in recent years, with estimates that it is now a $2 billion a year industry. Tanning beds provide a good way for people who want a tanned appearance to obtain an attractive tan in a controlled environment that can minimize the time needed.

Tanning Bed Usage

People using a tanning bed for the first time should begin with short sessions. Tanning should be observable after two or three sessions. Typically it will take 7 to 10 sessions to build a solid tan. After that, it will take one or two sessions a week to maintain the tan.

Tanning Bed Precautions

There are a few safety precautions that need to be observed in using tanning beds. It is very important to use safety goggles provided for use with the tanning beds. Eye damage can easily occur without the goggles, and it is not sufficient to use regular sunglasses or to try closing the eyes. It is important to avoid touching the tanning lights.

Care needs to be taken in limiting the time spent in tanning beds. Tanning beds are designed to give people tans in short time periods by using greater amounts of ultraviolet radiation than is supplied by the sun. Tanning salons should be able to provide good advice about how much time to spend in a tanning bed. Everyone should begin with short time periods. People with different skin types will need to adjust their tanning times according to their skin type.

Tanning Bed Choices

There are a wide variety of tanning beds sold for both commercial and residential use. Most tanning beds consist of a shell in which a person lies on a Plexiglass surface, where tanning lights can reach the body from above and below the body. Modern tanning beds mainly use UVA rays rather than UVB rays for tanning. The UVA rays are less likely to cause burns, and may be safer then the UVB rays.

Tanning bed costs vary from around $800 up to several thousand dollars. Cost differences are based on things like the materials used in constructing the beds, and the number of lamps used in each tanning bed. The number of lamps determines the tanning power of the bed.

Tanning Bed Health-Related Issues

The indoor tanning industry has worked to make indoor tanning attractive, and as safe as possible. However, medical authorities believe that tanning can cause health problems whether it is done indoors or outdoors. Harm to the skin is also believed to result even when overexposure resulting in sunburns is avoided. The two basic skin problems that can arise from tanning are skin cancer and premature aging of the skin. These problems typically do not occur until years after the tanning exposure occurs.

By Charles Hair

Tanning Beds

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