The Truth About Tanning Salons


Defined Tag: Tanning Booths.
When nature or your schedule do not match up, or When you want to tan in private, skip the crowds and the bugs, and visit a tanning salon! Tanning in tanning salons is convenient, time effective, and cost effective, especially for one-off use.

Many people avoid tanning salons because they think that the tans from the beds in tanning salons are "artificial." In fact, the UV rays from these beds in tanning salons are the same kind as the ones coming directly from the sun. So the benefits are the same, as are the risks.

The risk profile of using tanning salons is not yet proven, but some conflicting stats say that 20 minutes under a tanning lamp is equivalent to four hours in the sun. According to American Academy of Dermatology, most bulbs used at tanning salons emit UVA and small amounts of UVB rays. It is also believed that this is contributing to a variety of cancers.

According to Nicholas Lowe, author of Skin Secrets, using a tanning bed will not offer the limited amount of protection that a little sun will provide. Here is how he explains it. The melanin that is produced by a limited exposure of the sun will offer a little protection although you had to damage your skin to get it. The UVA rays used with tanning beds does not work in the same way. Natural sun will cause the skin to thicken and that is where the protection comes into play. The UVA rays used in a tanning salon has no effect on the thickening of the skin.

The bottom line on tanning salons for now is that they're convenient and fast, but they pose the same or maybe even greater risks as tanning in the sun, so use tanning salons in moderation.