Tanning FAQs

Another common misconception is that the color of the lamp affects the tanning. UV is what tans you, and it is too low a frequency for you to see. Some birds and insects CAN see UV, but not humans.

The color of the lamp is determined by a mix of phosphors that has NO effect on the tanning. You can take any tanning lamp, and make it glow green, yellow, purple, red, pink, blue or even different colors, and that will not change the tanning in any way. The main purpose of the color is to please the eye and differentiate the lamp from other lamps. That is all.

Well, this is a question we receive a lot, but unfortunately it is one that cannot be answered easily. Initial tanning exposure times are really dependent on a number of things such as skin type, the type and strength of sun beds, and the condition of the lamps. Without knowing these variables, it is very difficult to determine exact tanning times. Salon employees who know their equipment are better suited to help with initial tanning times in sun beds. If you are in a new salon, and have not received good guidance on tanning times, start off with extremely short exposure times and then you can work your way up. Some units may require initial exposure times of five minutes or less depending on skin type. In the US market all beds have an FDA recommended exposure schedule printed directly on the beds based on skin type. Salon operators are required to follow these recommendations.

You CAN, but we recommend against it. It is best to replace all the lamps at one time, but if you MUST replace them in stages, we recommend you replace either the canopy or bench as a whole set. So, if you have a 24 lamp bed, replace the top 12 lamps as a set, then the bottom 12 as a set. Again, it is really best to replace all the lamps at one time.

This question may sound different and a little personal, but a lot of women are asking this in their heads, but are just too embarrassed to ask. Yes, you can tan while you are nursing. We suggest covering your breast with a towel or a bra, as we assume that the continued heat could help to dry up your milk.o.

It is recommended that you do not tan while pregnant. It has nothing to do with the “tanning” part of the experience, as in the UV rays, but rather the heat produced by the tanning unit. Excess heat can be harmful to the pregnancy and can cause complications.

Yes, UV sunlamps are often recommended to treat these skin conditions. Generally speaking, if your psoriasis improves in the summer when exposed to the sun’s UV rays, then our sunlamps UV rays will also help clear up your psoriasis. Consult your physician or dermatologist before any treatment of this kind and also look into our specialty light therapy lamps to treat skin conditions such as acne or eczema and the many medical uses for UV light.

We suggest putting some sort of SPF on large moles. If you have previously started tanning with nothing on them and they are doing fine, I would just really keep an eye on the shape and color, they may change and you should get it looked at. For birthmarks, they just might get darker in color. Check with your doctor if you have any questions about changes in your skin.

Yes! Your eyelids do not provide adequate protection from UV light. Although there may be no immediate symptoms, damage may be occurring to your eyes which can lead to vision problems. Always wear your eye protection when tanning—you only get one pair of eyes.

You don’t need to wear an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) lotion when you tan indoors because these lotions, by nature, are designed to allow you to spend a longer time in the sun. For example, an SPF 8 would allow you to stay in the sun 8 times longer than you normally could. Since you are controlling your exposure time when tanning indoors, you don’t need to use an SPF. You should also avoid using outdoor oils when you tan indoors. These oils will make the acrylic dirty and prevent you from tanning. However, there are products specifically designed for indoor tanning that help moisturize the skin while helping you tan faster. These can be purchased at most tanning facilities and should be used to help you get the best result possible.

Tanning beds and booths basically imitate the sun. The sun emits three kinds of UV rays (the ones that make you tan).  These are generally referred to as UVA, UVB, and UVC.  UVC has the shortest wavelength of the three, and is also the most harmful.

Although the sun emits UVC light, it’s absorbed by the ozone layer and pollution. The LightSources group’s tanning lamps filter out this type of UV light by controlling the transmission in the glass we produce.  This is an important note because most tanning lamp manufacturers do not produce their own glass, so therefore they are not in control of the transmission properties. UVB, the middle wavelength, is the one which stimulates the tanning process. UVA has the longest wavelength, and it completes the tanning process. Our tanning lamps use the best ratio of UVB and UVA light to provide optimal tanning results, with a lowered risk of overexposure.

Usually, you will begin to notice results after a few tanning sessions, but it may take a few weeks of regular tanning (at least three times a week) to get to the color you are looking for. If you are developing a base tan before going on a trip, you would want to start tanning about three or four weeks before you go.

Usually, you will begin to notice Typical tanning lamps will last 500 or 800 hours. It depends on the type of the lamp, the quality of the manufacturing and the recommended lamp changing time. Since every tanning unit operates lamps differently it is hard to specify an accurate useful life. The lamps do not burn out; they eventually lose effectiveness even though they will appear to be working. When you notice there is no longer any tanning effect you should change the lamp.

We would suggest no more than 3-4 days a week while following the recommended tanning exposure times. Tanning 5 or more days a week may not affect your skin now, but it will eventually make your skin look leathery. It also may increase your chances of developing skin cancer.

Most tanning salons replace them once a year, which are about every 2 to 3 lamp changes. Home tanning beds may go 5 to 10 years without needing to change them. The main indicator is how fast the lamps start. If you have lamps that are slow to start and flickering, lamp starters are usually the cause. It’s a good idea to replace them each time you change the lamps. The electronic starters are a good option as well. They cost about twice as much, but are designed to last about 10 times as long as the glow starters.

In order to build a tan, it is important to tan regularly. Don’t let too much time go by between visits, or your tan will begin to fade. It is generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours in between each session to allow your tan to fully develop. You can build up your tan by going to an indoor tanning facility three to four times a week. Once you have a tan, you can maintain it by tanning two or three times a week..

Every person is different, be patient and don’t rush to tan quickly or you risk getting a sunburn. Start slowly and gradually increase your exposure over time. Our tanning lamps are powerful, do not underestimate how quickly they may work so be cautious the first few times you use one so that you do not get a burn. Build your tan slowly and progressively over a few weeks.

Reddening or sunburn is usually not visible until 4-8 hours after exposure, so do NOT wait until you feel sunburned.

You have to make sure that you bought the same UVB strength as you had before. The other possible reason is that the plexiglass on your unit may be too old. This can reduce the UV output by 20-30%!

You can put the “cold lamps” in the unit but you should wait a few minutes before you switch on the unit. Lamps’ temperature has to reach the normal room temperature before use.

When you lay out in the sun to tan, you usually get really hot; so many times this is associated with getting tan. However, although the heat and the UV light both come from the sun, only the UV light affects tanning. This is why skiers can get sunburn in the middle of winter. If the sun is out, there is UV light reaching you, even when it’s cold out. The same thing is true with tanning lamps. If you get too hot while tanning, it could indicate that there isn’t enough air conditioning at that facility, or the ventilation is poor. You should be comfortable while tanning. Heat won’t give you better results.

If it takes you a while to get a tan outside, it may be easier for you to get the color you want (brown instead of red) by tanning indoors. You would need to start with a short exposure time, and increase it very gradually. If you have type 1 skin and usually never tan and always burn it is recommended you should not tan by any means.

The lamp has to reach the operation temperature. This darker hue should dissipate 1 or 2 minutes after tNo. Going tanning before or after sunbathing outside can lead to overexposure and possible damage to your skin. If you have spent considerable time in the sun, chances are that you have received significant UV exposure. Jumping in a tanning bed after a day on the beach will not make you tan quicker; it will only increase the chances of a burn.

When you tan at an indoor tanning facility, your skin produces a tan the same way it does when you lay out in the sun: through ultraviolet (UV) light. There is one important difference, though. When you are out in the sun, you cannot control the amount of UV light you are exposed to. You may think you can control it by the amount of time spent or the amount of sun block used. It is more difficult than that to control because the exposure is affected by changes in the atmosphere. Indoor tanning is one way to regulate the amount of UV light you are exposed to, because it is a controlled environment. You can regulate your exposure time to make sure you don’t burn.

The likelihood is that you have a lamp which has a long electrical mount in it. There would not be visible light between the mount and the end. This design helps the lamp to perform better in high temperature environments.

No. A lot of foundations now-a-days have an SPF in them. Tanning with a cleansed face tans a lot easier than if you were to have a layer of foundation on. It is also better for your pores to have them cleansed and free of any dirt or oils when tanning.

The reactions of our skin to sun, either burning or tanning, is based primarily on genetics, we inherit our ability to tan or burn. In general, fair-skinned people often burn and are rarely able to tan. Darker skins, with their increased melanin, have more natural protection, but nobody is immune to sun damage.

The tanning unit’s cooling system can cause this. If the lamps’ operational temperature is different lamp by lamp, they will show different colors.

Bronzing lamps are generally referred to as lamps with lower levels of UVB that tan you slower, but darker. Many people confuse this term with “hotter” lamps, when in fact; they are the exact opposite type of lamps. Hot lamps tan fast but less dark, bronzing lamps tan slow but darker.

In the very early days of indoor sun tanning, there was only one choice of tanning lamp strength; the BL series (or blacklight type) of tanning lamp was all that was available. As years went by, many new phosphor coatings were developed for tanning lamps. These made it possible to offer lamp types and strengths to satisfy practically any customer. As a direct result of these many new tanning lamp strengths, it became necessary to have a simple way to define the strength of each lamp type; the UVB/UVA ratio came into popular use. This was simply a method of dividing the total ultraviolet light emitted in the UVB region by the total ultraviolet light in the UVA region, and expressing the fraction as a percentage. While this gave the industry an index of lamp performance, the index was somewhat inaccurate. For example, if we took a “2.6” lamp, doubled the amount of UVB it emitted and doubled the amount of UVA it emitted, what would we get? We would have a much faster tanning lamp than, say the “5.0” lamp—but since the ratio would be unchanged, it could be perceived as a weaker lamp.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates the manufacture of indoor tanning equipment and some tanning components, defines tanning lamps through a complex calculation of Te and Tm ratings for these lamps. Te refers to the time required to produce erythema; Tm refers to the time necessary to produce melanogenesis, or the formation of melanin in the skin.

The rating 1 MED (minimal erythemal dose) is the dose necessary to produce a faint reddening in the skin. Te, which is equal to 4 MED, is the maximum dose allowed per session. The rating 1 MMD (minimum melanogenetic dose) is the UV dose necessary to cause a faint tan in previously unexposed skin. Tm, which is equal to 4 MMD is the maximum weekly UV dose allowed. At first the Te and Tm concepts may be hard to grasp. Once the reader understands them, a logical question might be, “Why aren’t they in common use?” If every lamp type has its own Te and Tm ratings, it should be simple to use these ratings to select the best tanning lamps for your equipment. Further, they should make it simple for the salon operator to accurately calculate the proper exposure times for his customers, but this is not necessarily correct.

What is commonly called a “hotter” lamp is one that has more UVB and less UVA. These lamps are quite popular, but not the best combination for all tanners. A lamp with 5% or higher UVB would be considered to be a “hotter” lamp. Remember, the “hotter” the lamp is, the lower the UVA. This means you will hit a tanning peak sooner.

Lamps fall basically into two classifications: OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or replacement. Equipment manufacturers are responsible for defining the recommended exposure schedules when used with the lamp originally installed. The name and model of the lamp is indicated on the equipment label. Replacement lamps can be either the original lamp or a lamp that is listed as equivalent. In either case there are strict guidelines established by the FDA or European regulatory bodies that the equipment and lamp manufacturer must follow.

The little white spots that won’t tan, usually found on the upper torso, shoulders, and neck are called “sun spots.” They are a type of fungus, similar to dandruff, and are harmless. They can be pretty common to tanners and are easily treatable. There are sun spot products available in your salon, which should eliminate the problem. If your salon doesn’t carry any, then try a dandruff shampoo, such as Tegrin. Apply it to the affected area twice a day for two weeks and the spot should go away.

Keep your skin hydrated. The best hydration methods are to lotion well after swimming, bathing, or showering, and drinking plenty of water. We would always suggest wearing an SPF of some sort, when out in the sun to prevent over exposure.

You can clean the beds with a type of disinfectant spray which cleans away any bacteria left on the bed. Salons are required to use proper disinfectant after every use. Do not use chemicals such as ammonia or alcohol since they will likely damage the acrylics in the beds.

This is a personal preference. Many people find it more comfortable to lie in a bed than stand in a booth. Others may find a booth more hygienic than a bed. A booth generally has more lamps and it runs at higher power plus shorter exposure times. Many booths are designed for the longer 2 meter lamps

This is a personal preference. Many people find it more comfortable to lie in a bed than stand in a booth. Others may find a booth more hygienic than a bed. A booth generally has more lamps and it runs at higher power plus shorter exposure times. Many booths are designed for the longer 2 meter lamps.

They connect to your tanning bed in different ways. RDC (Recessed Dual Connector) lamps “spring” in and out, where Bi Pin lamps have two pins that slide into the lamp holder, and you twist the lamp into place, much like an office tray ceiling lamp. There are no advantages in tanning with either lamp. RDC lamp holders are much more expensive than Bi Pin lamp holders, so they are much less common. RDC lamps are usually 72 or 73 inches long (and some rare 60 and 74 inch varieties) where Bi Pin lamps are usually 71 or 59 inches long.

The sun-erythema-factor compares the effective UV irradiance of a tube with the midday sun at the equator. Differently put: It gives the relationship of the given erythema effective radiation strength of the UV tubes to the approximate maximum of the erythema effectiveness of the equator around noon (sea level with a clear sky); we call this the “reference sun”. If the sun erythema factor of the tanning tube is 10% (0.1) it means that one tube produces 10% effective UV irradiance of the equator sun. The “reference sun” has been measured many years ago and found as 0.3W/m2 at noon. Therefore, 0.3W/m2 is the base number to compare the ultraviolet strength of sunbeds in Europe. The new LVD (Low Voltage Directive) limits the effective UV irradiance of tanning equipment to meet this level. Hence, in Europe a tanning device effective UV irradiance cannot exceed the 0.3W/m2 limit. The value itself strongly depends on the equipment properties and not only on the tanning lamps. It is possible that the same tanning tube meets the 0.3W/m2 limit in one given unit, but not in another one (design and OEM may be completely different).

There is one very important question to ask of a tanning facility to be sure it will meet your needs. What you need to know, obviously, is if you will get the best tan for your money. This isn’t just based on the prices, though. Be sure you don’t settle for a cheap tanning session that doesn’t give you results. It is also important to ask your salon the frequency they change their bulbs. There is a certain recommended life to the output of a lamp, and the salons should change their bulbs within that time. Knowing how new the lamps are, will help you determine how long you should tan, too. If the lamps are newer than those you are used to, you should decrease your tanning time to prevent overexposure.

It’s totally up to you. Some people choose to tan in their bathing suits or underwear, and others prefer a more “natural” approach. The only thing required is that you do wear eye protection every time you tan, because eyes are unable to protect themselves from UV light, even when they are closed, and the light can cause temporary and permanent damage to them.

It is not recommended to tan, either outdoors or indoors, if you are taking photosensitizing medication. If you aren’t sure, ask your doctor, or ask a tanning consultant at your tanning facility to see a list of these medications, which can greatly increase the risk of overexposure. You should also avoid tanning if you are pregnant, due to the heat, unless your doctor approves it.

As odd as it sounds, this is a question that is asked or thought of by a lot of people. A tan is not something that can be washed off. Tanning does not take place on the skin’s surface and cannot be cleansed away with soap and water.