Best Sunbed’s guide
Sunbed guide on how to be UV safe
Tanning can be a tough challenge. On one hand we understand and acknowledge the dangers of UV radiation, while on the other, the complete lack of sun is also harmful.
Take a look at Best Sunbed’s Guide to tanning!
First up, what are the benefits of tanning?
One of the key advantages of indoor and outdoor sun sessions is the increase in production of vitamin D, which can be hard to obtain in your everyday diet. Secondly, safe sun exposure contributes to the strengthening of your immunity system, as UV rays increase the productivity of white blood cells. Thirdly, tanning has a number of benefits in helping to fight various skin conditions from acne to eczema. UV exposure is also proven to help suffers of the SAD disorder (Seasonal Affective Disorder). UV rays stimulate the production of endorphins, otherwise known as the happy hormone. Above all, healthy, glowing, tanned skin can increase your confidence and put a smile on your face!
What you should know
Most importantly, it is crucial to pick a professional tanning salon. The staff should be trained and knowledgeable in safe UV exposure and they must be able to advise you on your skin’s phototype.
In order to minimise the damage associated with prolonged sun exposure, you should always pick a salon in which the sunbeds adhere to the 0.3 EU regulations on safe tanning. The EU regulation states that all sunbeds must be fitted with 0.3 compliant tubes, which can only give as much UV radiation as the sun at the Equator at 12 noon. The lamps with 0.3 compliance are the closes to sun’s natural UV spectrum and as a result are a lot less harmful.
In natural daylight the exposure to UV rays increases and decreases depending on the time of the day and the season. The newest technology used to develop the 0.3 compliant tubes gravely reduced the emission of harmful UVB radiation to neutral, while being able to maintain the UVA radiation which is responsible for the production of melanin in your body. The UVA rays give you the highly desired bronzed glow. The neutralisation of UVB radiation also means that you can spend longer on a sunbed without the damaging consequences.
Another protective measure is to wear protective goggles while enjoying a session on an indoor sun shower or sunbed. The goggles protect your eyes from UV damage. We also strongly recommend that you use a right type of indoor tanning cosmetics to prolong your tan and deeply hydrate your skin.
Precautions
You should take precaution when using a sunbed. Never after a sunbed session should your skin be red, itchy or painful. Any of these symptoms suggest that you have experienced sunburn. Sunburn is a result of prolonged UV overexposure. So how do we make indoor tanning safer? It is important to determine right amount of sun exposure for your particular skin type. A good rule of thumb states that the fairer you are, the less time you should spend on a sunbed. The phototype skin chart below should help you in the practice of safe indoor tanning
Skin Phototypes and characteristics:
Type 1: Type 1s have a very pale or white skin colour. Their hair is usually ginger or red. They tend to have pale eye colouring such as green or blue. Type 1s are very prone to sunburn and they should take extra care when in the sun.
Type 2: Type 2s have fair or pale skin, with blonde or light brown hair colouring. Their eye colouring is either green or blue. Type 2s tend to burn easily and never tan.
Type 3: Type 3s have chestnut brown or blonde hair. They eye colour can be green, blue, brown, hazel or grey. Their skin colour varies from pale to light brown. Type 3s can burn but they have the ability to tan gradually.
Type 4: Type 4s tend to be darker in colouring with brown, medium brown or dark brown hair. Their eye colour varies from hazel to dark brown. There are not prone to sunburn and they tan easily and quickly.
Type 5: Type 5s tend to have dark brown or black hair. Their eye colour tends to be brown, and their skin tone is also darker. They almost never burn, tan very easily and quickly darken.
Type 6: Type 6s have very dark complexion and black hair. Their eye colour tends to be brown or dark brown. They never burn and tan very easily.
Happy tanning!
