After just a few minutes in a sunbed they instantly look and feel better. They leave their session relaxed, rejuvenated and with a large dose of Vitamin D - the all important "sunshine vitamin" your skin naturally produces when exposed to sunlight or most indoor tanning lamps.
In many ways it's just like tanning outdoors with a few additional advantages:
- Always available: Year-round, day or night, whatever the weather you can always count on a tanning salon for a bit of sunshine.
- Controllable: Unlike the sun, whose intensity changes depending on factors like time of day, season and weather conditions, you know how much exposure you get in an indoor tanning session. Tanning salons can help you build up a tan slowly without burning during timed and tracked tanning sessions.
- Private: Your tanning session is totally private so you can get tan all over without having to take off your clothes in public.
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This much is undeniable: There would be no life on Earth without sunlight. Humans evolved for a million years spending lots of time daily in the sun. Nature left some strong clues that we were meant to get sun:
- Our bodies make the important hormone Vitamin D when we are exposed to UVB in sunlight
- Our ability to tan is a highly evolved mechanism to help protect skin cells from getting too much UV light during the summer.
- We are naturally attracted to the sun. The body produces endorphins when we are exposed to UV light. Endorphins give us a feeling of wellness.
Yet despite this natural attraction, humans today spend less time outdoors in the sun than at any time in human history. Indoor tanning grew out of the innate desire of people to enjoy sunlight year-round. We use special lamps that create the same components as are in natural sunlight: UVA, UVB, heat and light.
Meanwhile, anti-tanning crusaders promote the illogical notion that the correct amount of sunlight for humans is zero. Current science is strongly refuting that radical and possibly dangerous notion.
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First of all, life would not exist without sunlight and UV light. So saying that UV light is harmful and should be avoided is as misleading as saying that water causes drowning and therefore we shouldn't drink water: It's an inaccurate way to describe the complex and intended relationship we have with sunlight.
While everyone agrees that overexposure needs to be avoided, it should be noted that melanoma is more common in indoor workers and on parts of the body that don’t get regular sun exposure: both of which could not be true if UV exposure was a direct cause of melanoma. What's more:
- There actually is no clear direct experimental evidence showing a causative mechanism between tanning and melanoma. Even the American Academy of Dermatology admits this.
- According to the World Health Organization’s most recent report on indoor tanning, “Epidemiologic studies to date give no consistent evidence that use of indoor tanning facilities in general is associated with the development of melanoma skin cancer.” This has been widely misrepresented.
- Conflicting data exist questioning the UV-melanoma relationship. Some independent dermatology researchers question whether UV and melanoma are related at all.
The Skin Cancer Cover Up: Dr Sam Shuster
The Melanoma Myth: Dr. Bernard Ackerman
Responsible tanning salons, like the ones that are part of this effort, conduct a Skin Type analysis on your first visit so we can provide good advice for your particular skin type and tanning history. Click here to complete a questionnaire that will determine your skin type. If you are a Type I we strongly recommend avoiding UV-tanning. Type I's should use spray tanning only and consult with a doctor regarding Vitamin D supplementation to avoid being deficient.
Meanwhile, anti-tanning crusaders promote over-the-top messages attacking indoor tanning. An example is the recent World Health Organization report stating that indoor tanners have a 75% increased risk of melanoma. A review of the report by Dr. William Grant concluded that when Skin Type I's are removed there is not significant increased risk for sunbed users.
Dr. Lisa Schwartz, co-author of "Know Your Chances" pointed out that even if you accept this disputed 75% figure, it means your odds of developing melanoma move from 0.2% to 0.3%. This hardly justifies headlines from anti-tanning groups that say "Sunlight and tanning are just like arsenic and mustard gas" or comparisons to smoking which kills roughly half of all lifelong smokers.
One common approach from anti-tanning groups is to say that any tan is a sign of skin damage. Though technically this could be considered true, it's a natural body function just like "damaging" muscle fibers when we exercise. Tanning, unlike applying chemical sunscreen, is nature’s sunscreen typically resulting in an SPF of 2 to 4 meaning you can spend 2 to 4 times as long in the sun without burning. There are situations where burning is possible when you should supplement your tan with sunscreen. But tanning is natural and in fact is a highly evolved process that demonstrates that we are intended to get sunlight.
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It's difficult to read health news over the past few years without seeing study after study touting the importance of Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin," to your health. As a primarily cosmetic and recreational service we are unable to make direct therapeutic claims about the health benefits of indoor tanning. We can refer you to www.vitamindcouncil.org for information and recommend doing your own research.
We can say, however, that indoor tanning is an excellent, reliable source of Vitamin D. During a typical tanning session your body naturally creates as much Vitamin D as you would get from drinking 100 glasses of milk or eating 25 servings of salmon. Although the lamps are man-made, this Vitamin D is created the way nature intended, through exposure of your skin to UVB, a narrow band of UV that's in almost all tanning beds and in sunlight of sufficient strength. Humans typically get more than 90% of their Vitamin D from UVB exposure, very little from diet.
U.S. government statistics state that 77% of Americans have insufficient Vitamin D levels. Studies have shown, on the other hand, that indoor tanners have 90% higher levels of Vitamin D and that the vast majority of tanners have sufficient levels.
Dr. William Grant stated in his study, “There is conclusive evidence that indoor tanning in a non-burning fashion offers a tremendous source of vitamin D. The benefit of regular UV exposure as the body’s only true natural source of sufficient vitamin D production easily outweighs the manageable risks associated with overexposure to sunlight.”
During most of the year in most of the U.S. you can easily get your Vitamin D outdoors. Spending 10-15 minutes in the sun two to three times a week with as much skin as possible exposed from 10am-2pm, March through October has been recommended by many Vitamin D experts. However when the sun is at too low of an angle due to time of day or season almost all UVB is blocked by the atmosphere. Thick clouds and pollution can also block UVB. Here's a rule of thumb: if your shadow is longer than you are tall there is not enough UVB to create Vitamin D in your skin. In New York, it is basically impossible to make Vitamin D outdoors from November through February no matter how much time you spend outdoors. Also, sunscreen with an SPF of 15 can block as much as 97.5% of vitamin D production.
We should note that most people make Vitamin D so quickly when exposed to UV in a tanning bed that you don't necessarily need to get tan to get the Vitamin D you need. The participating salons have created "Vitamin D Boost" sessions to provide customers who only want some "D" without tanning to do so at a reduced rate.
Sadly, not only do the anti-sun/anti-tanning forces make misleading statements about indoor tanning, they also continue to ignore the importance of Vitamin D and how their efforts may have added to the epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency. Given the breakthroughs in Vitamin D research we are confident that you will see this message quickly evolve.
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There are lots of reasons people visit tanning salons. Some like the way they look with a tan. Many like the way it makes them feel. Increasingly people come to raise their Vitamin D levels. Some come because it's a great little getaway from their hectic lives. For a few minutes they just get to relax, feel the sunshine on their skin and "chill out."
Many people come to get a base tan before a sunny vacation or in spring to prepare for the summer sun. Others come before a big event like a wedding, prom or photo shoot.
Whatever the reason for your visit, a professional tanning salon can give you lots of advice that can help you achieve the results you'd like while minimizing the risks of sun burning which should always be avoided.
There are many steps taken in responsible tanning salons such as ours to reduce your risks that are typically not available to you when you tan outdoors. These include:
- Skin Type Analysis: Each new customer is required to complete a questionnaire that identifies their Skin Type. This improves our ability to provide informed recommendations on a tanning program that builds your tan slowly while minimizing your risk of sun burning.
- Controllable Exposure: Sunbeds enable you to know how much exposure you will get as opposed to outdoor tanning which varies greatly by geography, weather conditions, time of year and time of day.
- Maximum Tan Time: Each of our sunbeds has a maximum tan time set by the FDA to which we strictly adhere. This time ranges from 9 to 20 minutes depending on the type and intensity of the bed. Customers are only allowed to tan once per day.
- Timed & Tracked Sessions: Each bed is on a timer which automatically turns off the bed after the selected tan time. These timed sessions are tracked by special software that enables us to see your tanning history and provide ongoing advice on maintaining a non-burning tanning program.
- Eyewear: Each of our salons provides special UV-blocking eyewear at no charge to greatly reduce the risk of eye damage. PLEASE, ALWAYS USE APPROVED EYEWEAR WHILE TANNING.
- Certified Technicians: Each of our front desk associates completes Smart Tan's certification program where they learn about skin biology as it relates to tanning and burning. This makes them an excellent resource in educating customers on avoiding burning and other related issues.
You will note that none of these resources are available when you tan outside. No one stands at the entrance to a beach conducting a skin type analysis or making sure you leave after a maximum amount of exposure. We call indoor tanning Smart Tanning due to the additional information and tools provided to manage your UV exposure.
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If you are concerned about UV exposure or are interested in getting immediate results most tanning salons have spray tanning available. Some salons have special spray tanning machines, others have technicians who airbrush the solution on by hand.
Whichever method you use, you will be sprayed with a solution whose primary ingredient is DHA (dihydroxyacetones). DHA interacts with amino acids in your skin and oxygen in the air to turn the outermost layer of skin a natural bronze color. The process is similar to when you cut an apple in half and the sugars are oxidized turning the flesh of the apple brown.
Most spray tans last approximately 5-7 days and fade naturally just like a UV tan. To prepare, it's best to exfoliate evenly before your session and not put any unnecessary lotions on your skin. You will want to wait approximately 5 hours after your session before showering, swimming or exercising to get the best effect of your spray tan.Back to top
Sources:
2.Sources
of Vitamin D Vitamin D Content
Ginde A. Demographic
Differences and Trends of Vitamin D Insufficiency in the US
Population, 1988-2004. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):626-632