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April 26, 2010

Tanning Beds

A tanning bed is a device emitting ultraviolet radiation used to produce a cosmetic tan. There are a few units called high-pressure beds that create mainly UVA with some UVB...



A tanning bed is a device emitting ultraviolet radiation used to produce a cosmetic tan. There are a few units called high-pressure beds that create mainly UVA with some UVB but these are less common and more expensive. Regular tanning beds use several glowing lamps that have phosphor blends designed to produce UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun. Smaller home tanning beds generally have 12 to 28 100 watt lamps, whereas systems found in salons can run from 24 to 60 lamps each consuming 100 to 200 watts. The maximum exposure time in most tanning beds is 20 minutes but varies from bed to bed. This is essentially 4 times the amount of UV that is necessary to produce a reddening on unexposed skin. A person would start with a much shorter sitting time and work their way to the maximum contact time in about 4 weeks. Every tanning bed is required to have a recommended exposure schedule on both the front of the tanning bed and in the owner’s manual.

Types of tanning beds:

Since many factors can change the presentation of any given individual lamp, the FDA requires that every tanning bed model is specialized separately and lamps themselves do not have ratings. Lamps do have typical Time Exposure ratings, but these are not used for certifying beds. Session times on beds can variety from 5 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on many factors. There are several benefits of UV light, whether it comes from the sun or an artificial source, like tanning bed. Benefits include production of vitamin D in the skin and treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Many people with acne, psoriasis, eczema or other skin disorders are frequently treated with UV to lessen the symptoms. UV exposure is recognized to cause the body to discharge endorphins that may be why it is beneficial for SAD patients and why some people agonize that tanning may actually be addictive for a few people.

Is it addiction?

Some people confuse this prospective as addiction with what is sometimes call tanorexia which is instead a condition whereby a person thinks they are too pale and will exceed usually accepted limits of UV exposure either indoor or outdoors with the fruitless goal of obtaining a tan that is dark enough for their tastes.

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