About tanning

A tanning bed or sunbed is a structure lined with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in order to acquire a suntan. Also called sunbed. It is a device emitting ultraviolet radiation (typically 95% UVA and 5% UVB, +/-3%) used to produce a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun. Smaller home tanning beds usually have 12 to 28 100 watt lamps while systems found in salons can run from 24 to 60 lamps each consuming 100 to 200 watts.

There are also "high pressure" tanning beds that generate primarily UVA with some UVB by using highly specialized quartz lamps, reflector systems and filters. These are less common and much more expensive, thus less commonly used. A tanning booth is quite similar to a tanning bed, but the individual stands while tanning and the typical power output of booths is higher.

Because of several alleged adverse effects on human health, the World Health Organization does not recommend the use of UV tanning devices for cosmetic reasons . For example, using a sunbed without goggles may lead to a condition known as arc eye.

Tanning beds are used for somewhat different reasons in the US than in Europe. In the US, tanning is more seasonal, where most users begin in January and stop or slow down by June. It is most often used as a way to jump start the tanning process, so that once the summer begins, they can go to the beach or enjoy other outdoor activities and already have a significant base tan built up. This is also why tanning lotions and bronzers are more commonly used in the US.

Europeans may enjoy tanning seasonally, but less so than Americans. This is due to many areas in Europe having significantly fewer days of sunshine than the USA, so Europeans are more likely to use a tanning bed all year long, for both the cosmetic and mood altering benefits. European tanning beds generally use a different type of lamp as well, with UVB ratings in the 1% to 3% range (using US measuring methods) whereas most tanning beds sold in the US use 4.2% to 6.5% UVB ratings, and aftermarket lamps with up to 8.5% or higher being popular. Of course, these lamps have less UVA and will produce a sunburn quicker, but many Americans seem to like them because a short session produces a "reddening", or instant gratification. These lamps actually produce a slower deep tan (but a faster base tan) that fades faster, but are simply marketed as "hotter", although technically they have about the same amount of UV but with different ratios of UVA and UVB.

While the primary reason for both Americans and Europeans to use a tanning bed is cosmetic, there are many other reasons why they are used. It is common for people to tan simply because it makes them feel good. Also, most tanning beds generate a large amount of heat, including infrared, which has deep penetrating action that can relieve minor muscle aches.

The tan produced by a tanning bed is not as deep as a tan produced in the sun. This is due to the fact that tanning beds have higher overall levels of UV than the sun on a typical day, so the exposure times are shorter than the average session spent in the sun to achieve the same amount of tan. This can cause someone with a dark indoor tan to go outside and get a bad sunburn quickly because the deeper levels of their skin have not been exposed previously, and have no natural protection above what white skin would have. It is strongly recommended that a person does NOT tan indoor and outdoors on the same day, due to the likely chance that they will get overexposed. Because overexposure actually destroys melanin, getting a sunburn will result in LESS tanning. The popular wisdom that you "need to burn to tan" or that a sunburn will turn into a tan is simply wrong, and greatly increases your chances for skin cancer later in life.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skin Cancer -- The Dangers of a Deadly Tan (and Solariums)

Tanning Risk

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most prominent and universal cancer-causing agent in our environment. The US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) states that UV solar radiation, and use of sun lamps and sun beds are "known to be a human carcinogen." . Some scientists have suggested recently that there may be an association between UVA radiation (the type of radiation that makes up most of the radiation in tanning beds) and malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. There is persuasive evidence that each of the three main types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma, is caused by sun exposure. Women who visited a tanning parlor at least once a month were 55% more likely to later develop melanoma than women who didn't artificially suntan. Those who used sun lamps to tan while in their 20s had the greatest later risk, about 150% higher than similarly aged women who shunned tanning beds.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces two of the most common DNA mutations known in cellular biology. Those include cyclobutane–pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6–4 photo products (6–4PPs) and their Dewar valence isomers. Cells have developed a number of repair mechanisms to counteract the DNA damage caused by ultraviolet radiation and other toxins. In human cells, a repair process is initiated after DNA damage is detected in which the damaged DNA is removed before it is replicated. As humans age, their cellular repair mechanisms make more errors because they have accumulated years of oxidative stress from daily life. Over time, it is more difficult for the cell to find and destroy aberrant DNA. The replication of damaged DNA leads to cancer, and exposure to UV radiation sets a process in motion that can take decades to ultimately cause skin cancer Similarly, most people who smoke cigarettes do not get lung cancer until decades of use have passed. Most critically, if a mutation occurs within a gene that regulates cell division, the cell becomes prone to malignancy. For example, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) is caused by a UVB induced mutation in the p53 gene.

Exposure to UV radiation has a detrimental effect on the immune system. Exposure causes changes in antigen presentation by Langerhans cells and macrophages. Also, the activities of natural killer cells and T cells is reduced. Last, cytokine regulation is disrupted by UV exposure. Ultraviolet radiation exposure may facilitate the growth of skin neoplasms and the spreading of skin-associated infections due to stimulation of suppressor T cells.

While the dangers of UVB are widely recognized the dangers of UVA are less understood. UVA is less likely to burn the skin, and it has been called the "bronzing light." However, it is clearly associated with inducing aging changes in the skin and in promoting the development of skin cancer. This is because UVA penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB, and therefore causes damage on a deeper level. Most aging of skin is due to UVA rays destroying collagen and connective tissue beneath the superficial layer of the skin. UVB rays do not reach as far below the skin. Excessive exposure to UVA radiation will cause premature aging, including wrinkles, sunspots, and loss of skin elasticity.

One study conducted amongst a college student population found that awareness of the risks of tanning beds did not deter the students from using them.

Although rare, it is possible for tanning beds to be a vector for infections of pubic lice, also known as crabs. If the surface of the bed is not properly cleaned or if towels provided by the salon are not washed in hot water, crab lice can survive for several days on these surfaces. Crab lice are difficult to see on the acrylic of a dimly lit tanning bed, and they are not killed by anti-bacterial or anti-viral cleaning agents used in salons. They can only be killed by physical removal or by the use of insecticides such as pyrethrin.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia