Indoor UV tanning can be wonderful and beneficial if you know how to do it correctly.
Here are 10 UV tanning tips that will help you to get the most out of your visit to a tanning salon.
UV tanning tip 1: Select your salon. Believe it or not, but UV tanning can be one of the best skin-care and overall health beneficial activities you can provide for your body. You just have to get the right individual advice of how to do it correctly. Even if you follow all tips on this page, you will need professional advice at the tanning salon of your choice. Therefore, select to visit salons that have trained staff that can give you individual advice. Cleanness, modernity of equipment, the changing of lamps at regular intervals and the general atmosphere, are also important features when you make your choice of salon.
UV tanning tip 2: Know your skin type. To know your skin-type is very important for a good result and safe tanning. The amount of melanin in your skin, together with your goal for your tanning, will determine your tanning program and which kind of tanning lotions you should use. If you are skin-type 2, you will need to build up more melanin in order to develop a deeper tan. If you are skin-type 3 or 4, you might just want to darken you existing melanin with UVA-rays (but remember, this will not give you any Vitamin D).
UV tanning tip 3: Decide your tanning goals. Do you want the darkest possible color, or do you want a combination of Vitamin D and a healthy glow? Maybe you want to prepare your skin for a sunny vacation? Tell your tanning goals to the staff in the salon so they can give you suitable advice.
UV tanning tip 4: Which kind of UV-rays? Find a tanning salon with tanning beds (and staff) that can meet your goals. Remember that UVA-rays from high-pressure lamps only oxidize the existing melanin in your skin and do not produce any Vitamin D or build up any additional melanin in order to prepare the skin for further tanning. UVB-rays from low-pressure lamps, on the other hand, make the body produce both Vitamin D and more melanin. The amount of UVB in low-pressure lamps can vary. Look for a tanning bed with at least 3% UVB (in relation to UVA) for best result in shortest time. The staff in the salon should be able to guide you.
UV tanning tip 5: Do NOT burn your skin! Always stay on the safe side of burning your skin when tanning in a tanning bed (this goes of course also for tanning under the open sun). Even if you want to get as dark as possible, do not take any risks with too long tanning sessions in too strong tanning beds. You must let your skin get used to tanning slowly. Use the UVB rays to build up more melanin and use tanning lotions with bronzers and other active tan- and skin- care ingredients to help your skin stay young and healthy also after many years of tanning. Follow a tanning schedule advised by the staff in the tanning salon, and you should be fine.
UV tanning tip 6: Always use tanning lotions! Always use tanning lotions specially made for indoor tanning in tanning beds. The role of such lotions is to keep you skin well moisturized, provide anti-oxidation and rejuvenation as well as add bronzing tan-enhancers. Good indoor tanning lotions should have a rich moisturizing base (preferably Aloe vera or coconut milk), a fair amount of other active skin-caring ingredients (preferably with silicone to lock them and the moisture into the skin) and bronzers to assist the tanning process. There are three different kinds of bronzers, each with a specific task:
- Natural bronzers (with Tyrosine) to speed up the natural production of melanin.
- Delayed bronzers (with DHA and/or Erythrulose) that oxidize existing melanin.
- Cosmetic coloring bronzers that dye your skin more brown (just like coloring your hair).
Delayed bronzers and cosmetic coloring bronzers work also without UV-light and are therefore common in self-tanning lotions.
Tingle lotions can be used carefully in order to provide more oxygen to the tanning process.
Remember – having a smooth, healthy and well moisturized skin that absorbs the UV-light, can make your session double as effective than when having a dry and wrinkled skin that reflects the UV-rays. Always buy your lotion in your tanning salon. Only then can you be sure of the quality and get professional advice on how to find and use the right lotion for your skin-type and goals.
UV tanning tip 7: Protect your eyes! Always use special goggles during your tanning session. Just closing the eyes will not prevent the UV-rays from harming your eye-sight. The goggles must have a broad-spectrum protection towards both UVA and UVB. Even if you believe that the staff in your tanning salon follows the highest hygienic standards for the goggles they provide, it is better to buy your own, personal, goggles in your salon. Ordinary sun-glasses are not suitable for indoor tanning in tanning beds.
UV tanning tip 8: When to shower? It is better to take a shower before your sunbed session than directly after. The reason for this is that when you apply the tanning lotion, your skin should be as clean as possible. Furthermore, if you use lotions with delayed and/or cosmetic coloring bronzers, they need to stay on the skin for at least four hours in order to give the optimal benefits.
UV tanning tip 9: Horizontal or vertical? This is mainly a matter of taste. Many prefer horizontal beds because you can relax better during the tanning session. Others prefer vertical tanning units because you can move around in order to increase the blood-circulation for a more even color without white pressure marks. The choice is yours (if your salon offers the alternatives).
UV tanning tip 10: Respect your fellow tanners. Be quick and efficient in the tanning booth before and after your session. (But don’t stress since tanning should be a relaxing experience). Make it easy for the tanning salon staff to clean after you by picking up and dispose of any paper, empty tanning lotions packets etc.
Please be aware of that the tips above are valid for you only if you are in normal condition. In case you are suffering from any medical problems, you better first consult your doctor before using indoor UV-tanning.
