Sunday, August 30, 2009

Tanning Lamps

By Gail Jones

There are a number of sun bed lamps in every sun bed on the market. When you are getting a new, or especially a used or older suntan bed, make a good examination of the bulbs. Make sure that they are proper tanning bulbs and comply with the FDA regulations with regard to health and safety. You should also consider how difficult it is to get at the lamps. Make sure that the bulbs are not difficult to change when the time comes. It is very important, and a lot cheaper, if you can carry out such routine maintenance yourself, if you have a home sun bed.

There are two completely different sorts of lamps used in conventional and high pressure beds. Make sure you get the right sun bed lamps for your sun bed, because you cannot use any bulbs you like. If you are buying replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing bed carefully. Make sure that the bulbs you are buying are made for your bed.

High Pressure Sunbed Bulbs: high pressure beds use quartz lamps in a variety of sizes. The gases used in these bulbs are pressurized to slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The bulbs in these beds are located in the hood of the bed, so that you tan from above only. When you have tanned the skin on one side of your body for about 10-12 minutes, you turn over and tan the other side. The flat bed of these devices is a lot more comfortable than a conventional sun bed.

One of the biggest benefit of these HP lamps is the amount of time you need to spend on the tanning bed. Because you tan faster, you need to spend less time in the tanning salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can achieve the level of tan you want in about three weeks of three to five sessions a week. However, with a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to acquire the same depth of colour. Maintaining your tan is a lot easier too. You only need two or three sessions each month to maintain the colour, as opposed to four times that many visits to a low pressure salon bed. Many of these bulbs use UVA rays only, not UVB rays which are responsible for sunburn.

Conventional Sun Bed Lamps: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that look like household fluorescent tubes. The lamps are located in the top and the bottom of the sun bed, which means that all the body areas are browned at the same time, without needing to roll over during the tanning session.

Conventional beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying mixes. Some use both rays and others emit mostly UVA with some UVB rays. UVA rays are responsible for the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce sun burn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to determine which sort of rays your sun bed's bulbs emit. You must ensure you replace your existing bulbs with bulbs of the same specifications after about 1,000 hours of use.

Another consideration when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions suit different sorts of beds. The staff at your tanning salon will be able to help you choose a lotion that will work for the bed you are using and your skin type. Regardless of the bed you use, you should certainly always use a lotion or a cream, because they will moisturise your skin and help you tan faster.

About the Author:

No comments: