Sunday, November 8, 2009

A Guide to Tanning Beds

Tanning is the act of using a sunbed or sunbooth to imitate the UVA and UVB rays given off by the sun for the purpose of achieving a darker pigmentation of one's skin.

What are sun beds?

Tanning beds are machines in a bed that transmit ultraviolet radiation. Its components are: UVB, UVA and UVC.

Types of beds:

There are thousands of brands and types of beds available to own in one's home or for purchase by a salon owner. The most common types are:

Lay-down or bed: In which a client is horizontal within the bed with a top that closes over them

Stand-up or booth: In which a client stands the whole time within a booth of tanning lights.

There are many types of brands for both beds and booths. Some of the most widely used brands today are the S-Class Bed, I-Bed, Cyclone Booth, Matrix Bed, Ergoline Bed, and Suncapsle Booth.

Differences between tanning beds:

Each type of tanning bed is different than the next. Each one emits a different combination of UVA and UVB rays, resulting in a stronger or weaker bed. Also, the equipment and form of each bed is different. Some are hotter than others, some include air conditioning, music players, mist, aromatherapy, pillows, or facial lamps.

Benefits of tanning beds

The sun beds provide a steady and lasting tan. Do not rely on the sun can be used in any climate.

Myths and real dangers:

UVA and UVB are both forms of radiation and thus are considered to be dangerous. For many years, sunscreen only blocked UVB rays because UVA rays were considered to be the "healthy" ray that didn't cause skin damage and gave a better tan. However, UVA rays penetrate into the dermis, causing mutations below the surface. The radition causes mutations in the DNA in an estimated 20 seconds of exposure to a tanning light. The act of mutating is not in itself the danger, but every time a cell mutates it risks mutating into a defective cell, or cancer. There are no certainties with tanning, only the understanding that the more one tans, the more their cells mutate, and the more the cells mutate, the higher the chance that one mutation will result in a defective or cancerous cell. Both rays UVA and UVB carry risks: UVB - the surface ray, may burn or damage the appearance of the skin. UVA - the penetrating ray, may cause a cancerous mutation.

The Author is an avid writer about Tanning, Body Tanning, Skin Tanning, Tanning Bed, Best Tanning Bed, and Tanning Information and have been working as staff writer for tanning.com. View more tanning articles from the author at http://www.tanning.com/articles.

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