Tanning beds are very popular with those who want to get a nice, even, all-over tan, but they are just one of the many sunless tanning products available to those who are interested. In fact, many of the salons that rent time on tanning beds also offer tanning pills, sell the Sunshower home tanning solarium system, and may have a tanning spray booth for customer use.
UV tanning has come under fire in recent years from medical authorities who state that it is unsafe, however medical evidence suggests that tanning bed offering limited exposure, salons that offer tanning bed lotions, and carefully regulated exposure times on the suntan bed make the use of these tanning products no more dangerous than walking outside on a sunny day.
The American Medical association (AMA) insists that indoor tanning is associated with cases of skin cancer and called for a ban on the sale and use of tanning equipment for non-medical purposes in 1994. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disagreed and instead decreed that the units could only be used for cosmetic (not medical) purposes.
There is no doubt that prolonged exposure to UV rays can and does cause skin cancer, but by attacking the tanning industry, the AMA may have been barking up the wrong tree. The tanning industry has been able to provide too much evidence that there is, in fact, nothing inherently dangerous about the proper use of their products. Overexposure to the UV rays produced by one of the beds can be harmful, of course, but there is no real danger in the proper use of tanning beds.
It's hard to imagine how many vehicles or entities are behind the salons and how many professional trainers and accesories are needed to satisfy demanding indoor tanners.
First of all, a tanning bed can be of a vertical or a lie-down type. Secondly, the tanning bed and lamp work together, thus providing the ultraviolet light to the client. Each type of tanning bed bulb or tanning lamp (vertical or lie-down) has its own supporters. Some owners prefer the vertical type, for the easy cleaning after the session (bench, canopy acrylics, goggles, wipe and vacuum fans and vents, hoses). Also, in a limited space, more vertical tanning beds can be accomodated, which is very convenient for a salon owner. Others prefer classic sunless beds, since clients expect a private, quiet manner to relax, far away from the office, mobile phone and other worries and obligations. The intensity of the tan and the tanning speed depend on three factors:
- the UV output from the lamps
- the skin type
- the distance between the body and the tubes
The use and sale of indoor tanning machines which include tanning beds in salons and at home and systems like Sunshower are just the tip of the pigmentation iceberg. Tanning towels, sinless tan sprays, pills, and lotions all make up a part of this industry and it's not going away anytime soon.
The people who use sunless tanning products could be anyone. Tanning salon customers include people of both sexes and those from all walks of life. Your neighbor, paperboy, dry cleaner, mailman, and meter reader could all be tanning salon customers.