ETS Tanning Bed Blog

It's a common myth by the tanning nay-sayers that the government has said tanning is bad.

The truth is indoor tanning is rigorously monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the organization responsible for monitoring food and drug safety, and the Federal Trade Commission, the organization responsible for consumer protection and responsible business practices. The FDA makes sure our equipment is safe, and the FTC makes sure we can back up our claims, and don't make false promises.

In 2007, President George W. Bush signed the Tanning Accountability and Notification Act (TAN), which requires the FDA to reevaluate warning labels on tanning beds, and to find ways of educating consumers about responsible use of tanning beds.

While common misconceptions about indoor tanning abound, the truth is that medical experts have been finding alarming links between vitamin D deficiencies and all sorts of health problems: breast cancer, colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease, teen obesity, just to name a few.

At the end of 2008, the FDA released its findings regarding the the text and placement of warning labels on tanning beds. They said there was sufficient information on the labels that were communicated to the public:

Based on its analysis of the results of the consumer study required by section 230 of FDAAA, FDA has determined that there are warnings that are capable of adequately communicating the risks of indoor tanning, and that a modified warning statement label may more effectively convey these risks than the current labeling requirements. FDA has also determined that changes to the positioning requirements for the warning statement label may communicate such risks more effectively.

Believe it or not, using a single tanning lotion is not a good idea when trying to tan at an indoor salon .

Tanning lotion was first used in the 1960s and has evolved from one basic lotion to many different varieties. There are two main varieties, outdoor and indoor tanning lotion. Indoor tanning lotion is designed to amplify the effects of ultraviolet light rather than block them. This is usually done by using ingredients that promote tanning by increasing the blood flow to the skin, thereby increasing the amount of melanin that is brought to the top layers of the skin.

But why should a customer consider rotating tanning lotions? Not all tanning lotions are the same and not all are made with the same type of ingredients. By using different tanning lotions, they can help you obtain a better, well-rounded tan for your skin and who better to help the customer than the trusty pro behind the counter? Your tanning salon Professional is trained to identify your tanning & skin care needs and direct you to the lotion products that will meet those needs and your budget.

By rotating lotions, you actually enhance the tanning process because you are changing the active ingredients and each ingredient is designed to enhance the tanning process in different ways.

Some of the active ingredients found in common tanning lotions include melanin, L-Tyrosine, tea oil, copper – which is in many different chemical compounds – green tea extract, and many types of natural oils. Ingredients vary widely from brand to brand. What goes into one brand is different than what goes into another brand; and thus the competition begins. Lotions contain a mix of tanning enhancing ingredients and skin care ingredients which dictate the cost of each lotion. When selecting a tanning lotion your salon professional can help you to identify which ingredients best meet you objectives and then guide you to the correct lotion at a price that will fit your budget.

Tanning lotions and moisturizers come in many different fragrances and fragrance free alternatives are available for those individuals that have allergies or sensitive skin. Much like perfumes & colognes tanning lotions and moisturizers allow the customer to choose the fragrance that matches their individual style.

Indoor tanners should apply between a half-ounce to a full once of tanning lotion per tanning session, spreading liberally over all exposed areas to properly moisturize their skin so as to maximize their tanning session. When selecting a tanning lotion it is best to purchase your lotion from a professional tanning salon as brands sold at other retailers may include ingredients that will damage the acrylic surface you lay on in a tanning bed. Many tanning salons prohibit the use of brands not specifically manufactured for indoor tanning due to the potential for damage to the tanning bed acrylic. Your salon professional can provide you with a list of brands that are specifically manufactured for use in indoor tanning beds.

After solving the economic crisis, immigration issue, and all crimes and poverty, the Texas legislation is now considering a bill to make it harder for Texas teens to use tanning beds . Supporters of the bill have compared its importance to the law which makes it illegal for teens to buy cigarettes.

Naturally, this bill is getting a strong reaction from both sides--the ones trying to enforce the law and the ones against it, the teens and not surprisingly, the tanning salon owners.

House Bill 1310 seeks to restrict teens younger than 18 from using tanning equipment in Texas without written consent from a doctor. The bill was introduced by Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, after he became concerned about skin cancer among minors, according to the Lufkin Daily News. Current Texas law states children under 13 need to have a doctor's permission prior to tanning and anyone age 15 or younger must have a parent present in the salon while the child is tanning.

Evidently Rep. Solomons has been listening to doctors at M.D. Anderson, who claim that keeping kids away from tanning beds is a potentially life-saving idea much like keeping them from purchasing cigarettes.

"I can't imagine a good reason a teenager needs to be in a tanning bed. The truth is there isn't a good benefit and there is lots of potential harm, for teenagers using tanning beds," said Dr. Hughes.

In addition to Texas, Florida, Hawaii and 16 other states are considering laws similar to HB 1310. Proposals would ban teens from tanning salons or require them to get notes from their parents or doctors.

But personal rights advocates and parents are concerned about the government telling them how to raise their children. One Florida Republican said parents should have the discretion--not states.

"I gotta tell you, you cannot regulate everything in this world," said Florida senator Mike Bennett (R), who voted against the bill in Florida. "I suppose we could say the same thing and outlaw tanning on the beach."

Persuading teens to stop tanning could be a hard sell as many are concerned about physical appearances at that age. Also independence comes into question and a law like this would take away more freedoms – something teens value as they assert themselves in the world.

If a bill like this does pass, where would it end? Tobacco and alcohol are certainly understandable as both have conclusively proven to be a major hazard on human health, but the jury is still out on tanning beds. Despite some doctors' claims, there are others who say there is no major proof that tanning beds are dangerous. Furthermore, some experts are beginning to show the connection between vitamin D deficiencies and all sorts of health conditions (like this, this, and this)

There are other, more dangerous things teens do, like skateboarding, participating in contact sports like football, wrestling, gymnastics and lacrosse, hunting, working on farms or factories and driving.

It's important that Texas politicians know all the facts and consider everything before voting on such a bill.

To learn more about legislation in your state, contact your local government or visit the Indoor Tanning Association website.

We all know what happens when humans suffer from vitamin D deficiencies. Osteoporosis can occur, as well as osteomalacia, a bone-thinning disorder that happens in adults, and rickets, a childhood disease that retards the strength, growth and stability of the long bones.

Very few nations have higher levels of vitamin D deficiency than Canada.. According to a recent article in the Calgary Herald, studies by Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University shows that showed Canadians haven't been getting enough vitamin D .

"We did a study in Edmonton many years ago, which showed that you basically can't make any vitamin D there from October until about the first of April," said Dr. Holick.

Holick added that many Canadians are not getting enough vitamin D from sunlight, or from drinking milk, which might supply a small portion of the daily requirement. Another key finding from North American Conference on UV in 2006 showed that during the winter months, Canadians don't get enough vitamin D because the sun's rays are weaker in the winter. It is recommended that Canadians may want to consider taking vitamin D supplements during the winter.

However the specific country does have its skeptics.

Jacqueline Severson, a registered nurse from Morinville, Alberta, believes the news to be "interesting" but raises questions as to why Canadians were singled out and not other nations from northern climates like the United States, Russia, Norway, Sweden or the Alpine nations.

"I imagine it's not just Canada and Canadians lacking in vitamin D, but a lot of those northern countries especially in the winter months," Severson said. "It's the region more than the nationality."

Severson, who lived in her native Canada for 25 years, said while it's true that winter weather drives more people indoors in Canada, there are other parts of the world that receive as much winter weather as the Great White North.

She agreed that part of British Columbia could be susceptible to a lack of sunlight, but more so because of rainy weather in the wintertime and that parts of the United States, like Washington and Oregon would also have rainy weather because of their location.

Severson doesn't worry about a deficiency of vitamin D herself as she lives in Arizona year-round, but that's because of her preference, not the health risk.

"I happen to like the sun and the warmer climate."

Bed hopping is (depending on where your loyalties lie) generally frowned upon in society.

However it's perfectly fine to do so in the tanning salon industry. In fact, it's encouraged and done without judgment of the moral character of the person who does it. Bed hopping is the norm and is highly recommended.

There are three great reasons why you should tan in a different bed--which does sound better than bed-hopping.

So why should you tan in a different bed?

1. Tanning beds typically have lamps which emit differing ratios of UVA and UVB light.

And the differing ratios do have a dramatic effect on tanning.

According to an article in Yahoo News from last year, the ''normal beds'' most likely have regular bulbs with more UV-B and they do not tan you deeply. As a result, your tan will fade more quickly than with beds with more UV-A bulbs. A different bed may have more UV-A rays which go deeper into the skin. Your tan will last longer, especially if you keep your skin moisturized. All salons are different and offer different brands of bulbs. It's wise to ask the owner what the ratio is of UV-A/UV-B in the different beds, what kind of bulbs they use and how often they change them. This information is vital in maintaining your tan. By rotating, you can take your tan to the next level.

2. Many beds have different acrylic shapes.
The acrylic is what the tanner lays on while tanning. During the tanning process, a person who lays on the acrylic will have pressure points at certain parts of their body, say, the shoulder blades. While laying on the acrylic, these natural pressure points inhibit the blood flow in that area, which means that part of the body won't tan well. By using another bed, the acrylic might have a slightly different shape and result in different pressure points elsewhere. By rotating beds your pressure points will tan along with the rest of your body.

3. Rotate by using a stand up booth.
This allows the tanner to get a fuller, all-round tan. If the tanner uses the stand up once or twice, this helps ensure a complete tan with parts of the body that don't normally see too much tanning like underneath the arms. Stand up booths have handles in convenient areas which allow you to comfortable hold your arms up for the full session. The arms are raised up and there are no pressure points. The UV rays get go all over.

It's like a line of dominoes. After Utah and Florida started banning teen tanning, other states have quickly been falling. In Arkansas, the state senate passed a bill, 34 - 1, that will require a parent or guardian's consent before teenagers can use indoor tanning facilities.

We found this one on our own local NBC station, WTHR.

The importance of vitamin D for a healthy body is well known, but health experts have been in the news raising a hue and cry about a vitamin D deficiency crisis in this country .

Apparently we're just not getting enough vitamin D in our bodies, and many people are wondering if the warnings of staying out of the sun and tanning booths are starting to swing this health pendulum too far the other way.

One of the most vital roles of vitamin D is to boost the absorption of calcium into the bones. Vitamin D also helps to keep teeth and gums healthy, especially in older adults.

The latest vitamin D study comes to us through the combined efforts of the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Michigan. They have shown that vitamin D may also help maintain cognitive skills. While not comprehensive, the study was based on information collected from almost 2,000 adults aged 65 and over who participated in a large health survey in England. The data shows that as vitamin D levels decreased, cognitive impairment increased.

Of the cognitive impairment diseases, Alzheimer's is the most common form. It is an incurable, degenerative and terminal disease that was first discovered by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. It is usually found in people 65 and older, although it can sometimes occur earlier.

According to the study, a contributing factor to injuries in Alzheimer's patients could be a lack of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for the strength and development of bones, but since many Alzheimer's patients are homebound or lacking mobility, they are frequently lacking sunlight.

People with Alzheimer's also have an increased risk of hip and other bone fractures as a result. As Alzheimer's disease is more prevalent in older populations, the ability of skin to convert vitamin D to its active form decreases with age, contributing to increased risk. One study of women with Alzheimer's done by the Medical College of Wisconsin found that decreased bone mineral density was associated with a low intake of vitamin D and inadequate sunlight exposure.

There was also evidence linking a lack of vitamin D to Parkinson's Disease, another disease associated with the aged, but there is still much study and testing to do to determine whether low vitamin D levels are linked to cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's.

Older adults should boost their vitamin D intake to help reduce chronic pain and strengthen their teeth and bones; younger adults should also boost their vitamin D intake to help reduce the risk of weakened bones, bone fractures, cognitive impairment, and even some forms of cancer.

Experts recommend that we get about 15 minutes of sun per day, or barring that, spending time in an indoor tanning bed.

All of this raises the question of whether tanning beds can offer the same health benefits as sunshine. The best source of Vitamin D is the sun, however tanning beds provide a good source of Vitamin D. Tanning beds are installed with bulbs that emit mostly UVA (long-wave) rays, said to be less harmful than UVB (short-wave) rays. Thus, a tanning bed gives customers the same emission as the sun, but at a more controlled level and shorter time.

Tanning beds, while not as powerful nor more popular than sunlight, still provides beneficial results in a safer environment, especially when the weather is too cold to be out in the sun.