ETS Tanning Bed Blog

In the tanning bed business, there has been almost nothing as polarizing, nothing getting as much news attention, or generating as much controversy, as vitamin D. Some experts say we shouldn't be out in the sun. But other medical experts are now saying a vitamin D deficiency is being linked to teenage obesity, increased chronic pain, seasonal affective disorder, breast cancer, and many other ailments.

We're told that a vitamin D deficiency could result in rickets and other disorders that could impair proper growth and development and lead to liver or kidney disorders.

According to a recent MSNBC article, the vitamin D craze has been building over the last few years, with low levels of the nutrient being blamed as a source of many of our ills . Depression and chronic pain are said to be diminished with vitamin D. Vitamin D can also help prevent many diseases such as kidney disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, or even the common cold.

The best source for vitamin D is adequate sunshine or UV-B rays . But other sources like fish (tuna and sardines), milk, and egg yolks are enriched with vitamin D. However not everyone enjoys or eats these products. Therefore, sunshine, which doesn't have a taste, is the way most people get their vitamin D requirement.

Unfortunately for many people, getting adequate doses of sunshine is difficult, especially when they work indoors throughout the day or spend four or five months indoors because of cold weather. For several, an alternative way of getting their vitamin D fix is through indoor tanning, which can be beneficial. An advantage indoor tanners have is access to control and comfort, something that can't be done outdoors where we're at the mercy of the elements and other factors. Since indoor tanning has become more popular, national guidelines and regulations have been put in place by the Federal government.

The MSNBC article also discusses vitamin D and indoor tanning, which, like vitamin D, has had a polarizing effect on researchers, doctors and scientists to its actual benefit or harm. MSNBC noted the news that Ultraviolet light was a source of vitamin D was good to the indoor tanning industry, long maligned by doctors who have linked it to the rising rates of melanoma skin cancer.

"UV is a proven carcinogen," said Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, chair-emeritus of the department of dermatology at Boston University Medical School. "The wavelengths of light that damage DNA and cause cancers are exactly the same ones that produce vitamin D in the skin."

Still, others are skeptical that UV light alone is the cause, especially when emitted from a tanning bed.

The Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) launched an aggressive nationwide campaign encouraging the public to rethink sun-tanning and criticizing dermatologists, doctors and the sunscreen and cosmetics industries for scaring people.

It's a never-ending argument. The fact remains that both indoor and outdoor tanning can be beneficial as long as tanners take care while tanning. But unlike outdoor tanning, indoor tanning can be done any time of day or year, can save time, and be done in short, controlled blocks of time.

There's a strong statistical link between Vitamin D deficiencies and breast cancer, says William B. Grant, Ph.D., in his March 2004 essay. The essay was featured on the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center website .

Grant's research showed that more than 200,000 women across the United States get breast cancer yearly with diet and lifestyle being the two determining risk factors. Proper diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of breast cancer, however a key benefit is getting plenty of vitamin D. Grant's analysis says that the breast cancer risk could be cut in half by sufficient vitamin D levels.

He states that dietary sources of vitamin D are not adequate to be beneficial and instead people should get their source of vitamin D from the sun, supplements, or from artificial UVB exposure. Proper exposure to the sun provides the body with the vitamin D it needs to help prevent not only breast cancer, but other cancers, heart disease, stroke and depression. Make no mistake, the best way to get vitamin D is through the sun. Unfortunately, time constraints and weather, especially the cold, dark winter months prevent many people from taking advantage of the healthy benefits of the sun. When sunshine is at a minimum, a trip to the tanning salon is a tempting opportunity for many.

The question is can a tanning bed offer the same benefits as the sun and could it be a factor in the reduction of breast cancer?

Some researchers say the best way to get benefits is to have a moderate exposure to sunlight. That could be no more than five to 10 minutes on your body. According to research by Michael Holick, who has done years of research on the subject of vitamin D, exposure to tanning beds increased pre-vitamin D. Continued exposure led to even more increases and thus could lead to a reduction in breast cancer.

Although we get vitamin D from the sun and its rays, overexposure could prove damaging so we have to use caution and limit our exposure to the sun. Plus, with our busy schedules and cold weather, it's not always possible to get outside. That's where tanning beds can be helpful. Studies have shown that moderate exposure to UV, including UV from indoor tanning beds, may produce vitamin D.

Grant does state that insufficient evidence exists to link sunbed use to risk of melanoma for other than those with skin phenotype I. It is accurate to say that indoor sunbeds provide an alternative way for individuals to obtain ultraviolet exposure in a responsible and controlled fashion if spending time outdoors in the sun isn't possible or convenient.

A few months ago, we discussed a few ways to bring college students to your tanning salon, using things like Freshmen Welcome Packs, On Campus Bulletin Boards, and Free Weekly Papers .

These are great techniques, and we can't recommend them enough. But don't forget, most of these students are so plugged in to social media and the Internet, you're missing some valuable channels if you ignore the online world. Here are a few places you can find and attract college students.

Facebook - Facebook is one of the most popular social networks out there. You can find friends you went to high school and college with, join causes and nonprofits, or become fans of bands, actors, and even companies. Have your employees sign up for Facebook and friend the people they know from the local college or university.

Twitter - We talked about Twitter a few weeks ago as a way to reach customers. College students are using Twitter like crazy, and it's a fast and easy way to send out messages to your Twitter followers. Let clients set appointments through messages, or send out your own messages like "We have a cancellation for 7 tonight. First to respond gets it."

Text Clubs - Companies like Connective Mobile give you the ability to create opt-in text clubs. Send out messages wishing people a fun Spring Break, good luck with finals, and even special promotions you offer. (Make sure to balance the non-commercial/friendly messages with the commercial ones. See the important note below.) A lot of restaurants are using text clubs as a way to make special announcements, like "1/2 price appetizers from 5 - 7 tonight" to their text club members. Text clubs and Twitter are a great way to make customers feel like they're part of a special, elite group, which increases their loyalty.

One important note: Avoid blatant commercial messages like "We're having a sale on tanning packages this week only!" Today's social media users don't respond well to commercial spam, and will stop paying attention to you altogether if you do. Instead focus on the relationships with the people, and they'll become interested in who you are as much as what you do. This isn't true for text clubs, because that's what they're for. But social media users are about the conversation, not commerce. Make them like you with what you have to say, and they'll come to you for what you offer later.

Every once in a while, we like to feature tanning salons that have made the news, as well as tanning news that may affect you.

Here are a few articles we found this past week.

Ultimate Tan of Lawrence, Kansas was featured in the Lawrence Journal World & News as being certified by the International Smart Tan network, an educational association that certifies tanning salons, teaches them about the tanning process, and what is expected of tanning salons.

A study by public health officials at San Diego State University found that there are more tanning salons in a big city than there are Starbucks or McDonald's. According to the story on MSNBC, the five cities with the highest density of salons per resident are Charleston, WV; Pittsburgh, PA; Akron, OH; Portlane, ME; and Columbia, SC.

The Indoor Tanning Association urged Spring Breakers to practice responsible tanning, with moderate exposure to tanning beds and taking extra care not to burn. They recommend salon customers get a base tan before spending a week in the Spring Break sun, tan moderately, and know the effects of medication on your skin type and the sun."

Speaking of Charleston, WV, West Virginia state senator, Ron Stollings has introduced a bill (Senate Bill 488) that would require parents or guardians to give written permission for children under 18 to use a tanning salon. If the child is under 14, the parent or guardian would have to accompany them. The bill is being widely praised by the Skin Cancer Foundation, which hopes tanning salons will be illegal for minors. A similar bill has been introduced in the Mississippi state House.

Utah state legislators are trying to pass a tax on tanning salon owners. Utah Rep. Melvin Brown (R-Coalville) wants to tack a 10% tax on admissions or user fees at tanning salons to fund skin cancer research. Tanning salon owners are concerned that the tax will unfairly pick on one industry, and will add costs to tanning salons which are already suffering in this down economy.

The big news this week was the link between vitamin D deficiency and obesity in teenagers.

Obesity, especially teen obesity has had numerous effects on the physical and emotional health [of what, whom?]. Poor dietary habits, a lack of exercise and smoking have all contributed to obesity. However, new findings suggest that a lack of vitamin D can also contribute to adolescent and teen obesity.

In addition, low levels of vitamin D can lead to high blood pressure and high blood sugar, which compound the health issues.

A new study by Jared Reis of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said that teens in the study with the lowest vitamin D levels were more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure and high blood sugar. The teens were also four times more likely to have metabolic syndrome, defined as having three or more conditions that contribute to heart disease and diabetes - including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, big waists, and high cholesterol.

Admittedly, more research will be needed to factor whether vitamin D is really behind the health problems and whether getting more would make a difference.

In addition, minorities were also more likely to be vitamin-D deficient, however the study didn't determine if they were more like to suffer from the normal vitamin D deficient conditions.

To further boost the findings of the Johns Hopkins study, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia studied more than 650 teenagers from 14 to 19. They found that teens reporting a higher intake of vitamin D had lower body fat and lower amounts of abdominal fat. Once again, it showed that minority teens were getting insufficient vitamin D intake.

Black females had the lowest vitamin D intake and also had higher percentages of body fat and abdominal fat, while black males reported the lowest percentages of body fat and visceral fat. White males, were shown to be getting the recommended minimum amount of vitamin D.

While we're still waiting to see whether the vitamin D deficiency is a cause-and-effect relationship, we have maintained all along that vitamin D is an important part of any healthy lifestyle.  Although we get vitamin D from the sun and its rays, overexposure could prove damaging so we have to use caution and limit our exposure to the sun. Plus, with our busy schedules and cold weather, it's not always possible to get outside. That's where tanning beds can be helpful. Research has shown that people who use indoor tanning equipment that emits UVB – which most equipment does – also produce Vitamin D. Studies have also shown that indoor tanning clients have higher Vitamin D blood levels than non-tanners according to Tanningtruth.com.

The Importance of Proper Voltage in Tanning Beds

All things mechanical are going to have a problem at one point or another. It's natural.

A large part of the issues with tanning beds are electrical, which leads to overheating. Sometimes a bed can overheat and shut down. Other times, it can run too cool, and not give a proper tan. We work with tanning salon owners to avoid these potential problems prior even to the bed purchase.  Our guidelines are clear for voltage and we offer buckboosters to help either raise or lower the voltage, depending on what the needs of the salon are.

230 volts is the maximum recommended voltage. However, not all power is the same – it can be too high or too low, which makes the bed run too hot or too cool. By using a buckbooster, we can help the salon achieve 230 volts for their beds. The best way to tell whether your voltage is correct is by using a voltage meter, which all our technicians carry.


The Importance of Proper Ventilation in Tanning Rooms

Room temperature can also play a factor in the proper functioning of the bed. If a room runs too hot because of poor ventilation, hot air will get circulated into the bed, making it extremely hot. Again, in these cases, a bed can overheat and shut down. This can also cause damage to the bed.

In one salon, a room temperature reached 117 Fahrenheit, which is a scorcher no matter how you look at it. The bed overheated and wouldn't work properly. An HVAC technician came to the salon to work on the problem. He discovered that when the ceiling vents were moved, the heat went down.

Proper ventilation removes pollutants, provides fresh air, and most importantly, allows the room to cool, an important aspect with a very warm tanning bed. Proper ventilation also reduces the possibility of damage to a tanning bed and tanning salon and keeps all occupants – users, workers, owners, customers – safe.

Tanning is the only thing you can do to change your appearance literally overnight.

Sometimes we just need a personal change. Change our look, change how we feel, change our image. Maybe you've got a special meeting coming up, or a surprise vacation, or you just feel like trying something new.

If you ever want a quick change, there are a number of things you can do. You can change your wardrobe, but that's expensive. You can change your hair color or hair style, but you'll be stuck with that for months, and a good hair stylist can cost you $100 or more.

Tanning is a good option, because you can start to develop a tan and healthy look after just one session, like you just took a quick trip to the beach for the weekend. And a couple of sessions in a week or two can enhance it.

Sure, you can go to the gym, but as soon as you're done, you'll look the same, just sweatier and stinkier. (Now, we do advocate going to the gym or getting some form of exercise, but it doesn't bring the quick change you wanted.)

Tanning is fast, convenient, and controlled. You can choose your session time, session cost and results you desire based on the various tanning bed alternatives offered in salons. Your salon professional will guide you based on skin type and your personal tanning experience.

While we like the sun and advocate people spending time outdoors, we also know that schedules don't always afford us the time to spend outside during the day. And by the time we've got a block of time, it's dark outside, or cold and in the middle of winter.

So if you want to make a quick, inexpensive change to your image, consider indoor tanning as a way to stick your toe in the water. Try it out and see if you like it.