ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Tanning bed bulbs are probably one of the most critical components of your business. You may have the slickest indoor tanning facilities, the best tanning beds and the hottest lotions, but if your bulbs aren't up to scratch, your customers simply won't get the tan they want.

That said, tanning lamps are a huge investment, so how do you choose the right tanning bed bulbs? And once you've made your choice, how do you care for and maintain them? It's not that easy, which is why I've put together a breakdown of the differences between the various types of tanning bed lamps and some guidelines on how to keep your indoor tanning bulbs working at maximum efficiency.

Different Types of Indoor Tanning Lamps

Low Pressure Indoor Tanning Lamps

You may know these as fluorescent lamps and yes, they contain mercury. So, you will need to dispose of them properly once they're done working. Low pressure tanning lamps work by discharging gas that excites a stream of electrons, emitting ultraviolet radiation and then causing the phosphorous coating on the lamp tube to light up.

RUV-A Indoor Tanning Lamps

RUV-A lamps are also known as reflector lamps. This type of tanning bed lamp has an internal reflective coating that focuses all of the UV light output to the front of the lamp, reducing the total tanning time and increasing the UV output.

High Output Indoor Tanning Lamps

HO (high output) lamps and VHO (very high output) lamps, work on an 80 to 160-watt ballast and are the most common type of lamp of indoor tanning beds. VHOs are typically found in stand-up beds.

This category also includes high-pressure lamps (metal halide lamps), and though small, these quartz lamps emit an incredible amount of ultraviolet light.

When comparing lamps, are the UV-B percentages and ratios important?

When you divide the UV-B energy of a lamp by the total UV-A and UV-B output, you get what's often referred to as the UV-B ratio. A number of tanning bed and lamp manufacturers will throw these numbers at you, but the truth is, it doesn't actually show the true output of the lamp.

And what about the Te and Tm ratings? Are they important?

Because the UV-B ratio doesn't really tell us much, the FDA uses a much more intricate system using Te and Tm ratings. Te is essentially how long it takes an indoor tanning lamp to produce a sunburn, this is called the minimal erythemal dose (MED) and it's the maximum amount of time allowed per indoor tanning session. Tm is how long it takes the lamp to stimulate tanning, or melanogenesi.

How do I know when to replace tanning lamps and which brands are compatible?

First, let me say that if you're an ETS Tan customer, you can always call us with a question and we can help walk you through the answer, whether it's troubleshooting a bed or deciding if it's time to replace a lamp.

Lamps should be replaced once they've lost about 25-30% of their original output. At that point, they're simply not effective and you're letting your customers down. One way to keep an eye on your lamps is to meter them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. When taking a reading, let the equipment warm up first and always try to take the reading in the same place every time. To make it easier, keep a lamp log next to each bed to track your readings and results.

If you're replacing a lamp on your own, make sure the replacement is FDA-compatible with the original lamp, meaning it must have the same Tm and Te ratings and can't affect the exposure time of the equipment. Luckily, most lamps will say which lamps they can or can't replace.

But remember, as an ETS Tan customer, you can always call us for technical help or assistance ordering replacement parts for your indoor tanning beds. We'll be here for you

It’s almost the stuff of urban legends – the famous (or infamous) baby oil tan.

For years people on beaches and in backyards slathered themselves down with baby oil to get a deep, dark tan. And it worked. People who could tan would find they did tan when they “laid out” coated with baby oil.

Those were also the days of some pretty serious bikini lines.

But as always, times have changed, and so have people’s tanning accouterments. So is tanning with baby oil a classic? Or a dinosaur? Here are a few questions we're commonly asked about tanning with baby oil:

Do people still even use baby oil?

Yes, it has a distinctive glisten!

Does it speed up getting a tan?

Yes, sort of. Baby oil moisturizes your skin yet has no SPF sun protection in it, and therefore there is zero blocking of the sun’s UV rays. And while that may contribute to speeding up the tanning process, it can also mean speeding up the burning process.

So, is baby oil good or bad for my skin?

That depends. Bad, perhaps, if you overexpose your skin to the sun with no SPF, but good as a moisturizer. It’s actually a pretty serious moisturizer. And moisture helps with the absorbtion of UV rays.

Should I wear it for moisture with indoor tanning beds?

No. Nope. Negative.

Why not? It’s good moisturizer, right?

It's good for the skin, but bad for the beds. Baby oil will damage the acrylics on the tanning beds. As it damages the beds, the salons need to replace the acrylics, which increases the costs of operation, which ultimately means higher prices for you.

What should I use instead?

Tanning salons carry a wide variety of tanning lotions which are formulated specifically to protectively moisturize your skin without damaging the tanning beds. And, as always, be sure to use a good moisturizer after you’re done with your tanning session. Moisture helps with overall skin health.

Seasons come and seasons go, and along with them, warm weather. Clearly it’s more desirable to lay in the sun during the warm, balmy temperatures of summer than during the more chilly temperatures of spring and fall.

Still, personal comfort aside, does the temperature affect the ability to tan? Do you get goose-bump patterns if you’re cold? (The answer is, of course, no.) What about laying out on a cloudy day – is that a waste of time, or is there a silver lining?

Do I get less of a tan when it’s cool outside?

No – as long as the sun is out. If it’s a summer day, but it’s cool and clear, you’ll get just as much UV as if it’s hot.

Does it matter whether it’s a cool day in spring or summer?

Maybe. It depends on the latitude of your location. The closer you are to the equator, the more direct the angle of incidence for the suns rays. It also depends on the season. As the earth rotates and the sun gets closer to or further away from the horizon, it affects the angle of incidence.

Why does angle of incidence matter?

Because when the sun is lower to the horizon it has a lot more atmosphere to penetrate. And atmosphere blocks UV rays. Down in Florida, you’re going to get more UV all year long. Up in northern Alaska, not so much.

What about clouds – can I still get tan on a cloudy day?

Yes, but it takes longer because clouds also block UV rays – although not entirely.

When’s the best time to tan?

Weather is tricky – but you can tan any time (even in the dead of winter) with indoor tanning salons. Indoor tanning when sunshine is weakest in the winter can also help lift your spirits and dose you up with Vitamin D.

It's also a great way to tan during the summer, because you can control your exposure, make sure you get the right type of UV rays, and you can work around your schedule, including hitting the salon during the early morning or late evening hours.

There just may be a reason multiple sclerosis (MS) is less common in countries that have more year ’round sunshine. At least, there is new research which indicates Vitamin D (acquired orally or through the skin via sunshine or UV-B rays from indoor tanning beds) helps in the treatment of the disease.

MS is a medical disorder in which the body doesn’t recognize itself. As a result, the body’s own immune system attacks and eventually destroys the sheath (covering) that protects the nerve fibers, reacting as if it were a foreign substance or an infection.

Vitamin D is well known as an immune system booster . Now, however, medical research from Louisiana State University School of Medicine and the Oregon Health and Science University indicate Vitamin D may also help regulate the immune system.

In fact, other researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have stated vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to MS, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and certain types of cancer .

Clinical trials are now in phase II to gauge the effectiveness and necessary amount for MS treatment. In an official statement, researchers say they believe Vitamin D therapy research will provide “more therapeutic options,” and hope their findings are “a major advance in the global effort to alter the natural history of this chronic disease.”

There is also the mood-enhancing benefit of UV-B rays. And if you have a tight day schedule or live in a country (or region) that does not get year ’round sun, you can easily add indoor tanning to your UV-B regimen. Contact your local tanning salon for information on pricing and membership.

This month, the American College of Sports Medicine published an article in their Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal that says vitamin D can actually help athletic performance .

While a few sessions of indoor tanning isn't going to turn you into Shawn Johnson or Michael Phelps, the article, titled 'Athletic Performance and Vitamin D' , found that because vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone that regulates over a thousand vitamin D-responsive genes, it may postively affect athletic performance. The article cited a number of studies, including a German study that found increased exposure to UV-B rays improves athletic performance.

Other cited studies found that athletic performance peaks seasonally with those peaks corresponding to prolonged exposure to sunshine, UV-B rays and vitamin D. Another study mentioned in the article found that regular sunshine and optimal vitamin D levels can actually increase the number and size of Type II muscle fibers - the muscle fibers known as our "fast twitch" fibers which are key for athletes.

Athletes who already participate in outdoor sports — long-distance runners, cyclists, baseball players and soccer players — have plenty of vitamin D, but it's the indoor and winter athletes who could probably use the extra vitamin D boost to aid their performance.

And because vitamin D deficiencies can actually be dangerous for an athlete (for all of us, actually), resulting in bone loss, increased risk of injury and a weakened immune system, it's critical that these sports enthusiasts keep a close eye on their vitamin D levels.

So, what does this mean for our Olympic athletes? Will we see our luge and speed skating teams preparing for Vancouver 2010 with indoor tanning sessions and lots of sunshine? Maybe. I can tell you this much - sunshine and UV-B rays aren't illegal.

Even Forbes, a business magazine, is getting on the vitamin D bandwagon with an article about the importance of vitamin D that covers a new study promoting the connection between sunshine, UV-B rays and your overall health .

What I like about this latest study from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine is that the author, Dr. Adit Ginde, stresses that fortified food typically isn't sufficient enough when it comes to vitamin D. Too often, I think most people assume that because a food is fortified with vitamin D that they're fine, but the truth is there's just no substitute for sunshine and UV-B rays when it comes to your health.

In fact, according to Dr. Ginde and his co-authors, more than 75% of the U.S. population suffer from some form of vitamin D deficiency. The cause? According to the study, it's our society's hyper-awareness of sun exposure and subsequent overuse of sun block along with a trend towards spending less and less time outside. (Look, when people are telling you to put on a high-SPF sunscreen and big floppy hat just to get your mail, it's getting a little silly.)

The answer? Get some sunshine, it's good for your health.

But what if you can't get outside or, like me, you live in Indianapolis during the winter? Well, you can get those same UV-B rays through indoor tanning. Indoor tanning machines provide the same UV-B rays that the body uses to synthesize vitamin-D, meaning 10 minutes in a bed one to two times a week may be all you need.

I recently stumbled across a 2008 study, done in part at the University of Washington, that found vitamin D administered to patients suffering from chronic kidney disease can actually reduce mortality rates by about 26 percent.

Instead of obtaining vitamin D through exposure to UV-B rays, a portion of the 1,418 patients in the study were administered calcitrol, an oral and activated vitamin D supplement. This was to ensure that vitamin D intake and levels could be carefully monitored and tracked.

Both interesting and comprehensive, this study also shows that vitamin D exposure and absorption is important to our health and in ways that go beyond basic bone issues.

Over the past several months, we've seen sunlight go from being the fiery demon that's been vilified by prohibitionist dermatologists to the wonder vitamin responsible for preventing so many ills. From cancer prevention to reduced mortality rates in those suffering from kidney disease, vitamin D is proving itself to be the miracle hormone. This study is just one more reinforcement as to why all things, including sunlight and indoor tanning, should be done in moderation, not avoided completely.

And no, you don't have to take calcitrol in order to obtain sufficient vitamin D levels. You can get vitamin D by exposing yourself to 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight several times a week. If you can't get outside or live in a climate that doesn't provide an excessive amount of sun, you can get all the UV-B rays you need with just one to two short indoor tanning sessions a week. Call your local tanning salon to see what kind of membership packages they have available for you.