ETS Tanning Bed Blog

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.

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.

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.