Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tanning Lamps

By Gail Jones

Tanning bed bulbs are used in every sun bed or suntan lamp on the market. When you are purchasing a new or especially a used tanning bed, take a good look at the lamps. Ensure that they are proper tanning lamps and meet the FDA guidelines for health and safety. You should also consider how easy it is to get at the lamps. Make sure that the bulbs are easy to change when necessary. It is quite important and a lot cheaper if you can perform such simple maintenance yourself, if you have a home tanning bed.

There are two very different, non-interchangeable sorts of bulbs used in conventional and high pressure beds. You need to make sure you get the right tanning bed lamps for your sun bed, because you cannot use just any lamp you like. If you are purchasing replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing bulbs very carefully, because you have to make sure that the bulbs you are buying are made for your bed.

High Pressure Bulbs: high pressure beds use quartz lamps in a variety of sizes. The gases inside these bulbs have a pressure that is slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The lamps in these beds are located in the top of the bed, so that you tan from above only. When you have tanned the skin on one side of your body for about 10-12 minutes, you turn over and tan the other side. The bed of these devices is much more comfortable than a conventional sun bed.

The biggest advantage of these bulbs is the amount of time you need to spend on the sun bed. Because you tan more quickly, you need to spend less time in the salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can get the depth of tan you want in about three weeks of three to five sessions a week. However, with a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to achieve the same level of colour. Maintaining your tan is much easier too. You only need two or three sessions a month to maintain the colour, compared with four times that many sessions on a conventional bed. Many of these bulbs produce UVA rays only, not UVB rays which cause burning.

Conventional Sun Bed Lamps: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that look like normal fluorescent tubes. The lamps are situated in the top and the bottom of the sun bed, which means that all the body parts are browned at the together, without needing to change positions during the tanning session.

Low pressure beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying levels. Some use both rays and others emit mostly UVA with some UVB rays. UVA rays are the cause of the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce skin burn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to discover which type of rays your tan bed's bulbs emit. You must ensure you replace your existing bulbs with the same new lamps after about 1,000 hours of use.

Another factor when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions are better for each type of bed. The owner of your tanning salon can help you choose a lotion that will be best for the bed you are using and your skin type. No matter what bed you are using, you should definitely always use a lotion. Lotions help you tan more quickly and moisturise your skin at the same time.

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