Tanning Beds: Friends or Foe?
It seems that indoor tanning, whether medical and skin experts like it or not, is here to stay.
Commercial tanning started in the seventies in Germany, when German scientist Friedrich Wolff used his scientific knowledge to make the first indoor beds. After this, indoor beds were mass-produced for the first time, and scattered throughout salons in Europe.
At present, the European indoor tanning industry is regulated by the government and regarded as a professional industry. In the United States, on the other hand, the first tanning bed companies did not have beds that were as sophisticated as its European counterparts, and the technology was not at par with those in Europe. The early tanning beds in the United States gave off high ultraviolet B, or UBV, light levels. Uncontrolled, UVB light, which gives tan to the skin, causes sunburn and various forms of skin ailments.
The early skin-related disorders caused by first American beds cause a ruckus in the medical and skincare community. Medical experts, especially dermatologists, aired their criticisms mainly over the media. They said that tanning, whether it is done outdoors or indoors, can result to various skin disorders, such as sunburn or worse, skin cancer or melanoma. For many skin experts, tanning using commercial beds does not mean one’s skin is safe from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation as opposed to direct exposure to the sun.
As a response, tanning bed companies did studies showing that, beds using ultraviolet A, or UVA, light could give one a tan without the high level of sunburn risk compared if one uses a bed with UVB light. With these studies, tanning bed companies quickly began to improve their tanning facilities, including the changing of tanning lights to include higher UVA percentages as opposed to UVB.
Today, most American tanning companies offer tanners with facilities, that, if used responsibly, can give consumers their healthy dose of tan with minimal risk of skin damage or sun burn.
You can find tanning bed companies everywhere offering a variety of services, enticing customers that they are the best tanning company in town. So, how do you know it’s the best out there? Remember these tips:
1. Reputation. Tanning bed companies that have been established for quite a long time are usually among the most trusted salons. Reputation, as in any case, is a factor on choosing tanning bed companies.
2. Expertise. If possible, try to look at the company’s information and expertise of the field. Usually, glancing at their websites and/or brochures will show the depth of their knowledge of the company of the industry, including trends.
3. Operation hours should be convenient.
4. Information materials to help consumers like you.
5. If the company offers financing programs and/or marketing offers, then it might be good giving that company another look.
6. Accessibility. Contacting the company should be easy. Telephone numbers, including facsimile, as well as website and electronic mail addresses should be readily available.
7. If any problems occur on the beds occur, the company has a ready technical support.
8. Look for companies that have good customer service team.
9. Memberships with industry associations.
Tanning do has some risks, whether it is done indoor or outdoors. But indoor training companies have done ways in making beds more relaxing as well as safer.
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