Tanning Bulbs
Tanning bed lamps are used in every sun bed or suntan lamp on the market. When you are buying a new or especially a used suntan bed, take a good look at the lamps. Make sure that they are real tanning lamps and meet the FDA guidelines for health and safety. You should also consider how easy it is to get at the bulbs. Make sure that the lamps are not difficult to change when the time comes. It is quite important and a lot cheaper if you can perform such simple maintenance yourself, if you buy a home sun bed.
There are different types of bulbs used in conventional and high pressure beds. Make sure you buy the right tanning bed bulbs for your bed, because they are not interchangeable. If you are purchasing replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing lamps carefully. Make sure that the bulbs you are buying are made for your bed.
High Pressure Bulbs: high pressure beds use quartz lamps in various 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 hood 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 tanning bed.
The biggest benefit of these bulbs is the short time you have to spend on the bed. Because you tan faster, you need to spend less time in the salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can achieve the level of tan you want in about three weeks of three to five sessions each week. With a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to acquire the same depth of colour. Maintaining your tan is much easier too. You only need two or three sessions each month to maintain the colour, compared with that many sessions every week on a conventional bed. Many of these lamps produce UVA rays only, not UVB rays which are responsible for burning.
Conventional Sun Bed Bulbs: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that look like household fluorescent tubes. The lamps are located above and below the bed of the sun bed, which means that all the body parts are tanned at the same time, without the need to change positions during the session.
Conventional beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying levels. Some use both and others use mostly UVA with a bit of UVB rays. UVA rays are responsible for the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce sunburn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to determine which type of rays your sun bed emits. You must be sure to replace your existing bulbs with comparable new lamps after about 1,000 hours of use.
Another consideration when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions suit different sorts of beds. The staff at your tanning salon can help you choose a lotion that will be best for the bed you are using and your skin type. Regardless of the bed you use, you should certainly always use a lotion or a cream, because they will nourish your skin and help you tan faster.
