Tanning in a Tanning Bed

Do you need a tan? If you do, well it is probably time you go to a beach and spend the whole day exposing your body to the sun. But the problem is that you might not have sufficient time and resources to do so.

You might find that going to the beach would demand so much time because you may need to allocate one whole day to do so, on top of the costs and tediousness of going to a beach resort. And because of that, you may find that getting a tan at the beach would not always be feasible.

So if you want a tan in an instant, what should be done? In Europe and in the United States, people want to get a good tan especially during the winter months. Tanning has never been in demand as it is today. That is because in fashion, tanned skin is considered a prerequisite in becoming truly appealing and visually pleasing.

So, what Europeans and Americans do during winter is go and take a vacation at tropical islands and countries. But many people are feeling the financial crunch and tediousness of the activity. That is the reason why tanning beds have become such a hit.

What is a tanning bed?

A tanning bed is an equipment that is designed and especially manufactured to help people get artificial ultraviolet radiation. You probably have seen one in movies and in some television shows. To use a tanning bed, the person would be asked to get inside the machine in lying position.

Within a specified and ascertained period of time, the person would be subjected to light emitted by a group of special light in the machine. After some time, the person would see that his or her skin is already tanned.

Tanning bed is designed to provide a kind of tanning known technically as a ‘cosmetic tan’. The fluorescent lamps used within the tanning bed have phosphor blends that are designed to emit a specified amount and level of ultraviolet radiation, similar to that from the sun itself.

On the average, the time usually spent by people getting a good tan at tanning beds is just about 20 minutes. Imagine how you can be much productive if you can spare many hours of the day that you need to spend just to get a natural sun tan.

Brief history of tanning bed

The tanning bed was initially developed and used in 1906. A medical research firm called Heraeus was the first to introduce a tanning bed. However, during that time, the machine was primarily used not to give people a good skin tan but to treat common diseases like rickets and some other ailments linked to deficiency of calcium.

At first, tanning beds were first used experimentally to see if subjecting the body to increased sunlight would drastically aid in the development of stronger bones, in the process also enhancing the body’s natural ability for calcium production.

It was in the later part of the 1970s that the equipments were then used for cosmetic purposes. Fredrick Wolff was a German scientist who first proposed and used tanning beds to provide artificial sunlight to athletes. The move was on the assumption that increased sunlight exposure would further enhance athletes’ stamina and strength.

As a by-product of the experiment, it was found that the athletes instead got good tan. During that time, golden skin tan was starting to gain popularity in the fashion industry. Eureka! A gold mine was discovered, in the form of tanning beds.

The popularity of tanning beds

Since its inception and use for skin tanning, tanning beds have been very popular among men and women. Those who could not spare enough time and money to go to beaches for sun exposure prefer to go to tanning salons instead and take a whole-day worth of tanning within just a few minutes.

Experts advise people to just use tanning beds for skin tanning. Aside from the convenience, sufficient and recommended ultraviolet exposure is ensured. This comes with a reminder that actual exposure to sunlight could subject the skin to excessive sunlight, which in turn could lead to skin problems like skin cancer.