Hi!

I've been reading on the Skin Biology websites about the benefits of safe sun-exposure, but I was wondering if these benefits actually make (moderate) use of tanning beds healthy for the skin? (While using the necessary protection of course).

Thanks!

In theory, tanning beds could be helpful. The tanning beds produce about 10 times more UV than bright sunlight. And the exposure time is about 20 minutes.

Your skin can resist direct sunlight for about 45 minutes before the protective antioxidants are depleted.

So you should use a tanning bed only about 45 minutes divided by 10 or about 4.5 minutes at the very most. 2 minutes maximum would be better.

There are some groups trying the develop safe tanning beds with less intensity and less UV light. The old sunlight healing clinics said to expose patients only about 30 minutes in the late morning or late afternoon. So a healthy tanning bed should have only about 1/20 of the intensity of those used in tanning salons. You might get a tan but it would be slowly.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr. Pickart,

Thank you very much for the answer, Dr. Pickart.

If I plan to use tanning beds on a weekly basis, does that mean that I can only use them for ~4.5 minutes each week?

Or can I use them for longer than that as long as it's only once a week?

Thanks :-)

Your skin only is able to protect itself for about 45 minutes of direct, midday sunshine.

So, to be safe, about 2 minutes of a UV tanning bed would be best.

But you might look at the newer personal tanning systems that use moderate light and limited light intensity.

Okay, thank you very much! :-)

Actually, the Doctor is making it a bit too simplistic.
1. Your skintype determines how much sun you can take. And WHERE you are is as important as who you are. Oahu Hawaii vs San Francisco? One could double or triple their sun exposure in June by being in SF vs HI.
2. While an existing suntan isn't a block, it is good for about an SPF 4 according to the online science from Dermatologists. That means, if you can go without burning for 45 mins in the sun with little to no tan, then, with an EXISTING tan, you may be able to stay for up to 3 hours with the identical UVB exposure. (note, not all areas are equal, face especially is more sensitive on lighter skintypes)
3. Type 4 skintypes, those who primarily do not burn easy, also have an extra ability to not burn, called IPD. Immediate Pigmentation Darkening. This pigment is almost black in color and is produced in just a few minutes of uvb exposure...and provides an extra tough block for darker skin types enabling them to tan quick and rarely ever burn. The black pigment is absorbed back into the skin within a day.
Lastly, Tanning Beds. They are not all the same. So you can't say how many minutes you can go. They have a federally mandated max time of 4 MED's. (Minimum Erethemal Dose)(time to get some pink)..1 MED is where you start, and some tanning beds hit 1 med in 2.5 mins, while other with much lower uvb, can be 10, 15 or never in a single tanning session. So don't generalize tanning beds without knowing that the MAX session is 4 times the minimum dose for FAIR SKIN PEOPLE...Darker skin types or those with some tan can start off at half a session and never burn. (so long as no untanned skin sees the light that is )

NOTE: The 10 times the sun number is inaccurate. While the UVA amount, non burning, low energy wave lengths may equal UP TO 10 times the sun. The BURNING RAYS, UVB are much closer to a one to one ratio. This is why you can get a tan in a tanning booth without the redness. The Burning rays in PROPORTION to the browning rays are skewed so that there is the equal of 2-4 hours of sun browning while getting just 15 to 45 mins of the summer suns burning rays. (dependent on time of day, and location on the globe of course)

Skin type will have much to do with sun sensitivity. Even those with very dark skin have reported sun burns. So everyone is different.

We recommend clients research carefully according to their own circumstances and skin type.

Best Wishes,
-Skin Biology

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Skin Biology,

quote:

Originally posted by TTDrew:
NOTE: The 10 times the sun number is inaccurate. While the UVA amount, non burning, low energy wave lengths may equal UP TO 10 times the sun. The BURNING RAYS, UVB are much closer to a one to one ratio. This is why you can get a tan in a tanning booth without the redness. The Burning rays in PROPORTION to the browning rays are skewed so that there is the equal of 2-4 hours of sun browning while getting just 15 to 45 mins of the summer suns burning rays. (dependent on time of day, and location on the globe of course)

The key still is to tan slowly but you need a lot of patience. But going slow keeps the skin damage down.