Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings

Don't kid yourself. Tanning beds are more likely to develop skin cancer, so don't get in the habit of damaging your DNA with UV rays just to get a "healthy" tan. But if you still want to have a sunbed every now and then, you better know as much as you can about it. Tanning is one of those things that is surrounded by cosmetic myths. Read these steps so you don't burn.

To step

1. Go to a beauty salon and ask what programs they have there. Most salons have different types of tanning beds and offer a variety of packages to choose from:
   • Low pressure. This is the traditional tanning bed. The UV rays are emitted in a spectrum equal to natural sunlight. The lamps ensure that you get tanned quickly, but the risk of burning is greatest with these types of tanning beds. If you burn easily, this tanning bed is not suitable for you.
   • High pressure. These tanning beds emit more UVA rays (compared to UVB rays). UVB rays are responsible for sunburn. With these types of tanning beds, you get a deeper color that lasts longer, but takes longer to build up. These are often the most expensive tanning beds.
   • Solar shower. This is actually a vertical tanning bed. Instead of lying on it, you stand. The advantage is that you are not on the same plate as where others have been lying (and sweating). In addition, it is more pleasant if you suffer from claustrophobia.
   • Spray booth. Your body is injected with a self-tanning lotion. No UV rays are involved, so this is the safest method. Just keep in mind that this tan may fade in a smudged, unattractive way if you don't keep up.
2. Take a tour. Visit a few salons to check out the tanning beds. Is everything clean? Take a good look at the couches. If you see a build-up of dirt somewhere, such as between the glass and the rim, move away. Otherwise, ask how they clean the tanning beds (Glassex is not enough to kill the bacteria). Shop around, compare some salons and choose the one you like the most.
3. Have your skin analyzed. A good salon will always do that (and they should discourage the tanning bed for people with very fair skin). Your skin type is determined on the basis of a questionnaire, so that they can recommend the right time to go to the tanning bed. The analysis does not take more than a few minutes.
   • Be open about any medications you are taking. Some medications can affect the way your skin responds to tanning beds.
4. Buy sunglasses. A good salon will strongly recommend or oblige you to wear glasses. If they are not on it, they don't care about your safety (and they may also be casual when it comes to cleaning the tanning beds).Don't worry, those funny little sunglasses for under the tanning bed really won't make you look like a raccoon. They just keep you from going blind.
5. Do not use tanning accelerators (lotions or pills) based on tyrosine. Tyrosine is an amino acid that your body uses to make melanin, which darkens your skin. But it has not been proven that tyrosine can be absorbed through the skin (or through your bile, if you take it in pill form).
6. Go to your booth. Take off as much as you want. You can keep your underwear or bikini on or you can take everything off. Take the same precautions you would for a locker room or public shower. The tanning bed may be cleaned after each use, but it doesn't have to be the case for the rest of the booth. It is therefore preferable not to sit naked on the chair in the booth and possibly keep your socks on until you go to the solarium.
   • If you for real are paranoid and don't mind the beauty salon staff staring at you as if you are out of your mind, you can ask for a bottle of detergent and a cloth so that you can clean the tanning bed yourself one more time. Don't just bring your own detergent, as some products can damage the glass of the tanning bed or irritate your skin.
   • Request a crash course in tanning from the staff. Ask what all the buttons are for. How do you turn the whole thing off? How does the fan work? If there are separate lights for your face, how do you turn them on or off?
7. Put your glasses on. You really should do this. Do not use the sunbed without eye protection (sunglasses will not help). Who cares that you look crazy?
8. Lie on the sunbed and close the top. Press the button to turn on the lights. There should be a timer and a member of staff has assigned you a specific time (for example 10 minutes). A good employee knows that you have a low dosage should start and that you can build this up slowly. Relax, meditate, or just take a nap. And beg the sun gods that you don't get burned.
9. Get out of the tanning bed. If you're very sweaty, wipe yourself dry with a towel (usually the one you get from the salon). Put on your clothes and go home.

Tips

• Check yourself regularly for skin cancer.
• Hydrated skin tans better. So lubricate yourself with your favorite body lotion.
• If you want to keep your tan for a long time, exfoliate your skin just before going to the tanning bed. A fresh layer of skin will appear that will not go off for the time being, although you run a greater risk of burning.
  • If you have sensitive skin, it is better not to exfoliate or depilate 24 hours before you go to the tanning bed.
• Do not take a shower immediately after sunbathing, but let the melanin in your skin absorb the color well first. If you can wait that long, it is better to take a shower the next day.
• If you have a lot of hair you will not get that brown. Consider shaving or waxing first.
• You are usually expected to wipe up the sweat from the tanning bed after sunbathing.

Warnings

• Don't rely on your skin color to know when to get out of the tanning bed. In a strong solar shower you can burn terribly in 5 minutes and you only find out 6 hours later when you turn as red as a lobster. Start slow and build it up!
• It is very dangerous to go to the sunbed without special glasses. Your vision can be seriously affected, you can become color blind or night blind, or even completely blind.
• If the saloon employees look too browned or burnt, they may not be your best companions.
• Put on sunscreen (if you are not on the tanning bed). A little color doesn't make you immune to sunburn.
• Do not use tanning lotion when you go outside, as they do not protect against the sun.
• In any case, exposure to UV rays increases the risk of skin cancer.
• Do not use the tanning bed more often than every other day. Your skin will continue to tan for 24 hours after you have sunbed and your skin needs time to recover, otherwise you will burn.