Ultraviolet lamps have been used by people to achieve a tanned appearance for more than 40 years. Although many are familiar with these lamps in the form of a tanning bed, they may not know about another form--the tanning booth. This booth provides a tanning experience a person can have standing up instead of a lying down in a tanning bed.
Specifications
A tanning booth is similar to a tanning bed except that it is upright instead of horizontal. The bulbs producing ultraviolet light surround a person from all angles. The lights are covered by a piece of heavy plastic that surrounds the lights. When the booth is turned on, a person stands in the booth for a few minutes to 20 minutes. The lights darken the skin, resulting in a more tanned appearance.
Science
The tanning booth emits both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B light, much like the sun. When a person's skin is exposed to the light, it stimulates melanin production in the skin. Melanin is a brown pigment that gives the skin a tanned appearance. Melanin is actually a negative reaction to stimulation from the sun. Therefore, when the body cannot produce enough melanin to keep up with the ultraviolet light's stimulation, a sunburn occurs (which can happen in a tanning bed). A person is able to spend less time getting a tan by using the tanning booth because the lights are significantly closer in proximity than the sun.
Benefits
Compared to a standard tanning bed, a tanning booth offers several benefits. First, straps available on the top of the tanning booth allow a person to grip the handles and avoid white areas of uneven tanning--particularly under the armpit--that can occur while tanning in a tanning bed. Evenness of the tan is also achieved as the lights are able to be an even distance from all parts of the body, whereas in a tanning bed, some body parts are closer to the lights. In addition, a tanning booth is considered more hygienic because the body does not touch any portion of the lights, unlike in a tanning bed.
Time Frame
The time a person stays in a tanning booth is often different from that of a tanning bed. A person typically must limit tanning booth time to 20 minutes or less because it has more bulbs than a standard tanning bed, and it tans a person faster. Some states limit the amount of time a person can stay in a tanning bed or booth.
Risks
There are risks associated with tanning booths. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified tanning booths as a carcinogen and places them in the same danger category as plutonium and radium for causing cancer. Tanning bed and booth use has been associated with melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
