MUST READ/COUPONS:Challenge to all to Question What You Know about Breast Cancer. -September 2011 Newsletter

Letter From Alternative Tan Salon & Spa  Sorry we are late getting out the newsletter. We have been very busy the past couple weeks. As many of you are aware, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is kicking off in October. We did this campaign back in May and had a great start. What you may not have known was during that month our cousin, Tammy, passed away because of breast cancer. She left behind 2 children, hus-band, mother, father, aunts, uncles, and lots and lots of cousins and friends. She was one of the most inspiring persons I have ever known. No matter what she was going through she was concern about others and always shared her bright smile. We have hope to see her again soon!
This upcoming October we really want to shed some light on breast cancer, but we can’t do it alone. If you helped back in May we want to thank you so much for your support and we are calling on your help again as well as all of our community.
How can you help?

1.)Question what you know about breast cancer. Visit
www.sunarc.org  www.uvfoundation.org  www.Grass-RootsHealth.org  and
www.d-featbreastcancer.com  www.sunshinevitamin.org  www.vitamindcouncil.org www.vitamindsociety.org
2. Help support much needed research and awareness. We will be raising money and awareness, but we need your help. Money is needed as well as awareness.

3. Keep a check on you and your family.

We are still planning for our October D-Feat Breast Cancer event but, some of the things we are doing:

1. Donate in exchange for raffle ticket(s) to win. One winner will have choice of a VIP unlimited month tanning pass, sunless organic spray tan, or unlimited month of Red Light Therapy. Runner-up will have choice of a hair-cut, Flamingo Lounge Budget Membership, or a 20 minute wa-ter massage. 3rd winner will win Choice of single UV tanning session, Red Light Therapy Session, or a 10 minute water massage.

2. Donating $1 for every UV and UV free tanning package purchased.

3. For every lotion bottle pur-chased we will donate $1.

4. We will have breast cancer awareness merchandise and pledges for sale. 100% of MONEY WILL DONATED.

5. Complimentary Breast Cancer Awareness tanning sticker with each visit.

We have some other ideas in the works and as soon as we know more we will let you know. If you have a great idea we would love to hear it. We could use some volunteers to help get the word out as well. Remember the life you may save may be yours, your child, your mother, your aunt, your cousin, your friend, your neighbor….someone you love! Don’t be a silent by stander. We are dedicated to this cause, but we cannot do it alone.

COUPON OFFERS!
Select sample
lotion OR 5 minute water massage free with any
tanning package.
Upgrade to a VIP pass and get a
10 minute massage. *Expires 09/30/2011. Not to be combined with any other offer, cou-pon, or discount.

50% Off Red Light Therapy Unlimited Month.
Add to ANY tanning package for $19.99. *Expires 09/30/2011. Not to be com-bined with any other offer, coupon, or discount.

Organic Spray Tan
$10.00 OFF
5 Session
Package $25 OFF *Expires 09/30/2011. Not to be combined with any other offer, coupon, or discount.

Is it better to tan in the sun or to tan outdoors?

 

The benefits of tanning in tanning beds and/or the sun is ultimately up to you to decide which method is best for you. Some factors that you may want to consider: your skin type, what is convenient to you and do you know how to tan "smart"?

If convience is a factor, weather conditions and government warnings that are issued about the strength of harmful UV rays emitted by the sun, it might not be possible for you to achieve that polished bronze look in time for an upcoming special event. Tanning indoors allows you to get exposure to UV for a short period of time at any time of day, even at night time!

When you visit an indoor tanning facility, your skin produces a tan in the same way that it does when you bask in the sun, through the absorption of ultraviolet light. However, one of the dangers of outdoor tanning is exposing yourself to too much ultraviolet light. Climate changes in the atmosphere that has many of us slathering on sunblock and sunscreen before we step outside in the hot sun, can fluctuate throughout the day and different times of year.


One of the benefits of indoor tanning versus outdoor tanning is that it allows you to control the amount of UV light that you are exposed to, so that you can lower your chances of sunburn and prepare your epidermis for a natural tan.


You cannot control harmful UV rays from the sun anymore than you can control the weather. If you compare indoor tanning versus outdoor tanning, outdoor tanning is actually one of the most unreliable ways to achieve that perfect tan. However, it's a good way to achieve a sunburn if you don't use caution and spend to much time exposed outdoors.





As discussed in our previous blog, indoor tanning equipment utilizes the same two kinds of ultraviolet light, UVA and UVB rays, which are the same as the rays in the sun. Indoor tanning procedures are highly regulated and the equipment is designed to, in a sense, copy the effect of sunlight with one major difference. Control!  Tanning beds provide a controlled ratio of UVA and UVB, where as with the sun, these ratios change throughout the day and  during the year based on season, weather and enviroment. In a tanning salon exposure times are determined by equipment and trained professionals that take into account previous tanning sessions as well as the tanner's skin type.



For more benefits that indoor tanning offers visit: http://www.sunshinevitamin.org/ and http://www.tanningtruth.com/ 

Picture Source: http://www.smarttan.com/

Understanding Light Can Help Your Tanning Potential



The easiest way of explaining it would be a rainbow. Most of you remember learning about the colors of the rainbow in elementary school: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  The rainbow which represents visible light stretches from red to violet. 

• Above visible red light is "infrared" light, the invisible light that gives us heat and makes up about half of all energy we receive from the sun.
• Below visible violet light is "ultraviolet" light, the invisible light that makes up about 5% of the energy we receive from the sun.
• Between red and violet is the visible light spectrum which makes up about 46% of the sun's energy.

The invisible light is what gives us UVA and UVB light. These light waves can cause the skin to tan and can be replicated with indoor tanning equipment.

• UVB us a shorter wavelength then UVA, so its waves impart its energy closer to the surface of the skin.
• UVA waves are longer then UVB, so its waves do not impart as much energy on the surface of the skin, but penetrate deeper so the energy is distributed throughout the epidermis.

So what does this all mean to someone looking to get a tan? The ultraviolet portion of outdoor sunlight is approximately 95% UVA and 5% UVB. Today's tanning beds use a carefully controlled mix of both rays to help prevent tanners from burning as easily or as quickly as they could by tanning outside and give a tanner a more natural glow.

With changes in the day and environment that 95%/5% ratio keeps changing outdoors, but indoors with professional tanning bed and staff there is much more control.

Source: International Smart Tan Network

Are You Tanning Without Accelerators?

Everyday I get asked: "how can I get tan fast?"  There are many ways to speed up the tanning process, but one key tool is a good quality accelerator. You get a tan when your skin produces melanin to protect yourself from UV rays. If you do not produce enough melanin to protect yourself, you get a sunburn instead. Tanning accelerators are used to help speed up the process so that you spend less time tanning. There are two ingredients in most tanning accelerators that are supposed to help speed up the tanning process. They are Psoralen and Tyrosin, both of which are amino acids.

So, do you need a tanning accelerator? YES and NO. The answer depends on your needs. You do not actually NEED any tanning lotion. But tanning lotions do make a huge difference in the speed in which you tan and even the color of your tan. Tanning lotions with accelerators create a much better color, more brown and less red. Tanning lotion can help you with after tanning odors that some people experience. Dry skin actually deflects the sun, but moisturized skin accept melanin producing rays much better. Most professional quality tanning lotions contain a good moisturizer.

There are other products that claim to accelerate tanning besides lotions. I have heard the pills that make these claims. I have never tried these pills but I do know that there are a lot of critics who debunk the claims that the science behind the pills is sound.

 Everyone's biology is a little different, so what works for me may not work for you. Choose a tanning salon that is "Smart Tan Certified". Their employee's are trained in helping you achieve the optimal tanning results. They are also very knowledgeable on lotions and how they work with different skin types.  They will actually give you a skin type analysis and are a wealth of information  That way, you are not just buying the prettiest bottle or most expensive product and hoping that it works for you. 

LOCAL BUSINESS PARTICIPATED MAY “D-FEAT” BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN AND WILL DO SO AGAIN IN OCTOBER

Local business participating g in may “D-feat” breast Cancer campaign

Adairsville, GA -- The D-Feat Breast Cancer Campaign is an initiative designed to empower communities to support and fund research and awareness of one of the most powerful natural preventions for breast cancer – vitamin D. Dollars raised will fund research and awareness. The two primary organizations that will be supported with D-Feat dollars are: GrassRootsHealth.org – Driven by Carole Baggerly, a breast cancer survivor who travels North America educating hundreds of health care experts, including physicians, about the benefits of vitamin D.Chapelle Epidemiology Group – An epidemiology research group that is conducting research to challenge questionable tanning and melanoma science. Sun exposure paranoia is believed to be the leading cause of vitamin D deficiency. –Source of above: Vitamin D Foundation

 “Cancer has touched our family personally. A close family member to mom and I past during our campaign in May after a long battle with breast cancer. Tommy (my husband’s) mom, Betty Shanks battled cancer.  Mom and I lost an aunt to cancer recently.  We are very excited about the D-Feat Breast Cancer Campaign. More awareness and promising research needs to be funded. We don’t want to lose anymore loved ones to this disease.”  -Lacey Shanks of Alternative Tan Salon & Spa.

The idea of the program is to collect in-store contributions throughout the month-long campaign in October. Please stay tune for more information and if you would like to help or have ideas on supporting this cause through event fundraisers please post them or contact us.

LOCAL TANNING FACILITY & HAIR SALON JOINS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

Jackson, Mich.  – Alternative Tan Salon & Spa of Adairsville, GA has joined the International Smart Tan Network, North America’s association for professional indoor tanning facilities.

           

 Alternative Tan Salon & Spa is locally owned by Lacey Shanks daughter of local real estate agent, Wanda Bline.  Master Cosmetologist is Jasmyn Owens does hair and other spa services in the salon. Wanda grew up in Adairsville on a farm in Folsom and is a graduate of the class of 1976. She is a local real estate agent and enjoys volunteering and planting plants on their small farm. Wanda is married to George Bline owner of Porch & Patio Plus, Inc. local home improvement specialist. Lacey Shanks attended Adairsville High School in 1999. She enjoys organizing fund raisers; attending car shows with her husband, Tommy Shanks a Building Engineer, and her two year old son. Jasmyn has been doing hair, waxing and piercings for 14 years.  She is a volunteer soft ball coach. She loves what she does and her world revolves around her three kids and husband.

            As a Smart Tan member, Alternative Tan Salon & Spa, an indoor tanning facility recognizes and practices specific principles and procedures in the responsible administration of ultraviolet light for cosmetic purposes. Employees are formally trained and comprehensively trained to understand and follow exposure schedules on the equipment, focus on the need for all salon clients to wear federally approved eyewear, and teach clients to avoid sunburn and overexposure, both indoors and outdoors. Adherence to proper cleaning and sanitation protocol is maintained and federal and state or provincial regulations are emphasized.

            “The owners and operators of this Smart Tan member facility can assist tanners in developing a smart skin regimen,” said Joseph A. Levy, vice president of the association. “The world today knows that regular sun exposure is both natural and important. Moderation and sunburn prevention are the two major tenets of smart tanning.  That’s what the professional tanning industry is teaching its clients today.”

            The International Smart Tan Network was founded in 1992 to promote the concepts of moderation and sunburn prevention through tanning facilities worldwide.  The Smart Tan creed: Moderate indoor tanning, for individuals who can develop a tan, is the smartest way to maximize the potential benefits and minimize the potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.

Mission of this Blog!

Hey there!

This is our first blog post. The goal of this blog is to share more about who and what we are and give our friends and clients more then just another plug about how great we are. We want to share something real! My favorite thing to do is create our newsletter each month, but I feel limited by ink and paper. This will give us a place to share tips about tanning, beauty and just things that make us all smile, our family and friends and things we love about small town life! We hope you will enjoy this blog in the coming days, months and weeks and we will commit to keeping it fresh, new, interesting and if not useful...at least entertaining. Haha! :-)