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/