Frequently Ask Questions
 
Q: How do tanning lotions work?
A: Magnification: Magnification is the multiplying of the UV light reaching your skin. Tanners not using a professional indoor lotion will not get the extra magnification and are therefore getting less results from the same tanning bed exposure times. Moisturization: Healthy skin is the foundation of your tanning success. Professional indoor tanning products are designed to provide critical remoisturization to the skin before and after tanning.
The healthier your skin, the longer you have to tan that same skin and the darker your tan can get. No indoor lotion, no extra moisture, less results. Skin Conditioning: Professional indoor lotions are formulated to provide you with additional levels of key tanning ingredients that assist the tanning process.
These should include L-tyrosine, vitamins, copper and other minerals. Skin conditioning ingredients are often the same that assist in moisturizing and magnifying. While it depends on your body size, most tanners use 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce of lotion to thoroughly cover themselves prior to tanning. To get the most from the magnification provided by lotions, try to apply them immediately before tanning.
Q: Why is eyewear so important?
A: Protective eyewear shields eyes from potentially harmful ultraviolet light. UV damage is cumulative, so although the effects of damage may not be immediately noticeable, it occurs nonetheless. Eyelids are too thin to protect eyes from UV penetration. Overexposure to UVB light damages the cornea, while too much UVA light damages the retina.

An eye's lens can completely absorb the shorter UVB wavelength and when absorbed by the cornea these rays can cause corneal burns. A corneal burn is more or less a sunburn on the surface of the eye. Increased sensitivity, a burning sensation and excessive tearing characterizes damage that can occur within a few hours of exposure.

The effects are painful, although temporary, and usually disappear within a day or so. UVA wavelengths are longer and penetrate through the cornea into the retina where they do considerable damage at high-dosage levels. Color perception is the first thing to fail with overexposure to UVA. Retinal burns caused by UVA can produce scarring in the rods and cones of the eye that can reduce both visual acuity and color sensitivity.

Unprotected overexposure of the eyes to UVR also can lead to the long-term health risk called brunescent cataracts. These permanent cataracts develop slowly and usually occur over a matter of years. The clouding affects night vision and can alter color perception. Cataract surgery is the only known cure.

In addition to the health conditions mentioned above, there are many other eye-related diseases and syndromes caused by overexposure to UV light including: • Ptyerguims—the growth of tissue on the whites of the eyes that can block vision. The tissue can be removed but often grows back. • Macular Degeneration—which reduces vision and often requires surgery. • Cancers around the eye.

Q: Why are lotions containing mineral oil harmful to me?
A: Mineral oil acts as a thin plastic layer on the skin. It is difficult to absorb and clogs the pores, which slows the skin's ability to eliminate toxins. Remember, the skin is the body's largest organ and plays an important role in maintaining overall health. At Sun Devil Tan, none of the tanning or after tanning lotions that we carry contain mineral oil.
 Q: Is indoor tanning regulated?
A:  Yes. No matter what state, county or town you may tan in, your indoor tanning facility is subject to the far-reaching effects of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission, and in most cases, state or local regulatory authorities.  At the highest level of regulations, the FDA is directed by law to maintain inspection and testing procedures and to publicize standards that will reduce unnecessary overexposure to tanning equipment and other medical and electronic devices.
Q: I heard that tanning happens in phases, what are they?
 A: Tanning is the natural response of the skin to Ultraviolet light exposure. There are two types of tanning which occur. The first is known as Immediate Pigment Darkening which occurs during ultraviolet exposure and increases until exposure ends. It occurs in response to both UVA and certain visible wavelengths. No melanin production is involved.

This response depends on various factors including previous exposure and skin pigmentation type. Darker skin will produce a more pronounced effect. The second type is called Delayed Tanning.
Delayed tanning occurs 48 -72 hours after exposure and increases for 7 - 10 days. Duration depends on various factors including repeat exposure and may last for several weeks or months.

This result is due in part to an increase in the size of melanin containing cells (melanocytes) in the skin and the increase in melanosomes within these cells. Many studies show that this may serve to protect the skin from UVA and UVB damage due to overexposure. Both of these bands will produce delayed tanning, however, much less UVB is required to produce the effect.
 Q: How does my skin tan?
A: Tanning 101: How Your Skin Tans and Why It’s Natural Tanning is the human body’s natural and intended response to ultraviolet light exposure. Throughout human evolution a tan has served as the body’s natural acquired protection against sunburn and overexposure.
Today we know that a suntan achieved in a non-burning fashion, combined with proper use of sunscreen outdoors when sunburn is a possibility, is the best way to maximize the potential benefits of regular sun exposure while minimizing the risks that are associated with overexposure. This section will explain how your skin develops a tan by first introducing ultraviolet light, introducing parts of the skin and then showing how UV light works with the skin to develop a tan. Part 1: Understanding UV Light Natural light actually is composed of energy waves that are transmitted 93 million miles from the sun to the Earth.

Each energy wave (or light ray) occurs in a different part of a complex light spectrum based on its length in nanometers (nm), which is one-billionth of a meter.
• Light is energy.
• Light travels in waves.
• Different forms of light are differentiated by the length of the waves – the wavelength.
That means that no two types of light are the same.

For example, ultraviolet light used in tanning salons cannot possibly be the same as an X-ray because of the difference in the length of their energy waves. Therefore, these two waves will behave and affect the human body in completely different ways. For our purposes, let’s divide light into three categories: infrared, visible and ultraviolet. Not all light waves reach Earth, however. Many are filtered out by the atmosphere, which protects us from harmful rays. The light waves that tan people are invisible, but let’s briefly look at all three categories for comparison.
Infrared Light. Infrared waves (above 700nm) include electric waves, radio waves, infrared and shortwave infrared, but only this last type reaches the Earth. Shortwave infrared waves, which give us heat, make up about 49 percent of the solar radiation we receive on Earth. Visible Light. Visible rays (400nm to 700nm) cause illumination we can see as colors, including red, yellow, green, blue and violet. These account for about 46 percent of the Earth’s solar radiation.

Ultraviolet Light. Ultraviolet rays (200 nm to 400 nm) comprise the remaining 4 or 5 percent radiation we receive on Earth. Of all invisible rays—including cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays and three forms of ultraviolet light—only two of the ultraviolet light rays actually penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. These are the same two invisible light rays used in tanning equipment. Ultraviolet light rays are energy waves that are shorter in length than visible light rays.

Because of this, the human eye cannot see ultraviolet light. However, we can see the effects of ultraviolet light, such as tan skin, on the human body. Three categories of ultraviolet light exist: • Ultraviolet
A. UVA rays are the longest (320nm to 400nm).
• Ultraviolet B. UVB rays are shorter than UVA rays (290nm to 320nm).
• Ultraviolet C. UVC rays are the shortest (200nm to 290nm).

Of these three categories of UV rays, only UVA and UVB pass through the Earth’s atmospheric filter. More UVA hits Earth than UVB because the filter prevents the passage of shorter wavelengths of UVB that resemble UVC. If UVC light also passed through, it would have devastating effects on this planet, which is why the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere is of great concern. UVA and UVB light waves cause skin to tan.

As previously mentioned, these same light rays can be replicated in special lamps used in tanning equipment. How they work together to create a suntan is a process we’ll discuss after we introduce the parts of the skin. UV Concentration in Sunlight The ultraviolet portion of outdoor sunlight is approximately 95 percent UVA and 5 percent UVB, although atmospheric, seasonal and geographic variables change that ratio each time you step outside. So although UVA is the predominant ultraviolet light ray in sunshine that hits Earth, there is still an important percentage of UVB in sunshine.
Today’s indoor tanning units utilize a carefully controlled mix of both rays to help prevent indoor tanners from burning as easily or as quickly as they could by tanning outside, and also to create cosmetic tans in a controlled environment that minimize the risk of sunburn. Note that we said that outdoor light is approximately 95 percent UVA and 5 percent UVB.

The problem with stating this exactly is that the percentage of UVA and UVB outdoors is always changing. Here is why: The earth’s ozone layer is an invisible barrier that protects us from many forms of radiation from the sun that would otherwise harm us. The ozone layer is just that – a layer. And, depending upon the angle in which sunlight hits the ozone layer, the ozone can block more or less UVB light. At noontime, when the sun is highest in the sky, sunlight is hitting the ozone layer at a straight “up and down” angle. If you think of the light waves from the sun as arrows, it is easiest for those arrows to pierce the ozone layer when they are shot from a straight “up and down” angle.
So at noontime, the ozone layer is least efficient at stopping the most intense rays, so more UVB light gets through near noon. In contrast, in the late afternoon, when the sunlight is hitting the ozone layer on an angle, the ozone layer is thicker in relationship to the sun’s angle to your position. Because the layer is thicker, more UVB gets filtered out, so very little UVB hits your location late in the day. In fact, when the sun is on the horizon, virtually no UVB light is getting through the ozone to you at all.

• At noon, more UVB gets through the ozone layer.
• At dawn and dusk, virtually no UVB gets through the ozone, and all you receive is UVA light. The other factor that affects the angle in which sunlight hits the ozone layer above your position is the time of year. In June, for example, the sun is higher in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere than it is in December, when the sun is very low in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.
• In December, very little UVB light penetrates the ozone layer in the Northern hemisphere because sunlight is hitting the ozone layer at a low angle, making the zone more efficient.
• In June, when the sun is high in the sky, the ozone is less efficient, which means more UVB light penetrates through to your position. Very few people realize that UVA emissions outdoors are virtually unchanged throughout the year. That is because the ozone layer does not block UVA rays at all. Why is the ratio of UVA to UVB important? While UVB is the portion of sunlight responsible for natural Vitamin D production in the body, it is also more intense than UVA light. Being more intense, UVB is significantly more effective at causing a sunburn than UVA, which is why noontime sunshine is more intense than sunshine at dawn or dusk.

Part 2: Understanding Your Skin is the largest organ in the human body. Weighing roughly nine pounds on the average adult, it protects the body from harmful pollutants found in air, water and other things people come in contact with every day. Skin performs many other functions, too. It helps regulate body temperature, houses sensory receptors that help you feel things and synthesizes various body chemicals necessary for life.

That’s why the condition of the skin is so important to good health. Skin has many sections, but it basically is divided into three layers:
• The top layer, or epidermis, is the one that produces a tan.
• The middle layer, or dermis, contains collagen and other elastic materials important to the skin’s strength, and to its ability to fight off infection and repair itself. Blood vessels, nerve fibers and other structures are embedded in this layer.
• The bottom layer, or subcutaneous tissue, primarily is composed of fat that binds the skin to the body. Subcutaneous tissue serves as the body’s food reserve, insulation and shock absorber. Skin cells in the epidermis are constantly reproducing and pushing older cells upward to the surface of your skin – an outer mantle of dead skin cells (sometimes called the horny layer) where they are sloughed off in about one month. There are three main types of cells in the epidermis: 1. Basal cells — the oblong cells that line the base of the germinative layer — are parent cells, giving “birth” to keratinocytes. 1. Keratinocytes are the “daughter” cells that serve as your skin’s sealant, making up most of your epidermis.
1. About 5 percent of the skin cells in the epidermis are special cells called melanocytes, which lie on the bottom of the epidermis. Melanocytes are pigment cells that help the skin tan. Melanocytes produce melanin – a protein pigment which performs the very specific body function of protecting skin from overexposure to ultraviolet light. Thus, the presence of melanin in the skin colors it and protects it. Everyone has roughly the same number of melanocytes in the body—about five million. Your body’s melanocytes naturally will produce a certain amount of melanin based on your heredity, which is why people have different skin colors.

For example, the skin of African-Americans contains more melanin, creating a black or brown color, while the skin of Caucasians has less melanin and is pale. UVA, UVB and the Tanning Process Melanocytes are prompted to produce additional melanin whenever ultraviolet light waves touch them, thereby making the skin darker to protect the body from additional exposure. This produces a tan—literally, a browning of the skin. The color of the tan ultimately depends on heredity and previous exposure to ultraviolet light, two factors which predetermine the amount of melanin your skin will contain. This explains why some fair-skinned people can get dark tans and others cannot. Of course, ultraviolet light can affect the skin in other ways.

In excessive doses, it can cause sunburn – a reddening caused by the swelling or bursting of tiny blood vessels in the skin. Repeated burning is believed to be the greatest risk factor for long-term skin damage, which is why it is so important to prevent sunburn. UVA and UVB waves have specific roles in the tanning process which are determined by their effects on skin. Although all ultraviolet light is capable of tanning skin, UVA is more efficient at certain functions in the tanning process and UVB is more efficient at certain parts of tanning.
For instance, melanin produced when your skin is exposed to UV light is naturally pinkish in tone. But ultraviolet light also oxidizes the melanin, turning it brown. • UVB is more efficient at signaling melanocytes in your skin to begin producing more melanin. • UVA is more efficient at oxidizing the melanin your skin has already produced, turning it brown. What Is Skin Damage? You need to understand that technically, on the micro-level, any ultraviolet light exposure causes “skin damage.” But you also need to know that, on the macro-level, UV exposure is natural and necessary to lead a healthy life and simply calling UV exposure “damage” to your skin is more misleading than it is true.

What is sometimes called “damage” to the skin from non-burning UV exposure is actually just the skin’s way of protecting itself from sunburn. If your body can develop a tan, doing so is natural. It is what your body is designed to do. It is one of the ways your body protects itself. • Saying that UV light damages the skin, and therefore you should avoid UV light, is like saying that water causes drowning, and therefore you should avoid water. Just like water, we need UV light to live.

So calling UV exposure “damage” is an oversimplification that misrepresents what your body as a whole is designed to do. The sum of research conducted to date indicates that repeated overexposure and sunburning are the primary sun-related factors responsible for an increased risk of permanent skin damage. That’s why the prevention of sunburn and overexposure are so important.

Q: Why does indoor tanning offer more control?
A: Indoor tanners are at a great advantage by having access to the control that goes into the indoor tanning process. In addition to various state and local regulations in place, national guidelines set by the Federal government enhance the controllable factors involved in indoor tanning. Since 1986, the Performance Standards For Sunlamp Products have been in place to cover many of the following aspects of indoor tanning: -Timer control -Protective eyewear -Temperature control -Electrical safety -Protection from lamps -Equipment access and support, and more.
 Q: What are the benefits of tanning at Sun Devil Tan vs. tanning outdoors?
 A: Indoor tanners are at a great advantage by having access to the control and comfort that is part of the indoor tanning experience. In addition to various state and local regulations in place, national guidelines set by the Federal government enhance the controllable factors involved in indoor tanning. Since 1986, Federal Performance Standards for tanning devices have been in place to cover and control many of the following aspects of indoor tanning: -Timer control -Protective eyewear -Temperature control -Electrical safety -Protection from lamps -Equipment access and support, and more VARIABLES INVOLVED IN OUTDOOR TANNING Outdoor tanners are at the mercy of many uncontrolled elements. Here is an example of a few things to consider if tanning outdoors: 1. Solar elevation (height of the sun in the sky) The intensity of outdoor ultraviolet light (the sun), and especially UVB, depends on the height of the sun in the sky. This will vary depending on the season of the year, time of day and latitude in which you live. UV intensities are highest during the summer months in the 4-hour period around noon (or 13:00 if daylight saving is in effect). UVB intensity varies more with the time of the day than does UVA. As a rule of thumb "when your shadow is shorter than your own height" you may receive half or more of UVB during the 4 hours around solar noon on a clear summer day. In summer at noontime, UVB is two to three times more intense in equatorial areas than in northern Europe. At about 600 latitude the total UVB exposure during the months of January and February can be less than one clear day's exposure around midsummer. 2. Latitude and Altitude The UV intensity at the earth's surface is related to the angle at which the UV rays pass through the atmosphere. In the tropics (close to 00 latitude, or near the equator) solar UV is more intense because it has less distance to travel through the atmosphere to the earth's surface. UV intensities increase with altitude. This is because the amount of atmosphere available to absorb UV is reduced, and so more and shorter wavelength UV is able to reach higher altitude areas. In high altitudes, skiers can be exposed to higher intensities of UV, especially as snow is an excellent reflector. 3. Atmospheric Scattering Solar UV is composed of direct and scattered radiation. The sky looks blue because the blue rays from sunlight are highly scattered by the atmosphere. UV is scattered even more than blue light, and this can lead to an increase in a person's exposure. 4. Clouds and Haze UV intensities are highest under cloudless skies. Clouds generally reduce UV intensity, but light or thin clouds have little effect and under certain conditions may even enhance the UV intensity. Hazy days generally have higher amounts of water vapor; UV scatter in the atmosphere increases and can result in a higher personal UV exposure. Thus, even though haze or cloud cover can cause one to feel cooler, the UV exposure can still be high. 5. Ground reflection The reflective properties of the ground have an influence on UV exposure. Most natural surfaces such as grass, soil and water reflect less than 10% of incident UV. However, fresh snow strongly reflects (80%) UV. During spring in higher altitudes, under clear skies, reflection from snow could increase UV exposure levels to those encountered during summer. Sand also reflects (10-25%) and can significantly increase UV exposure at the beach. Reflected UV is a key source of exposure to the eye. Acute effects, such as snow-blindness while skiing or photokeratitis at the beach, can result from UV reflected from snow or sand respectively.
Q: If a tan and a sunburn are different, just what is a sunburn?
A: Sunburns occur when the skin is exposed to excessive amounts of UV light. The severity can vary from mild pink with only minor discomfort to severe "lobster-red" burns that blister.Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun or other ultraviolet light source exceeds the ability of the body's protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin. A serious sunburn is as serious as a thermal burn, and may have the same systemic effects such as blistering, edema and fever. A sunburn is better prevented than treated. When outdoors for an extended amount of time, you should use a sunscreen.

Q: Why won’t Sun Devil Tan allow me to tan as long as I want?
A: With the risks involved in individuals who overexpose themselves to UV light, it is the responsibility of the tanning salon owner and operator to eliminate the opportunity for consumers to sunburn while visiting an indoor tanning salon. It is also the responsibility of the tanning professional to make sure individuals who cannot biologically acquire a tan (skin type 1) do not tan indoors. The promotion of moderate, sensible and responsible exposure to ultraviolet light is the goal of a professional tanning salon.
Q: Why does Sun Devil Tan always verify that I am using tanning eyewear?
A: Indoor tanning salon owners and operators are obligated to verify every client using tanning equipment is using federally compliant eyewear. It is there goal to educate customers about the fact that towels, scarves or eyelids do not adequately protect eyes from ultraviolet exposure. In addition to possible state laws, Federal regulations (CFR 21 1040.20 (c)(4) require that tanners wear protective eyewear that block 99.9% of the UVB light and 99% of UVA. It is the operator's responsibility that ALL tanning clients use federally compliant eyewear. Acceptable eyewear must state the product's compliance with federal regulations on the package.
 Q: Can I tan at Sun Devil Tan while I am pregnant?
A: Working with your doctor on this topic is a wise choice. Every pregnancy has it's own considerations so it is always suggested you get input from your doctor when considering tanning while pregnant. At this time there are no studies on the effects of tanning beds on the unborn child, so anything you hear is nothing but myths. Because the UV light used in tanning beds do not reach the child, your baby is not at risk. During the first trimester your doctor will most likely advise you not to do anything that will raise your body's temperature, such as hot tubs, saunas, and tanning beds. However, after the first trimester, it may be okay to have moderate sessions while using a tanning bed or booth. The most important thing to remember is to stay cool and drink plenty of fluids. Your skin during pregnancy is also sensitive to burning, so you should start with short sessions until your body is tanned.