Once upon a time, I worked at a tanning salon (insert shocked face!) and laid in tanning beds quite often. In fact, in my freshman year of college my best friend and I would pick our classes with enough time for lunch at Jamba Juice, where we thought we were being oh so healthy ordering a pineapple smoothie and a bagel and time for a tan! Yes, a cup full of sugar and a bunch of starchy carbs, thinking we were the pinnacle of health and off to the tanning beds for 15 mins because we could not, I repeat could not, have tan lines. I should also mention I was living in Southern California, so after our classes we would head to the beach, lather on some banana boat tanning oil, dark of course, and bake again under the real sun!!
During my time working at the salon I was sold the notion that tanning beds were actually ‘GOOD FOR YOU’! IF you used their latest and greatest bed that blocked the UVB ray because that was what was in fact BAD for you. As long as you weren’t exposed to the UVB ray you wouldn’t burn and it was the burning of skin that caused damage, nothing else. I ate this “fact” up. I was laying in that damn bed everyday and telling every customer that walked in that they were actually doing a good thing for their skin.
Fast forward a few more years, I am in aesthetician school learning the TRUTH about tanning beds. Maybe it was in this moment that I realized I needed to right my wrongs and spread the truth about skincare and the horrible side effects of tanning beds. From this moment on, I became obsessed with sun protection and never laying in a tanning bed again.
So here are the hardcore FACTS about tanning beds
There are two types of UV radiation that penetrate the skin. UV-B (this penetrates the top layers and is the culprit for sunburns) and UV-A (this penetrates the skin deeper) BOTH damage the skin and can lead to skin cancer. Tanning beds use lamps that emit both. Even if they say they don’t!
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted a study in July of 2009 concluding that tanning beds are more dangerous than previously thought and are linked to:
~Skin cancer (Squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma)
~Cancer of the EYE!!!! (Ocular Melanoma)
~BOTH rays cause DNA Damage
~AND Increase your risk of melanoma by 75% when using tanning beds before age 35!
Now let’s talk about what these beds do to your appearance. People who tan will have more wrinkles, age spots, loss of skin firmness and leathery skin, think Something About Mary.
All of these side effects will also appear sooner than non-tanners. We are all going to age, this is just a fact, but tanning in the sun and in the beds puts this fact into overdrive.
To clear up a few other lies told around tanning beds and reasoning for tanning
“Bed Tanning is safer than the sun.” this is 100% NOT TRUE
FACT: Let’s think about this, if you sit in the sun for 20 mins or a bed for 20 mins which one is going to tan or burn you faster? The bed by a lot!! It’s one of their selling points, “get a tan faster than the sun.” That means there is a lot of intense UV rays coming at your skin, none of which is good.
“Getting a base tan will prevent a sunburn” FALSE!
FACT: You can still get a burn and cause damage to your DNA which leads to skin cancer.
“Healthy glowing tan is actually healthy skin” Sorry, but NOPE!
FACT: A tan is damaging to your DNA. So it doesn’t matter if you don’t burn.
“I have more melanin in my skin naturally so I don’t need to worry”
FACT: ALL Fitzpatrick levels need to protect themselves from the sun, EVERYDAY!
“I NEED vitamin D”
FACT: Thank goodness for scientific breakthroughs like supplements. Trust me I get seasonal depression so I get it! Here’s what I do:I don’t run from the sun BUT if I am outside I protect myself. I say HELL NO to beds and I take a supplement. This is a game changer! All the benefits, none of the risks!
If this all isn’t speaking to you, let this fact sit with you. 68,000 people in the US will learn they have melanoma this year and 1 out of 8 WILL DIE from it.
But because I like the golden look, I am, however, currently a member at a local ‘tanning salon’. Why, you ask? Because I love SUNLESS SPRAY TANS!! And when I want a perfect golden tan for a big event, I call my girl - Ashley from Habitual Sunless.
So please please do your future self a favor and stay out of the tanning beds and if you want a sun kissed look, spray tan! Trust me they have improved SO much over the years.
Here are my tips from a ride or die spray tanner:
First DRY BRUSH! You should be doing this anyway. (More to come in future blogs) But you really want to have a fully exfoliated body pre spray tan!
Wear loose clothes when spray tanning. I honestly have 2 jumpers specifically made for my spray tanning days. Nothing sucks more than trying to put on yoga pants after a spray tan! You don’t want to ruin the tan process within the first few mins post tan.
Put a towel down in the booth. Most tanning places have a towel on the chair for you but if not don’t be afraid to ask for one. Spray tanning without putting a towel down will almost ALWAYS lead to the bottom of your feet turning dark brown. It’s not a cute look, I am speaking from experience. They do sell sticky feets however I find a towel works better and is free.
I personally do not like to spray my face so I ask for an extra hair net and cover my face with that.
I even took it a step further and called Ashley with Habitual Sunless to ask her expert advice on how to get the most out of your tan and why she does what she does. Ashley has been spray tanning Sonoma County for 7 years now and if you have lived here long enough I am sure you have heard of her. She is kind of a big deal!!
Me: What made you want to start your own spray tanning business?
Ashley: “I love the way a spray tan makes me feel. It gives you this extra level of confidences and I wanted to bring that feeling to others”
(Speaking from a spray tan fan it really does so much for your confidence and overall happiness it’s weird but trust me)
Me: What are the best pre tan tips you tell your clients?
Ashley: “Exfoliate! Exfoliate! Exfoliate! And not with a scrub! Scrubs are not going to get the job done. I recommend exfoliating gloves or a dry brush”
Me: What are the best post tips for your clients?
Ashley: “Moisturize! My favorite is CeraVe”
Me: What is the one thing you wish more people knew about spray tanning?
Ashley: “it won’t leave you orange!! I promise! Spray tans have come a long way since the jersey shore days”
Me: How long will a tan from you last?
Ashley: “On average 7 days however if you want the best results it's in the prep and post care. AKA exfoliate and moisturize”
(funny enough this is a big thing I tell my client on the daily as well)
Me: Is there anyone who can’t spray tan?
Ashley: “If you have an active peeling sunburn”
Me: Even pregnant women?
Ashley: “Yes! Even pregnant women can spray tan”
(I actually called Ashley pregnant to make sure I didn’t look like death for my baby shower….She was heaven sent!)
Me: What sets you apart from other spray tan places?
Ashley: “My experience and knowledge and that I come to you! I genuinely believe in the power of a good spray tan and I want my clients to feel that too!”
Me: Anything else you think people should know about spray tanning?
Ashley: “Spray tanning gives you almost instant results (within 8 hours you will see color and within 24 hours be fully developed) BUT without the damage that the sun provides or tanning beds. Why would you waste hours laying out or in a bed to damage your skin, when you can get a sun kissed glow without the damage”
(Trust me your future self will thank you. We are all hopefully going to grow old, but let's not look at it as long as we can!)
Me: What is the best way to book a tan with you?
Ashley “My Online booking is the fastest and easiest way”
(Don’t worry guys I got you! Here is the link! https://habitualsunless.com/book )
HAPPY SPRAY TANNING !!
DON'T BE HER! ;) LOL
AND REMEMBER I WILL FIND YOU IF YOU LAY IN A BED AGIAN!!
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