Tanning bed bulbs are used in every tan bed or suntan lamp on the market. When you are purchasing a new or especially a used tanning bed, take a good look at the lamps. Ensure that they are real tanning bulbs and meet the FDA guidelines for health and safety. You should also consider how easy it is to get at the lamps. Be sure that the bulbs are not difficult to change when necessary. It is quite important and a lot cheaper if you can perform such simple maintenance yourself, if you buy a home tanning bed.
There are two completely different kinds of lamps used in low pressure and high pressure beds. Make sure you get the right sun bed bulbs for your sun bed, because you cannot use any bulbs you like. If you are ordering replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing bulbs carefully. Ensure that the bulbs you are buying are made for your bed.
High Pressure Sunbed Bulbs: high pressure beds use quartz lamps in various sizes. The gases used in these bulbs are pressurized to slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The bulbs in these beds are located in the top of the bed, so that you tan from above only. When you have tanned the skin on one side of your body for about 10-12 minutes, you turn over and tan the other side. The flat bed of these tanners is a lot more comfortable than a conventional sun bed.
One of the biggest benefit of these HP lamps is the amount of time you need to spend on the tanning bed. Since you tan more quickly, you need to spend less time in the tanning salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can achieve the level of tan you require in about three weeks of three to five sessions each week. However, with a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to achieve the same depth of colour. Maintaining your tan is a lot easier too. You only need two or three sessions each month to maintain the colour, as opposed to four times that many visits to a conventional salon bed. Many of these bulbs use UVA rays only, not UVB rays which cause sunburn.
Conventional Sun Bed Lamps: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that resemble household fluorescent tubes. The lamps are situated in the top and the bottom of the sun bed, which means that all the body parts are browned at the same time, without needing to change positions during the tanning session.
Conventional beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying levels. Some use both rays and others emit mostly UVA with some UVB rays. UVA rays are responsible for the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce skin burn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to discover which sort of rays your sun bed’s bulbs emit. You must ensure you replace your existing bulbs with the same new lamps after about 1,000 hours of use.
Another consideration when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions suit different types of beds. The staff at your tanning salon will be able to help you choose a lotion that will work for the bed you are using and your skin type. No matter what bed you use, you should certainly always use a lotion or a cream, because they will moisturise your skin and help you tan faster.
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November 27th, 2009
Gail Jones
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