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Are sunbeds a safe spa treatment?
Sunbeds produce ultraviolet radiation, just like the sun. And this radiation damages the skin.
We receive a lot of questions about tanning, spray tan treatments, sunbeds and uneven pigmentation. Some questions are about safety, others about the cosmetic effects on our skin. But to understand both, it's best to understand a little about how our skin - the largest organ in our bodies - is constructed.
First of all, your skin has two layers: the epidermis, the outer layer, and beneath that the dermis. Below the dermis we have a layer of fat, and below that protective layer of fat are our bones and muscles. At the bottom of the epidermis are some cells called melanocytes. They make a dark brown pigment called melanin, a natural protective sun screen. Melanin gives our skin its normal colour and protects the deeper layers from damage caused by the ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the sun's rays.
When your skin is exposed to the sun, your skin increases its production of melanocytes. The melanin they make is passed to nearby skin cells to protect them from the damage caused by the UV radiation. The melanin blocks out the damaging rays. This extra melanin causes your skin look darker and this darker skin is what we call a "tan". That's why you'll hear it said that there's no such thing as a "safe" tan.
It's because your skin is being damaged by the UV radiation that it makes more melanin to protect itself. The more melanin in your skin, the more protection your skin has against sun damage, and the darker your tan will be. In some cases, the sun causes an uneven increase in melanocytes, and this produces irregular colouring or pigmentation in the skin.
Sunbeds produce ultraviolet radiation, just like the sun. UV radiation comes in two wavelengths - UVA and UVB. Both types can cause damage to the DNA in our skin cells. The most obvious - and painful - signs of damage to our skin appear when we get sunburnt. This is a short-lived pain but the effects of the damage can be long-term. Exposure to UV radiation speeds up the ageing of your skin by causing changes to the collagen, the protein in your skin's connective tissue, causing wrinkling.
More seriously, both sunlight and tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer, which may possibly be life-threatening. These effects can take many years to develop, so overexposure when you are young may increase risks in later life. Though people with medium or dark complexions naturally have more protection than do people with lighter complexions, they still can experience sun and sunbed damage.
One of the reasons many of us hanker after a tan is that we associate it with "healthiness". We do need some exposure to sunlight to be able to make Vitamin D, which is very healthy, but short exposures in our normal daily lives are sufficient to make all the vitamin D we need. Staying in the sun for longer does not increase the benefit.
Another reason we like tanned skin is that it can be more of an effort to make pale skin look healthy. The tiniest spot is obvious to all. A tan - be it real or fake - gives your skin instant radiance. That's why more and more people are using tanning products or bronzers. They achieve the golden sheen of a tan without the exposure to damaging UV radiation. Perhaps that's something to consider next time you're tempted to book a sunbed?
See also:
* Tanning
* I have very sensitive skin. Do spas use products that will irritate my skin?
Sources 1 Health Protection Agency: Sunsense 2 Report of the Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR): Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Human Health. Documents of the NRPB, 13, No. 1, 3?276 (2002).
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