I recently received email from a tanner who asked how many times one could wear disposable eyewear. She asked how long disposables block ultraviolet light and couldn’t she wear them several times before they quit protecting her eyes?
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I replied by explaining that the problem wasn’t the UV blocking material, but the sanitary aspect of using disposable products only once. I explained that all disposable eyewear is categorized as a Class One Medical Product, just like ear swabs, disposable medical gloves, and cotton balls. Disposable eyewear manufacturers are licensed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to create products intended for one-time use only. You wouldn’t want your doctor re-using your tongue depressor on you next week, would you? I asked Lisa Parsons, Director of Brand Development for Devoted Creations, how she answers this question. Parsons explains that disposable eyewear is like a Band-Aid. “You really don’t want to save a bandage and then put it back on a few days later, right? Once the disposable eyewear is pulled off the paper backing, the adhesive can pick up skin cells and bacteria that the big cooling fans blow around the tanning room during a session. Re-useable goggles don’t have adhesive, so oily fingers, tanning lotions and dead skin don’t contaminate them quite as easily.” Lisa, voted a top tanning trainer several times, concludes by adding, “You should clean your re-useable goggles with antibacterial soap and dry them thoroughly after every use. Storing them in a re-sealable bag prevents contamination.”
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Nick Couse, Regional Sales Manager at New Sunshine, has a couple of young kids at home. “When our kids are sick and we are taking their temperature with an ear thermometer, the directions are very specific: ‘Use each disposable ear cap only once. Use a fresh ear cap for each ear to prevent spreading an ear infection to the second ear.’ Most parents have seen these warnings and understand how easy it is to spread infection. To avoid contaminating themselves, adults choose our disposable eye protection and wear it for only one tanning session,” Nick elaborates.
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“Perhaps you don’t know that your eyes, ears, nostrils and genitalia are all mucous membranes and a direct pathway into your body, just like an open wound. This is why your mom told you to keep your hands away from your mouth and eyes. It’s the easiest way to get sick,” explains Jackie DeWald, Office Manager at Eye Pro, Inc.
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I concluded my response to this tanner by writing, “If you don’t like the idea of throwing away your disposable eye protection every time you use them, then I suggest you buy re-useable goggles and keep them clean. Personally, I love the convenience and the sanitation aspect of disposable eyewear. For stand-up tanning, nothing works better than disposables, because there aren’t any elastics messing up your hair or a nose bridge to leave a tan line. And disposables have amazing visibility, so you don’t have to stumble around in the stand-up booth.”
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Have an eyewear question? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com and see your answer here!
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