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With summer in full swing, seasoned indoor tanning professionals are well aware of the need to apply and reapply lotions with sun protection factor (SPF) to their skin when they are out in the sun. Many salon operators offer sun protection products created by their favorite indoor lotion providers – hey, why send tanners to the drug store for SPFs? For decades, our industry has promoted the controlled aspect of indoor tanning and the fact that it is a great method for obtaining a pre-vacation/pre-summer tan. A base tan acquired from indoor UV sessions provides sun protection (albeit an estimated low SPF 2-4) to minimize the risk of overexposure and sunburn. This runs contrary to the information provided in many health magazines that claim a tan obtained by indoor tanning offers zero sun protection.
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Of course, it’s common sense to use a product with an appropriate SPF factor when exposed to natural sunlight, being mindful of the factors that affect the sun’s intensity: proximity to the equator, time of day, time of year, altitude and reflective surfaces such as sand, snow and water. Many would probably assume that sunlight during the winter months would be fairly weak. Yet, skiing on some fresh powder on a sunny, cloudless day on a mountain at over 10,000 feet above sea level with the sun’s rays bouncing off the snow can certainly yield a pretty substantial sunburn on the face. This type of exposure would necessitate the use of an SPF product or even sunblock – just like at the beach.
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So, let’s move to this scenario: two people of the same skin type are basking on the beach in the mid-June Florida sun. One has absolutely no tan and applies a lotion with SPF 30. The other developed a base tan with indoor sessions and also uses an SPF 30 lotion. Which one is the least likely to experience a sunburn? This is a question that is seldom, if ever, covered in those health magazine articles about sun exposure.
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How do suncreens work? Well, the SPF (sun protection factor) is the numerical rating of a product’s ability to prevent UVB rays from damaging the skin. So, if it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen should prevent this reddening for a period of time about 15 times longer. This would translate to about five hours. Further, SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. An SPF 30 screens about 97 percent and SPF 50, about 98 percent. It’s interesting that the Skin Cancer Foundation points out that an SPF 100 (double the SPF 50) increases that protection by only one percent, to 99 percent. Sunscreens filter UVB which minimizes sunburn, but they allow UVA (the longer UV light wavelength) to penetrate the skin. Only those lotions listed as providing “broad spectrum” protection will screen both UVA and UVB.
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Be sure to inform your salon guests that the key for outdoor sun lovers is to use common sense! Understand the variety of factors that affect the sun’s intensity on any given day in any given location. If hitting the beaches, pools and lakes, remember to apply a waterproof or water-resistant SPF product and re-apply it, usually about every two hours. Sunscreens play a major role in the $5.6 billion suncare industry and there are plenty of choices out there. Just remember to pick the right one, then apply … and re-apply!
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For more information that you and your team can share with your salon guests, take Sun is Life Training & Certification. Visit sunislife.com today!
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Many salon operators offer sun protection products created by their favorite indoor lotion providers.
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