At the recent regional trade show, several salon owners asked the lamp experts at Wolff about UV meters. Here is some basic information:
The handheld UVB/UVA meters are an excellent tool for your lamp maintenance purposes – always a key factor in your salon’s success. This type of meter gives you an indication of total UV output, and while not as accurate as expensive precision testing gear, does allow you to track decline in UV output over time in a narrow fashion.
When UV output declines by 25-30%, replace your lamps – before you get complaints from your salon guests.
The meters are not accurate enough to make comparisons between different sunbeds, or between different sunlamp products. This is due to the spectral character of the tested lamp in relation to the sensitivity of the meter at specific wavelengths. Also, when you try to compare one set of bed/lamp data with another, you are actually looking at results from many variables other than lamps, such as bed geometry, lamp density, distance between the lamps and the tanner, acrylic solarization, etc.
Acrylic shields degrade over time due to exposure to UV. The acrylic’s ability to allow UVB to pass through diminishes more rapidly than that of UVA. Most acrylic shields transmit 94-96% of the UV when new, but as they age (2,000–5,000 hours), they will drop to lower effectiveness, with emphasis on reduced UVB output. This process is known as solarization. To measure the degradation of acrylics, a UVB meter is better than one for UVB/UVA. Measure without the acrylic, then with the acrylic in place. If there is a significant difference, it’s time for a new acrylic shield. Because sunlamps emit predominantly UVA, and acrylic solarization most significantly effects transmission of UVB, the UVB/UVA meter will not give you accurate enough data to protect your business from “no tan” complaints from guests due to acrylic solarization.
Ideally, you should meter UV output after re-lamping your sunbeds. Warm the bed and lamps for 15 minutes, and always test at the same time of the day. This is so that variables, such as heat build-up, are as close as possible to the same conditions from test to test. Record your “0” hour readings and schedule testing for every 100 hours thereafter, comparing those readings to your ‘”0” hour records.
Do not rely upon the lamp manufacturer’s life expectancy claims. When UV output declines by 25-30%, replace your lamps – before you get complaints from your salon guests.
