What Is the 24 Hour Rule?

Tanning FAQ

What is the 24 hour rule?

To help maximize tanning while minimizing the risk of burning, it's all about control – something you don't get outdoors. Skin naturally needs a little down time to process the light it has received. This is no different than when you exercise. Your muscles need a little down time to recuperate from that workout. The result from a good workout with a good resting period is a stronger you. The result from a good exposure with good spacing between visits is a better tan with increased levels of melanin. The FDA requires all tanning devices to display exposure schedules. Exposure schedules are general guidelines for tanning customers. You need to be careful when adjusting a tanning schedule outside of the framework established on the schedule.

Can tanning beds cook your internal organs?

No. This question is usually asked due to the urban legend about a woman who cooked her insides from tanning at multiple locations. Often the legend is also accompanied with the idea that tanning light is the same thing as microwaves. This, in fact, is not the case. UVA with your average tanning bed penetrates about 2mm deep (about the thickness of cardboard) into the body. UVA penetrates deeper than UVB, but even if ultraviolet light could reach your internal organs, it doesn't work like microwaves do. Imagine that you want to heat up a slice of pizza. Put it into the tanning unit for 30 minutes. What's going to happen? Maybe it would get a little warm from the heat of the lamps, but that's it. Now take that same slice of pizza and put it into the microwave for 30 minutes. What's going to happen to that slice of pizza now? The pizza would be ashes at the end of 30 minutes. Tanning light and microwaves behave differently.

How does the tanning process work?

There are three components that make the tanning process work. UVB starts the tanning process by stimulating the tanning cells (melanocytes) to produce melanosomes, which contain melanin (pigment). UVA darkens the melanin that has been produced, but before that can happen, melanin needs a certain amount of oxygen to facilitate the work that UVA performs. The third component, oxygen, comes from blood vessels beneath the skin and outside the skin. Of course, you will want to explain to your customers that the tanning process can be optimized through the use of professional tanning lotions that contain nutrients for your tanning cells. For those who seem to develop a tan rather slowly and become impatient, you may be able to build their confidence in the tanning process by explaining that a single tanning session can potentially take anywhere from three to ten days to fully mature. This is called DPD or Delayed Pigment Darkening.

How many times do I need to tan before I see results?

We recommend tanning 3-5 times in a row when you begin tanning, then spread your sessions out to approximately every other day to build your base tan. Once your base tan has been achieved it will vary from person to person on how often you will need to tan to maintain your desired color. All skin types are different, but typically you will need to tan at least 1-2 times a week. If you have any questions or concerns about the frequency or the best schedule for you, please ask your trained tanning consultant.

Why should I use a lotion?

By using a lotion before you tan, your moisturized skin is able to soak up UV-Rays in a quicker, healthier, and more efficient way, resulting in both a better and smarter tan. If you don’t use a lotion, your dry skin actually reflects up to 40% of your rays, wasting up to 8 minutes of your tan! It is also important to moisturize after you tan, to fully maximize your tanning benefits. The products we sell are specifically designed to work in tanning beds to moisturize your skin and accelerate or intensify the darkening of your skin.

Why is eyewear essential and what kind can I use?

Eyewear needs to be 100% UV protective and FDA approved. All of the eyewear available at TanFastic is approved and 100% protective. You are required by law to own your own eyewear. You may be asked to show your eyewear each time you tan.FDA approved protective eyewear must be worn during the entire session.

Do I need to make an appointment?

TanFastic just accepts walk-ins for your convenience! The Matrix / UltraBronz (Level 5) and Bodycare Services are the only time we require appointments.

For More Information...

At TanFastic we believe in making you an informed customer, for more information please visit the following links or call us and speak with one of our tanning consultants.