Tanning Bed Lotions

"Wear sunscreen." This is Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune's omnipresent advice, echoed throughout the warming air during graduation season in the form of Baz Luhrmann's musical rendition. But given youth's propensity to seek out tanning beds year-round, we might consider adapting that advice to warn, "Wear tanning bed lotions."

Get your ooze on
The common misconception is this: that the largest danger posed by tanning is sunburn. This is to forget the carcinogenic ultraviolet rays that our sun constantly radiates. Tanning beds work through UV-radiation alone, posing a potentially larger risk for melanoma than do the sun's natural rays, which is why using tanning bed lotions is imperative.

In fact, the tanning beds used before the 1970s employed ultraviolet-C and ultraviolet-B rays, the most dangerous in the ultraviolet spectrum; and this was before the use of tanning bed lotions was common. UV-A tanning beds came about in response to this discovery, but these beds did not deliver the desirable dark tans of UV-B and UV-C tanning beds. Today, most tanning beds employ a mixture of UV-A and UV-B.

The 411 on SPF
Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a measure of how much sun protection a given tanning bed lotion or sunscreen offers.

• Imagine a person who will burn after 15 minutes of exposure. A tanning bed lotion or sunscreen with an SPF factor of 2 doubles that initial burning time to 30 minutes.
  
• Likewise, an SPF of 10 offers 10 times that person's natural protection, allowing them to frolic in the sun for 150 minutes.
  
• Sweating and swimming will reduce the effectiveness of tanning bed lotions and sunscreens, which is why reapplication is advised.
  
• SPF refers to protection against UV-B rays only. Be sure that the tanning bed lotions and sunscreens you use offer UV-A protection, which is listed separately.

Pouring it on
Many people fail to apply adequate amounts of tanning lotions and sunscreens, which reduces effectiveness. To ensure full protection, an average size person requires a full ounce of tanning bed lotion or sunscreen slathered on their skin. That's a full shot glass of lotion; so next time you're on the beach with friends, treat them to a round they'll actually thank you for the next day.

Take care of yourself
Whether you're a recent grad or a grandparent, this most obvious bit of advice is so simple and frequently heard that we tend not to abide. Perhaps the old adage just needs a modern update. Something a little hipper. Or at least more specific. So to paraphrase Schmich once more:

Trust us on the tanning bed lotion with high SPF and UV-A protection.