UV sessions: how often? And how long?
You may have one UV session per day, over a period of five
to ten days. Allow at least 48 hours between the first two
sessions.
After such a course, you may rest the skin for a while.
Approximately one month after a course your skin will have lost
much of the tan. You might then decide to start a new course.
On the other hand, it is also possible to have one or two
UV sessions per week after a course has elapsed in order to
keep up the tan.
Whatever you may prefer, make sure that you do not exceed
the maximum amount of tanning hours. For this solarium the
maximum is 21 hours (= 1260 minutes) per year.
Example:
Imagine that you take a 10 day UV course, with a 8 minute
session on the first day and 20 minutes' sessions on the nine
following days.
The entire course then includes (1 x 8 minutes) + (9 x 20
minutes) = 188 minutes.
Over a year you may have six of these courses.
(As 6 x 188 minutes = 1128 minutes.)
Of course, this maximum amount of tanning hours is valid for
each treated part or side of the body separately.
(E.g. for the front side of your body and for the back side.)
From the table it will be seen that the first session of a course
should have a duration of 8 minutes. This is not dependent
upon individual skin sensitivity.
In fact there are two processes which produce tanning, and
they are simultaneously effective:
- "Indirect tanning". Primarily UV-B stimulates the
production of a substance called "melanin", which is
necessary for tanning. The effect does not show until a
couple of days after the sunbath.
- "Direct tanning". The UV-A and also a part of the visible
light cause quicker browning without reddening or "getting
sunburnt".
The solarium
This solarium emits predominantly UV-A, and also a very small
amount of UV-B.
It possesses some important features which make tanning at
home comfortable and convenient.
The unique type of sun lamp used in this solarium emits light,
warmth and ultraviolet, just like the natural sun.
You can position this solarium so that using it really resembles
lying in the sun: your whole body is tanned evenly, from head
to toe.
For your convenience, but also to prevent unintended
prolonged exposure (e.g. after falling asleep), a timer-
controlled automatic switch-off operates after 60 minutes
tanning.
As it is with the natural sun, it's wise not to have too much of a
good thing! (See section "UV and your health".)
UV and your health
After an excessive exposure to ultraviolet (from the natural sun
or from your solarium), the skin may develop sunburn.
Beside numerous other factors, such as excessive exposure to
the natural sun, improper and excessive use of your solarium
will increase the risk of skin and eye disease.
The nature, intensity and duration of the radiation on one hand,
and the sensitivity of the individual on the other, are decisive
on the degree in which these affects can occur.
The more the skin and eyes are exposed to UV, the more risk
increases of diseases such as inflammation of the cornea
and/or conjunctiva, damaging of the retina, cataract, premature
aging of the skin and skin tumours.
Certain medicines and cosmetics increase the sensitivity to
UV.
Therefore, it is of great importance
- that you follow the instructions in sections "Important" and
"UV sessions: how often? And how long?";
- that you observe the advised operational distance of 65 cm
(approx. 26");
- that you do not exceed the maximum amount of tanning
hours per year (i.e. 21 hours or 1260 minutes);
- that you always wear the provided goggles while tanning.
5
• If you think that the sessions are too long for you
(e.g. if the skin gets taut and tender after the session),
we advise you to reduce the sessions by say 5 minutes
per side of the body.
• To get a beautiful all-over tan it is suggested that
you turn slightly during the session so that the sides
of your body are better exposed to the tanning rays.
Duration of the
UV session
(for each
separately
treated part
of the body)
in minutes:
-for persons
with very
sensitive
skin:
-for persons
with normally
sensitive
skin:
-for persons
with less
sensitive
skin:
*) or longer, dependent upon skin sensitivity
1st
session
8
8
8
2nd
session
10
20-25
30*)
3rd
session
10
20-25
30*)
4th
session
10
20-25
30*)
5th
session
10
20-25
30*)
6th
session
10
20-25
30*)
7th
session
10
20-25
30*)
8th
session
10
20-25
30*)
9th
session
10
20-25
30*)
10th
session
10
20-25
30*)
rest of at least 48 hrs.
