FAQ
Understanding Your Skin
Moderate tanning, for individuals who can develop a tan, is the smartest way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight. Sunburn prevention – not sun avoidance – is the best and most natural approach for everyone.
This Position is Founded on the Following Tenets:
- The professional indoor tanning industry promotes and teaches what we refer to as The Golden Rule of Smart Tanning: Don’t ever sunburn.
- The indoor tanning industry has been more effective at teaching sunburn prevention than those who promote complete sun avoidance. Non-tanners sunburn more often than people who tan indoors.
- More than 30 million North Americans patronize indoor tanning facilities at some point during the year. Every year, millions of indoor tanners successfully develop “base tans” before embarking on sunny vacations – tans that, combined with the proper use of sunscreen outdoors, help them prevent sunburn.
- Public debate on this issue has completely lost the perspective that there are known physiological and psychological benefits associated with sunlight, that there are many other potential benefits that need further research, that the risks are manageable for anyone who has the ability to develop a tan and that, for many people, the benefits of sun exposure outweigh the risks associated with overexposure.
- A tan is the body’s natural protection against sunburn. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural body function, and the body is designed to repair sun damage as a natural process.
- The professional indoor tanning salon industry is part of the solution in the ongoing battle against sunburn and in teaching people how to identify a proper and practical life-long skin care regimen.
Smart Tanning Tips:
- Never over expose skin.
- Moist skin tans best; always use a indoor tanning lotion sold in an indoor tanning salon and an after tan lotion, or after shower hydrating moisturizer.
- Be wise, protect your eyes. Always wear FDA certified eye protection such as goggles or WINKEASE. Your eyes are very sensitive to UV light and should never be exposed while tanning. Sunglasses, towels, cotton balls, or closing your eyes are not adequate protection in a tanning unit. UV-light is responsible for both short and long-term injury to the eyes and can easily be avoided by properly using FDA-certified eyewear. At International Tan we provide FDA certified eyewear for free!
- Use a sunscreen on lips and other sensitive areas.
- Find out your skin type.
- Never tan while taking medications unless approved by your physician.
UV radiation from indoor tanning devices can cause:
- Skin Cancer, including melanoma, the type of skin cancer responsible for the most deaths
- Eye burns that can cause intense pain and negatively affect vision
- Sunburn (discomfort, pain and tenderness on the skin)
- Early skin aging, such as wrinkles and age spots