Your Guide to Responsible Tanning

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INDOOR TANNING IS RESPONSIBLE TANNING

As Michigan’s leading tanning salon company for over 30 years, Tropi Tan has earned the trust of thousands of people. Each year, moderate indoor tanning helps millions of Americans enjoy increased confidence and feelings of well-being. We want you to know that at Tropi Tan, we urge our clients to tan responsibly.

Like many things in life, moderation is key to enjoying an indoor tan. For those who can develop a tan, moderate tanning is the smartest way to maximize the benefits and minimize the risk of getting too much or too little sun.

Tropi Tan staff is trained to help you tan responsibly, without risk of overexposure. Rather than avoid the sun or be careless about sun exposure, we hope you’ll visit our award-winning salons for a controlled dose of UV rays – and enjoy the benefits of responsible tanning.

For information about sunlight and its many positive effects on our health, visit Sunislife.com. For information about responsible indoor tanning, visit Tropitan.biz.

Why We Promote Indoor Tanning As “Responsible Tanning”
The professional indoor tanning industry promotes responsible indoor tanning and sunburn prevention as “smart.” We choose not to use the word “safe.” Here is why:

The word “safe” implies that one can recklessly abuse something without any fear of causing harm. And reckless abandon certainly is not the behavior the professional indoor tanning industry is teaching. In fact, we are playing a key role in successfully preventing that kind of reckless abuse. By teaching a “smart” approach to sunburn prevention that recognizes that people do perceive different benefits from being in the sun, we are able to teach sunburn prevention in a practical way that respects both the potential benefits of sun exposure and the risks of overexposure.

For example, previous generations believed that sunburn was an inconvenient but necessary precursor to developing a tan. Today, we know better – and we are teaching a new generation of tanners how to avoid sunburn at all costs. Again, our position:

Moderate tanning is the best way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks of either too much or too little exposure.

More than anything, a “Responsible Tan” is a comprehensive concept of sun safety, with an eye on living a practical life. Whether frolicking on the beaches in July or tanning in our salon in December, “Responsible Tanning” involves considering easy and reasonable preventive steps to care for your skin.

Indoor tanning, if you can develop a tan, is an intelligent way to minimize the risk of sunburn while maximizing the enjoyment and benefit of having a tan. We call this RESPONSIBLE TANNING because tanners are taught by trained tanning facility personnel how individual Skin Types react to sunlight and how to avoid sunburn outdoors, as well as in our salons.

Today, tanning in a professional facility minimizes risk because the government regulates indoor tanning in the United States and Canada. In the U.S., exposure times for every tanning session are established by a schedule that is posted on every tanning system and takes into account the tanner’s Skin Type and the intensity of the equipment to deliver a dosage of ultraviolet rays designed to minimize the risk of sunburn. The schedule, as regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, also takes into account how long an individual has been tanning, increasing exposure times gradually to minimize the possibility of burning.

That kind of control is impossible outdoors, where variables including seasonality, time of day, weather conditions, reflective surfaces such as water or sand, and altitude all make outdoor tanning a random act and sunburn prevention more difficult.

Tropi Tan staff is trained to help you tan moderately and minimize your risk of getting burned.

KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE

In the war against sunburn, tanning salons are part of the solution! Tropi Tan staff is trained to help you tan moderately and minimize your risk of getting burned.

Before sunbathing OR sun-bedding, it’s vital to determine your Skin Type. There are six distinct Skin Types; each reacts differently to sun exposure.

Does your skin burn after playing volleyball for only an hour in the afternoon sun? Or, do your friends consider you lucky because you can lounge on the beach for hours at a time with no fear of getting sunburned?

By knowing your Skin Type*, we can determine the best tanning schedule for you. Be sure to seriously consider your history when indicating your Skin Type on our Client Profile Form.

*The "Fitzpatrick scale" is used by tanning salons for classifying the six Skin Types, based on the skin's reaction to the first 10-45 minutes of sun exposure after the winter season.

If you remember nothing else, remember this cardinal rule of tanning: Sunburn is the enemy associated with permanent skin damage. It occurs when tiny blood vessels in your skin burst from getting too much sun exposure. Many people falsely assume that sunburn will eventually “fade” into a tan. This is not so. Sunburn is an injury on top of your tanned skin.

KEYWORD: MODERATION

An estimated 30 million North Americans turn to tanning salons as a controlled alternative to outdoor tanning. As we become increasingly aware of the benefits associated with regular exposure to sunlight and of the importance of managing the risks that can be associated with sunburn and overexposure, more people are turning to indoor tanning facilities to help attain their tans in a controlled environment that is scientifically designed to minimize the risk of sunburn.

The Tanning Industry’s Core Belief

The professional indoor tanning industry’s scientifically supported position is summed up in this declaration:

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.

This position is founded on the following principles:

1. Exposure to ultraviolet light exposure from the sun or from an indoor tanning unit is essential for human health, and getting it in a non-burning fashion is the smartest way.

2. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural body function. A tan is the body’s natural protection against sunburn. The risks associated with UV overexposure are manageable for anyone who has the ability to develop a tan.

3. The professional indoor tanning industry promotes and teaches what we refer to as “The Golden Rule of Responsible Tanning”: Don’t ever sunburn.

4. For the past decade, the indoor tanning industry has been more effective at teaching sunburn prevention than those who promote complete sun avoidance. Since the mid-1990s, tanning industry research has supported what millions of indoor tanners have known all along: that non-tanners sunburn outdoors more often than people who tan indoors. 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.

5. 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.

“THE GOLDEN RULE OF RESPONSIBLE TANNING”: SUNBURN IS THE ENEMY!

How Do Indoor Tanning Salons Teach Sunburn Prevention?
The indoor tanning industry is at the forefront in educating people how to successfully avoid sunburn over the course of one’s life.

• Studies have shown consistently that once a person begins tanning in a professional salon, they are less likely to sunburn than they were before they started tanning.

• Studies have also shown that indoor tanners are less likely to sunburn outdoors as compared to non-tanners.

Consider: In recent years, sunburn incidence in the general population has been steadily increasing while sunscreen usage has been declining. And according to the American Academy of Dermatology, the sub-group most likely to sunburn is older men. In contrast, sunscreen usage outdoors among indoor tanners is increasing.

We believe that teaching people to strictly avoid the sun may be making them more likely to sunburn when they do go outside for summer activities – and everyone does go outdoors at some point. Consider:

1. Tanning is your body’s natural defense mechanism against sunburn, and indoor tanners have activated this defense against burning – a tan essentially multiplies the ability of sunscreen worn outdoors to do its job. That’s one reason non-tanners are more vulnerable when they inevitably do go outdoors.

2. At professional indoor tanning facilities, tanners are educated about how to avoid sunburn outdoors, encouraged to use sunscreens appropriately and advised to properly moisturize their skin.

3. When you also consider that the majority of people who sunburn are male, according to the AAD, and that 65-70 percent of indoor tanners are female, clearly, it’s non-tanners who are doing most of the burning outdoors.

In the war against sunburn, tanning salons are part of the solution! Those who abstain from sun exposure completely are more likely to sunburn when they inevitably do go outdoors, even if they attempt to protect their skin with sunscreen.

BASIC SUN SAFETY

When outside in the natural sun, wear appropriate full-spectrum sunscreens, even if you already have a tan. Remember, you can still tan while wearing sunscreen, and you can still sunburn when you have a tan!

You also should wear hats whenever possible while outdoors, particularly if you have a receding hairline or thinning hair. The top of the head is especially sensitive to sunburn.

Young children should be especially careful outdoors. Their young skin, which is still developing, is vulnerable to damage caused by sunburn. In fact, studies show that most of the sunburn damage to your skin occurs before your 18th birthday.

Over time, UV light can damage the eyes, causing retinal burns, cataracts, even night blindness and color vision loss. Eyelids are not sufficient protection from ultraviolet light, whether you are tanning outdoors or indoors.

Outdoors, you should wear sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays. When tanning indoors, always wear the FDA approved eye protection. Tropi Tan salons offer several styles to choose from.

Some common medications can cause reactions with UV light, making your skin more sensitive and susceptible to an adverse reaction, such as sunburn or a rash. If you’re taking any medications, please check with your doctor or pharmacist about its potential to cause a photosensitive reaction, and let our staff know before your tanning session.

For more information about the benefits of UV exposure and the sunlight/vitamin D connection, visit sunislife.com.