A woman with a light artificial tan.
Artificial tanning, also called artificial tanning, is the act of darkening the skin without the use of the sun. There are several methods to get a sunless tan. Indoor tanning can be done in a professional salon or at home, and may include the use of a tanning bed, spray tanning, or tanning lotions and sprays.
It is common for people who enjoy indoor tanning methods to use a tanning bed. There are two types of tanning beds found in a professional salon. The first is a horizontal bed that has a lid that closes off the person inside. The base and top have acrylic glass that allows the passage of ultraviolet rays from special ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) lamps.
A tanning bed.
The second type of tanning bed is a vertical booth. The person enters the booth while UVA and UVB lights shine around them to tan all sides of the body. Both types of tanning beds serve the same purpose: to darken the skin with artificial light instead of the sun.
People who enjoy indoor tanning can purchase a tanning bed. These beds may be similar to those used in professional tanning salons. Tanning beds take up a lot of space and can have a huge upfront cost. These beds can be purchased new or used.
Another method of getting a sunless tan is to use a spray tan. Indoor tanning is usually done in a professional salon. There are two types of spray tanning, booth or airbrush.
Tanning beds darken the skin, exposing it to artificially created ultraviolet rays.
A spray tanning booth is one where a person enters the booth and the tanner is sprayed from a nozzle or from nozzles on the sides of the booth. A salon technique controls when the bronzer starts spraying and guides you on what to do. After being sprayed, the person’s skin slowly darkens over several hours.
The second type of spray tan is an airbrush tan in a salon. The salon technician will spray the tanning lotion over your body with their hands. Some people like indoor tanning because there is less chance of the technician missing any imperfections on the body. This technique also takes a few hours for the skin to show results.
The most economical method of tanning is to use store-bought lotions and suntan lotions that can be used at home. There are many tanning lotions available at tanning salons and other retail stores. A suntan lotion can make it difficult to get an even tan and can cause problems.
Each of the tanning methods will result in darker skin and a tan that can be shown year-round. Using an indoor tanning bed that contains UVA and UVB light can be a health risk. Spray tanning in a salon or using suntan lotions and suntan lotions at home is considered a safer method of indoor tanning.