Let There Be Light

Tanning lamps are one of the most important pieces to the indoor tanning puzzle. Salon owners and their employees need to fully understand their function, construction and maintenance requirements so they can offer the best possible service to their customers.

Tanning lamps are traditionally the second-largest investment a salon owner makes behind tanning equipment. Many factors influence the production and life of a tanning lamp and that is why salon owners are taking a hard look at the wide selection of professional tanning lamps on the market.

Lamp makers continue to develop lamps with characteristics that cater to the new and advanced tanner while meeting the needs of the salon owner. The consumer continues to demand UV exposure that reduces tanning time while offering the ultraviolet combination that best suits his or her tanning needs.

There are a variety of tanning lamps available with varying UVA and UVB combinations. The specific composition of the output mainly is governed by the qualities of the specific phosphors used. Other important factors in the combination and intensity of UV output are electrodes, the gas filling and the trace amount of mercury found in sealed lamps.

Over the past few years, lamp suppliers have offered some new innovations including dual-phosphor lamps and twisted glass tubes; technology that virtually eliminates end blackening and makes possible lamps that produce never-before-achieved levels of performance.

Staying on course with last year, lamp makers continue on their technological quest for the 2007 season. Of particular importance are the issues of minimizing end blackening, balancing the distribution of heat in the lamp and extending the service life of the lamp. Many suppliers also are diversifying their offerings to include more vertical applications for stand-up units.

Technological advancements include increasing the number of tanning photons while reducing the number of photo-aging photons to achieve the deepest, darkest tan possible from a low-pressure lamp. Manufacturers also are engineering newer lamps that offer the benefits of high-pressure tanning in a low-pressure lamp.

Once a salon operator chooses a lamp they must choose a product that is FDA-compliant and has an adequate lamp life. In fact, some of the most-asked questions salon owners have regarding tanning lamps are about output, expected lamp life, whether the lamp has new technology or standard performance, and whether the distributor provides compatibility sheets with the lamps ordered. All of these issues are important and vital when choosing which lamp to order.

Measurement of lamp output has become part of a salon’s daily routine. For reasons of expediency and cost, the measuring instrument preferred by most salon owners is generally the pocket-sized type.

Salon owners understand that output readings play an important role in tracking lamp life. They are finding that rated lifetime listings on some lamps are less than real-world situations. There are many external factors that influence the output and life of tanning lamps including distance, external reflectors, filters, acrylics, and electrical and thermal conditions.

Replacement lamps must be as effective as the original lamps—plus or minus 10 percent—in causing erythema and melanogenesis. Federal, state and local authorities report that this is a frequent breach found during a tanning salon inspection. Once lamp compatibility is established, FDA regulations require the manufacturer to print the specific models that the new lamp is designed to replace somewhere on the lamp or accompanying packaging. If a lamp manufacturer or distributor fails to make a lamp compatibility report available, it would be wise for salon owners not to use the lamp in question. This standard must be followed even in areas without specific state regulations.

Manufacturers give recommendations on the useful life of their lamps; however, these recommendations only can be used as a guide because there is no clear and official definition of the term useful life. Each manufacturer can make its own definition. Different operating conditions, as well as equipment-related factors, have in certain cases a considerable effect on the actual useful life of a tanning lamp.