So what’s the truth behind Professional Spray Tanning

The tanning industry has been the target of a witch hunt for some time now, with the oft repeated quote that indoor tanning increases your chances of developing skin cancer by 75 per cent. But is there truth to this data, or is it grossly hyped? Professional spray tanning salons have mushroomed in almost every nook and cranny of the country. If the perceived threat is true, then there ought to be a hue and cry to stop these salons.

This perceived threat of 75 per cent increase has been a subject of research for Hiran Ratnayake, a member of the AHCJ. He concludes that although the relative figure of 75 per cent was an average increase in those who used tanning beds and other techniques to darken their skin palette. However, the original risk of developing skin cancer is very low; almost 2/10th of 1 per cent. This is so less that a final risk seems to be well under 1 per cent.

The original article that appeared on News journal also has a quote that claims that instances of Melanoma are very rare and the supposed 75 per cent is used almost all the time to make it look scarier.

But why are these figures hyped? Fear based marketing techniques such as these are often driven by the cosmetic dermatology industry that could possibly lose clients coming to them for phototherapy sessions. An average cosmetic dermatologist charges about $ 100 for a single setting of phototherapy, even as they use the same indoor tanning equipments. But tanning salons do these at less than half these costs. Besides, they offer so many options; clients can choose to lighten skin tones through air brush tanning, red light therapy and even UV- Free tanning.

The sun is indeed the best resource to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, but this shouldn’t be for a long period. Reports suggest that a white skinned person can benefit from exposure to the sun for not more than five to ten minutes, three times a week. Any exposure more than this any you risk a skin burn. But this isn’t always possible, if you live in a place where the sun’s almost in hiding for the better part of the year, or in a place where it’s unbearable to roam in the sun.

Tanning also helps to protect the skin from excessive skin burn. The melanin produced in the skin, coats the skin with a deep layer that prevents it from future sun burns.

Rather than exposing your skin to the harsh sun, it makes sense to choose indoor tanning salons that give your skin the required dose of Vitamin D without frying it.