Because it can take three to five hours for your skin pigment to change, you may be on your way to a sunburn before you even realize your skin is tanning. A tanning bed can give you more control over the amount of UV exposure you receive, allowing you to formulate a schedule and tan gradually. Discuss the bed's intensity and your skin type with an associate at the tanning salon to come up with a plan for gradual tanning. Does this Spark an idea?
Ask the salon about tanning packages. To tan gradually, you will need to make multiple visits, and you often can save money by purchasing more than one session upfront.
Tell the associate that you plan to tan gradually, and you would like a medium or low-intensity bed. Ask her to recommend how much time you should spend tanning on your first session. The actual time will depend on your skin type, the bed's intensity and the age of its light bulbs. For example, your first session in a medium-intensity bed with new bulbs might be four minutes if your skin is very light, or up to eight minutes if your skin is naturally dark.
Allow two to four days between tanning sessions. If your last session resulted in a light tan, ask the associate to set the tanning bed for the same amount of time. If you burned, reduce the time, and if you didn't tan at all, slightly increase time. Continue tanning sessions two to four days apart until you've reached your desired level.
Tips
- If you don't tan in the sun, you won't tan in a tanning bed.
- Remove all makeup before tanning.
Warning
- The World Health Organization recommends you avoid using a tanning bed if you tend to freckle, have a frequent history of sunburn, have many moles or precancerous skin lesions or are under 18 years old.
- Do not use a tanning bed more frequently than every other day.
