There are a number of tanning bed bulbs in each tan bed on the market. When you are getting a new, or especially a used or older tanning bed, make a careful examination of the lamps. Ensure that they are proper tanning bulbs and meet the FDA regulations with regard to health and safety. You should also consider how easy it is to get at the bulbs. Make sure that the lamps are easy to change when needed. It is very important, and a lot cheaper, if you can carry out such simple maintenance yourself, if you buy a home sun bed.

There are two completely different kinds of lamps used in low pressure and high pressure beds. Make sure you buy the right tanning bed lamps for your sun bed, because you cannot use any bulbs you like. If you are ordering replacement bulbs on the Internet, check the make and model of your existing bulbs carefully. Make sure that the bulbs you are buying are made for your bed.

High Pressure Tanning Bulbs: high pressure beds have quartz-tube lamps in a multitude of sizes. The gases used in these bulbs are pressurized to slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The lamps in these beds are located in the hood of the bed, so that you tan only from above. When you have tanned the skin on one side of your body for about 10-12 minutes, you turn over and tan the other side. The flat bed of these tanners is a great deal more comfortable than a regular sun bed.

One of the biggest benefit of these HP lamps is the amount of time you have to spend on the sun bed. Because you tan more quickly, you need to spend less time in the tanning salon, which means it works out cheaper. You can achieve the depth of tan you want in about three weeks of three to five sessions each week. However, with a conventional bed, it would take you at least a month to achieve the same level of colour. Maintaining your tan is much easier too. You only need two or three sessions a month to maintain the colour, as opposed to four times that many visits to a conventional salon bed. Many of these bulbs use UVA rays only, not UVB rays which are responsible for sunburn.

Conventional Sun Bed Bulbs: Conventional, or low pressure beds use long tube lamps that look like household fluorescent tubes. The lamps are situated above and below the bed of the sun bed, which means that all areas are tanned at the same time, without the need to change positions during the session.

Low pressure beds use UVA and UVB rays in varying levels. Some use both and others use mostly UVA with a bit of UVB rays. UVA rays are the cause of the (premature) ageing effects on the skin and UVB rays are the burning rays that produce sunburn when you are outside in the sun. It is very important to determine which type of rays your sun bed emits. You must be sure to replace your existing bulbs with comparable new lamps after about 1,000 hours of use.

Something else to think about when selecting the type of bed you use at home or in the salon, is the tanning bed lotion you will use. Different lotions suit different types of beds. The owner of your tanning salon can help you select a lotion that will be best for the bed you are using and your skin type. Regardless of the bed you use, you ought to certainly always use a lotion or a cream, because they will nourish your skin and help you get a Hollywood tan more quickly.

Do you want to find out more about tanning bed bulbs? If you do, just visit our web site on tanning bed bulbs