outdoor tanning

[California Tan]

if the weather is extremely sunny and i chose to lay out instead of heading to the tanning bed about how long do you think i should stay out to get the look of spending 20 mins. in a bed?

[Anya1976]

well laying out is a personal preferance. and if you do lay out PLEASE remember your SPF. you dont want to ruin the color you have by burning and then peeling.

[Bonnie]

It varies a lot by skin type, but I find about an hour outside is equivalent to a tanning bed session (either 20 minutes in a regular bed, 9-12 minutes in an upgrade. As Angela says, use a good SPF until you're sure you won't burn, and MOISTURIZE!

[meltdbutta]

it is almost immpossible to tell, because there is so many variances out in the real sun...
ANd i moved this in here, to see if a PRO will answer...
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[ This Message was edited by: meltdbutta on 2003-06-19 08:11 ]

[TikiTan]

A 20 Minute Session In A Tanning Bed Is Equivalent To How Many Hours In The Natural Sun?

It is difficult to make a simple comparison between the sun and modern indoor tanning equiptment. Just as various kinds of indoor tanning and equiptment differ in spectral output and energy emitted, the sun's strength is dependant on several factors as well, such as the time of day or year, the latitude, cloud cover, pollution and reflection. Consequently, there is no formula for relating indoor tanning exposure times to outdoor exposure times.

According to Smart Tan one study seemed to indicate based on very specific controlled factors a single session approximately equal to two hours of outdoor sun... (key words Very Controlled Study)....

[Tamar]

Even if an exact comparison could be made, your tolerance to UV should dictate exposure time. Have you determined your skin type yet? One hour outdoors for me may be waaaaay too long for another...

[boobrandt]

I don't have the tolerance for staying outside down here for very long! It's so darn hot! I have tried 3-4 times this summer to spend some time outside catching some rays, but lasted only 20 minutes to 1 hour max.

[meltdbutta]

It is not the heat that has anything to do with overexposure...but the UV index...

[lilmountaingrrl]

I found that for me about 45 minutes to an hour is the equivilant to tanning in a salon. So many factors have to be weighed in though, like is the sky crystal blue with no clouds, or is there a layer of clouds in the sky? Clouds reflect the rays, so you can get burnt worse if your not careful. Also, a lot of it depends where you are tanning outdoors..... If you are next to a body of water you can risk over exposure easier because the water also reflects rays. It also depends on the tanning beds you normally use. Do the lights get changed often? If they dont change their bulbs that regularly then you might not be getting quite as much uv exposure in the tanning bed as you would outside......

[Tamar]

lilmtngirl, I love your signature tag!

[Strnghrt]

It also depends on your location. I don't normally burn but when I moved to Colorado I was told don't stay out in the sun too long you will burn because Colorado is closer to the sun, I thought people were full of it. In 2 hours which is nothing for me I burned like nothing I'd ever seen before. My skin felt like it was going to explode, It hurt to stand, it hurt to lay down, it hurt to wear clothes, it hurt to be naked. And I was sooooo cold! But in MI I can lay out for 2 hours and have a tan line. It also depends on the time of day as well. Like this week, I've been laying out later in the afternoon for 1 1/2-2 hrs and barely getting a tan line that went away as soon as I went to the tanner; BUT if I laid out say around 1 or 2 I might have gotten a good tan line in that amount of time.

[Laurel]

The actual sun (more the heat from the sun I think) and I don't get along too well and I prefer to use the tanning bed, but since school is out my daughter wants to go to the pool. I have been watching the weather so I know when it is going to be nice cause that is when she will probably want to go. That way I don't go tan in the morning and can go have fun with her at the pool. From what I understand the real sun will deepen the tan I already have? I figure I'll probably wear an spf8 since we are usually at the pool for 2 hours. Sound like a safe bet?