Help, My Eyes Hurt From a Tanning Bed! - Luxe Luminous (2023)

FAQs

How can I tan without my eyes hurting? ›

Protecting Your Eyes While Tanning

If you choose to tan in a tanning bed, always wear goggles specifically intended for indoor tanning, and be sure to place them properly to cover your eyelids completely and prevent eyelid burns. Sunglasses will not full protect your eyes from the UV rays produced by the tanning bed.

Photokeratitis is a painful, temporary eye condition caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays. It's sometimes compared to a sunburn, expect it affects the corneas of your eyes.

Closing Your Eyes Isn't Enough

The UV light in tanning beds is so strong that even closing your eyes during a tanning session won't protect them. A few of the eye health problems that can result from indoor tanning are cataracts, macular degeneration, dry eye, sunburn, and blurry vision.

Your eyes can get sun burnt! Tanning with no eye protection can cause red, itchy or watery eyes. These symptoms are all indications of short-term eye damage.

Stand-up booths are capable of giving you a deeper tan. The bulbs used in them give off stronger rays compared to a tanning bed. The higher intensity of the UV rays increases melanin production which results in a darker complexion. For those who want more than just a “sun-kissed” look, stand-up booths are better.

How long does it take for an irritated eye to heal? Minor eye irritation usually goes away in a day or two. More serious infections may cause eye irritation lasting one to two weeks. See your healthcare provider if your eye irritation lasts longer than 48 hours, even if it's mild.

Tanning beds produce high levels of ultraviolet (UV) light, which can tan the skin but can also burn the cornea, the clear covering of the eye. You do not feel the burn until 6 to 12 hours after exposure, so you can suffer a severe corneal burn without realizing it while tanning or immediately after.

“Like a sunburn on your skin, photokeratitis will usually go away on its own after one to two days,” said Dr. Altenbernd. “Which means that treatments mostly focus on reducing your discomfort.” Over the counter and/or prescribed eye drops will help to reduce irritation.

Don't Flip – Our tanning beds tan all sides of you at once – don't worry about flipping during the process. You might want to move your arms from your sides to over your head to get a tan on your underarm areas.

Will a towel protect eyes in a tanning bed? ›

It is a common misconception that simply closing your eyes or placing a towel over them will serve as adequate protection from UV rays. However, the skin on your eyelid is very thin and the UV rays can still penetrate through.

Lay on your back inside the tanning bed with your arms and legs spread. Laying with your legs together or with your arms resting against your sides can lead to an uneven or spotty tan. Stretch out your body when you first lay down to ensure all parts of your skin get exposure.

The right lens corner should cover the right eyelid before switching the goggles to your left side so that the left lens corner protects your left eye. Regularly adjusting your goggles can ensure that the entire around your eyes receives equal coverage, thereby preventing raccoon eyes.

In a recent survey of adolescent tanning bed users, it was found that about 58 percent had burns due to frequent exposure to indoor tanning beds/lamps. 10 minutes in a tanning bed is equal to four hours on the beach!

Merely closing the eyes while on the sunbed does not offer full protection, experts advise. UV damage caused by sunbed lamps can cause long-term damage and growths in the eyes, as well as skin cancer. The college recommends people wear the goggles or "winkies" provided by tanning salons.

Tanning Sessions Can Reduce Weight

Being exposed to sources of UV-light ensures that the metabolism in a person's body is increasing. This is done so by nudging the thyroid gland for being even more active. This increase in the metabolism more often than not reflects in a substantial weight loss for you.

In addition to cherries, watermelon and other red fruits, peaches, apricots and melons are also ideal tanning foods. They are seasonal fruits and, as you might guess from their orange color, they are rich in beta-carotene.

Level 3 offers medium pressure lamps with lower UV rays and more UVA rays, providing a faster and deeper tan than Level 1 and Level 2. And finally Level 4 tanning beds (and up) feature ridiculously fast tanning times, with sometimes next to zero UVB rays, guaranteeing a dark tan with virtually no chance of a sunburn.

They spray tan!

There has never been more talk about the dangers of tanning salons and harmful sun rays. Celebrities know that, if done correctly, spray tanning is the ultimate solution to getting the bronze shimmery glow, without the risk of damaging the skin.

Citrusy Colors

All shades of orange, from peach to carrot, will make your tan especially noticeable. You'll want to stick with the shades of bright yellow, as they will do your skin the most favors. WIth red, you'll want to try to find a balance somewhere between pink and orange.

Why do people look good with a tan? ›

A bronzed tan helps to define muscles, creating a slimmer, more toned silhouette without stepping foot in the gym. For extra definition, contour your tan in key areas such as around cheek bones, under your triceps and on your abs to look more defined.

Warm and cool compresses

People can try applying a compress for immediate relief of itchy eyes. Warm compresses over the eyes may help relieve itching due to allergies. If itchy eyes feel warm and swollen, a cold compress on the eyes might help ease the itch.

Because of aloe vera's anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, some natural healers recommend using it to alleviate sore eyes. Mix 1 teaspoon of fresh aloe vera gel into 2 tablespoons of cold water, and then soak cotton rounds in the mixture. Place the soaked cotton rounds on your closed eyes for 10 minutes.

Antihistamine pills and liquids work by blocking histamine to relieve watery, itchy eyes. They include cetirizine (Zyrtec), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), fexofenadine (Allegra), or loratadine (Alavert, Claritin), among others. Some may cause drowsiness. Antihistamine eye drops work well for itchy, watery eyes.

Basically, your eyes can be opened or closed while in the tanning bed, as long as you have goggles on, because the goggles are what's blocking out the UV rays. If it wasn't for the fact that you were being blasted by UV rays, you wouldn't need the goggles in the first place.

The Lumify brand of brimonidine ophthalmic is available without a prescription, and is used to relieve eye redness and irritation.

Antihistamine eye drops, like olopatadine (Pataday) and ketotifen (Alaway, Zaditor), block histamine in the eyes to help relieve itchiness. Decongestant eye drops like naphazoline/glycerin (Clear Eyes) can help to treat dry, burning eyes.

The golden rule is “NEVER SUNBURN.” That's why the controlled exposure times recommended for you in a Smart Tan salon are a great way to get a beautiful tan without burning. Plus, indoor tanners have known for years that a “base tan” offers natural sunscreen protection.

Tanning lotion also doesn't take long to develop and can be washed off after two to three hours. Meanwhile, mousse and gradual tanners take at least six to eight hours to develop. You can shower immediately after using a tanning oil since that's a natural tan and not a solution that can be washed off.

What do you wear in a tanning bed? ›

Wear nothing in the tanning bed. If you want to achieve a perfectly even all-over tan, you will get the best results if you tan in the nude. Salons are inspected and beds are cleaned after each client. Many salons even leave out extra cleaning supplies for clients to give the bed a wipe-down themselves.

Many people think that covering the face with a towel or other material will protect against serious consequences. Unfortunately, this is a misconception! Reaching for it will only help you reduce radiation by 5 SPF. So you can see that using a cloth still provides too little protection.

You may think that covering your face with a towel is enough to sufficiently protect your eyes. The truth, however, is that a towel placed on any body part can reduce the radiation only in an amount comparable to 5 SPF.

Put on goggles before getting into the bed.

Goggles protect your eyes from UV ray damage. Most of the time, the salon will offer you a pair, sometimes at a small fee. You can also purchase your own pair of goggles, but they have to be labeled specifically for use in tanning beds.

Don't shower.

Tanning experts recommend waiting several hours at least after tanning to take a shower in order to maintain the oils in the skin. Try to wait at least four hours.

Generally, sunscreen isn't necessary during tanning bed use. The exposure to UV rays is limited by time and the regulated levels of UVA and UVB light. Further, the SPF could hinder your tanning goals, requiring more sessions in the bed.

This can cause wrinkles in your tan, which are not pretty. Wherever the UV rays do not reach, your body will not tan, so try this: prop your head up slightly on a pillow or lean it slightly forward (or use the pillow if the place provides one). Now, think about any wrinkles in your neck in that position.

Raccoon eyes is a condition that refers to bruises around both eyes. These bruises look like the dark patches around the eyes that are characteristic of raccoons. Raccoon eyes signal a serious condition related to a skull or brain injury. Prompt diagnosis is crucial to reduce the risk of complications.

Tanning beds can emit ultraviolet radiation 100 times stronger than the sun, putting you at greater risk for damage to your skin and your eyes. Too much UV exposure can cause sunburned corneas, called photokeratitis. Symptoms include tearing, swollen eyelids, and a gritty sensation when you blink.

Remember that the eyes do not have the ability to build melanin cells, therefore the skin can't protect itself from radiation. Therefore it is our responsibility to take care of our own eyes in a tanning salons and the staff should always remind their customers to use protective goggles.

Will 4 minutes in a tanning bed do anything? ›

People with Type 5 skin will tan rapidly, even with short tanning sessions. If this is your skin type, you can begin anywhere between four and ten minutes. Increasing your sessions by one to two-minute intervals is optional if you want to achieve the deepest color.

Getting enough vitamin D from tanning beds isn't possible.

It doesn't. The bulbs used in tanning beds emit mostly UVA light; however, your body needs UVB light to make vitamin D. To get vitamin D safely, board-certified dermatologists recommend eating a healthy diet.

Yes, 5 minutes in a tanning bed can give you a light tan. The amount of time you spend in the sunbed will determine how dark your tan is; the longer you stay in, the darker your tan will be. Ideally, you should tan for 5-15 minutes a few times in a month if you want to build up an initial tan from scratch.

Photokeratitis is a painful, temporary eye condition caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays. It's sometimes compared to a sunburn, expect it affects the corneas of your eyes.

Constant exposure to these intense UV rays can cause damage to the eyes, including photokeratitis (a sunburn on your cornea), cataracts, skin cancer around the eye, macular degeneration as well as corneal infections and conjunctivitis.

Use self-tanner

The only safe way to tan is to use a self-tanning product or get a spray tan. Most self-tanning products and sprays are safe and FDA approved. These cosmetics do not penetrate the skin to cause harm like UV rays, and instead, just coat the outer layer.

Do not lay out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The sun's rays are strongest during those hours, and you're more likely to get a sunburn. Build up your time in the sun slowly. Start by laying out for 15 minutes and add 5 minutes or so per week. Your tan will progress more gradually, but you'll avoid getting burned.

The best color combination to use is black text on a white background. If you must use other colors, make sure they consist of dark text on light backgrounds, and not the other way around.

In their quest for the perfect tan, some people may look for a "magic pill" that will help them achieve this with minimal exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. There are no such pills approved for this purpose.

The practice of lying in the sun is actually risky and increases the potential of developing skin cancer. If you're going to tan, however, and your goal is to tan quickly, the best time is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

What makes you tan faster? ›

To get tan quickly, you'll need to apply a lotion or oil with a low SPF, but you still want to make sure you have some protection from the sun's powerful rays. Choose between rub-on lotions, aerosol sprays, and oil rubs that all contain some SPF.

Dermatologists strongly agree that it is not safe to use baby oil for tanning. In fact, they say that there actually is no safe way to tan. Tanning simply isn't healthy. “[Baby oil] can make you tan more quickly because it absorbs the sun better,” says Sperling.

Melanin is the body's way of protecting skin from burning. Darker-skinned people tan more deeply than lighter-skinned people because their melanocytes produce more melanin. But just because a person doesn't burn does not mean that he or she is also protected against skin cancer and other problems.

Of all eye colors, brown seems to be the only one that could be called “advantageous” from a survival perspective. While more research is needed, darker irises are linked to a number of health benefits, including these: Reduced risk of macular degeneration. Lower melanoma risk.

What Is The Best Color Light For Reading And Studying During The Nighttime? Amber light and red light from Blue Light Blocking Lightbulbs are the best color lights for reading and studying at nighttime because they don't affect your circadian rhythm or disrupt hormone balance.

Background Colors

White is a good choice, since it provides the most contrast; but it also produces bright displays, since our computer displays emit light rather than reflecting it. Pale (desaturated) yellow and very light gray are also good background colors.

Tropez's Jumbo Self Tan Express Mousse is one of Kim Kardashian's all-time favorite self-tanners, she previously revealed on her KKW blog. It's a lightweight, fast-absorbing tanning mousse that doesn't leave your skin feeling sticky after application.

Beta carotene, found in vegetables such as carrots, spinach and peas, is a precursor to vitamin A, which has multiple benefits for the skin, the eyes, cell renewal and organ health. It also boosts the production of melanin, which will improve your ability to tan.

Moriz Professional Instant Medium Self Tanning Lotion, which "can be used as your everyday body lotion," she says.