Everybody wishes to have a nice tan all over their bodies by the time summer rolls around. Having a tan skin improves your physical appearance and generally emphasizes your active lifestyle, even if you don't have one. However, staying in the sun all day to get a proper tan is both taxing and may even prove dangerous.

Fortunately, a lot of tanning salons are already available to provide your skin with the glow you've always wanted even if you haven't spent enough time outside. And if it's skin cancer you are concerned about there are spray on tanning booths that offer all of the benefits of tanning without the risks. Indoor tanning is relatively easier on the pocket too and can provide an effect that can last for a long time. Here's a look at what today's tanning salons can offer you.

Many don't even realize that our skin is an organ. In fact, it is considered the largest organ in the body. It has very important functions too, such as physical protection of the entire body and the ability to send information to the brain by way of feel. Because of this, the skin is very sensitive to temperature and, obviously, light.

It is for this reason that a lot of people have been against the thought of tanning or even being exposed to the sun. The reality, of course, is that our skin needs natural sunlight because it can provide certain levels of vitamin D. Though extended exposure to the sun and UV light can cause skin damage and cancer.

Tanning in the sunlight requires a lot of time, which increases the possibilities of being exposed to certain risks. Natural vitamin D is actually available during certain hours, which means getting exposed for longer time periods may prove harmful. If you have fair skin you need to be cautious so that you don't get too much sun exposure. What makes lighter colored skin more delicate is that Caucasian skin can produce fewer melanin than other skin types. Melanin is present in your skin and generally acts as an early warning device against harmful ultraviolet rays.

When your skin burns, it is actually the result of melanin being affected by ultraviolet or UV rays of the sun. The melanin in your body actually absorbs the harmful rays to protect the other cells in your skin.

Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the melanin levels are not high enough in fairer skin types; moreover, it takes a long time for melanin to get created. This means Caucasian skin is more susceptible to skin cancer when compared to other darker skin types when exposed to the same amount of sunlight.

Tanning is a byproduct of the skin's reaction to UV rays. To understand further, we need to realize that UV radiation is actually made of three parts: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC rays are oftentimes blocked by the atmosphere, preventing it from reaching the surface of the earth. UVB is the radiation that is to blame for burning your skin and is therefore the dangerous kind of rays. It is the UVA rays that cause your skin to get tan. Another term for it is blacklight.

Under the sun, you get 90 percent of UVA while the rest is UVB. Technically, this means that it is okay to tan your skin naturally. Unfortunately, what usually happens is that most people stay longer and never regulate their time exposed to natural light. This is somewhat to blame on the inherent laid back and relaxing atmosphere that pools and beaches create. Before people realize, they are already burned. Worse, if they are still not satisfied, they come back again for more, increasing the chances of skin cancer.

This is where indoor tanning salons came into the picture. Tanning salons offer a safe and controlled way to get the skin color that you want without the adverse effects. They do this by replicating how the skin gets a tan, recreating sunlight. Customers have the option of standing in a booth or lying down in a tanning bed. Tanning beds are more common and have been featured in magazines and TV shows. The tan salon beds are lined with long bulbs at the bottom and on top to simulate natural light. Customers can commonly purchase tanning bed lotions to better their tanning salon experience.

Tanning booths require the person to simply stand while wearing goggles. It has the same set of bulbs that are placed around the circumference to provide light to the entire body. There are people who believe that this gives a more even tan compared to beds since the skin is in its natural state, compared to lying down where the back is pressed against the surface. There is even the possibility of sleeping while in the bed, which could be very disastrous indeed.

In the past, the tanning lights produced UVA and UVB rays, making this form of unnatural light unsafe. However, there are now bulbs that produce UVA rays only, making them much safer than the bulbs of the past. Another technique tanning salons utilize to reduce risks is to keep the amount of time in the tanning beds down. To limit dangers, tanning sessions actually last for about fifteen to twenty minutes only, so the likelihood of side effects is reduced. Furthermore, many tanning salons discourage their patrons from having consecutive sessions.

With all this being said it is till important to note that these tanning beds still come with certain risks. Just like the case is with the sun tanning, extended UV exposure, indoor or out, can be harmful to your skin. If this is of concern to you then the popular spray tanning may be just what you're looking for.

New tanning products have given rise to a different tanning salon alternative. Many of the newer tanning salons offer the tanning experience without the need to be subjected to any form of harmful light. What these tanning salons actually do is apply tanning sprays using a special airbrush. The result is a natural tanned look all over the body without pain or the long time periods involved.This spray on tan need not be confused with indoor tanning lotions of the past, which often left a yellow streaky look. Spray tanning offers that golden natural look with no streaks, and best of all there is absolutely no risk of skin cancer. Spray tan booths are designed to provide complete coverage, though it's tough to beat a hand airbrush application.

The only drawback for tanning sprays is that the effect does not last as long as tanning in beds or natural light. And though people who seek spray tanning to avoid the harmful affects of radiation, do have to initially test the spray tans in certain portions of their skin to check their sensitivity. Other than that spray tanning is quickly becoming the most popular way to tan.

There are a certain portion of people who actually prefer to be in the nude when when they go to the tanning salon. They believe that it will give them a more even skin tan since none of the body parts are covered. The end result, of course, is no unsightly tan lines.Tanning salons also provide a sense of privacy and discreetness that alleviates worry. Each tanning booth is typically isolated with a locked door.The only thing they have to remember is that some form of protection is still required. Applying indoor tanning lotion all over the body before a tanning session is necessary whether naked or not. Moreover, nude tanning exposes sensitive areas not just to light but also to heat, which means the session must be properly monitored.