High Pressure vs. Low Pressure Tanning Beds

The term "high pressure" comes from the manufacturing process of the bed, which maintains the gasses inside the quartz lamp at a little above atmospheric pressure, while the gasses in the tanning tubes of conventional tanning beds are held below atmospheric pressure.

Most high pressure tanning beds have an elaborate ultra-violet filtering system, which blocks the UVB rays almost entirely. Some of the more advanced systems even remove the higher frequencies of the UVA rays, leaving only what they call the safest, most effective part of the spectrum to provide a deep, dark & long lasting tan without a high risk of burning.

Additionally, a second filtering system removes a large percentage of the infrared spectrum for a 'cooler' tan, and also the bright white light is toned down for a more relaxing and comforting environment. The difference, in a nutshell, is a higher quality, faster tan.

High pressure tanning beds are quite similar to low pressure tanning beds in terms of the principle used. The light bulbs are pointed at the body to stimulate melanin production and then to oxidize this melanin so a darker color is produced.

Both types of tanning beds do this by stimulating the melanocytes in the epidermis with UVB light.

The great thing about high-pressure tanning beds is that they use lighting designed to filter out most of the UVB light while letting just enough shine through to stimulate the melanocytes. High pressure tanning beds use quartz lamps that vary in length, usually tanning the body from above while the tanner rests comfortably on a contoured mattress. The result is that more UVA light reaches the melanin, which provides a great tan with less risk of skin problems.

In contrast, low pressure tanning beds have a higher proportion of UVB rays (anywhere from 4-6%) than that found in a high-pressure tanning bed, which means that many more UVB rays will make it through to your skin.

Another major factor that makes high pressure tanning beds more attractive to sun worshippers is the time required to establish and maintain a good base tan.

With a low pressure tanning bed, it could take up to 15 sessions to establish a good base tan, and then two sessions a week to maintain it. This is because the higher proportion of UVB rays dries out your skin and causes the epidermis to "shed" or regenerate itself much faster.

By filtering out much of this UVB light, high-pressure tanning beds reduce the negative impact on the epidermis, which means that your skin will stay moisturized and hold the tan for much longer.

High pressure tanning beds should make establishing a base tan much easier, usually only taking 3-5 sessions. The tan will also last longer and require less maintenance. Instead of tanning twice a week, you can maintain your tan by using a high pressure tanning bed only two or three times a month!

High pressure tanning beds are quite likely the future of the tanning industry.

They save both money and time, requiring less initial investment to create a tan and less effort and money to maintain it. High pressure tanning beds also filter out the UVB rays that cause sunburns, thus reducing the risk of various skin cancers.