Comment by Nevermark

4 days ago

I think people way over cook themselves. The economics and amplified power of tanning beds at salons push people to highly overdose.

I estimated that 1 minute of artificial tanning is comparable to the 10-15 minutes of sun a day that is recommended. But has the benefit of the whole body's largest organ kicking in for the health benefits. So I tan at home for 1 minute a couple times a week. You can't do this economically with a salon.

I don't really get tan, just a little more color. But when I do get any lengthy sun time due to outdoor activities, I tan quickly instead of burn.

24 comments

Nevermark

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willguest  4 days ago

I love the idea that we believe that we can replicate all of the natural processes involved in getting a tan, and to such a precision that we can then speed up the process 10 fold, and that we can fit it all into a single unit that can be wheeled in and out of the room.

Unless of course our calculations are a bit off, then we accidentally created a bed version of the wrong chalice from raiders of the lost ark, but I think it's fine.

  • crazygringo  4 days ago

    Replicate the natural processes? It's literally just UV light.

    UV comes in an huge variety of strengths outdoors.

    There are no calculations to be a "bit off". It's just strong UV. You're making it sound a lot more complicated than it is.

  • Nevermark  3 days ago

    > I love the idea that we believe…

    Strong reaction? I don’t know anyone who would believe that.

    I don’t think we need to replicate everything about nature to incorporate what we know about nature, ourselves, and the practical details of our lives.

    I have bright LEDs around my ceilings, hidden by cove molding, turning the whole ceiling into soft but bright reflected daylight.

    It doesn’t need to replicate a real summer day outside to improve my mood and avoid depression in winter. Much better than ordinary indoor lighting.

    Most people take some kind of supplement or medication that doesn’t replicate pre-technological natural conditions but provide benefits.

    Improving our respective conditions, in the artificial world we live in, can involve quirky adaptations for each of us.

Sparkyte  4 days ago

I just walk outdoors.

  • Nevermark  4 days ago

    Nude? :) I do think getting a bit of sun everywhere has to enhance the benefits. Thus my solution.

    I also walk a lot when I can and weather allows. I started walking with a weighted vest occasionally and it was like my body went into some kind of good shock. I was surprised how little soreness or fatigue I felt even the first time, after a two hour walk wearing 20 lbs. And the physical energy boost was dramatic. I switched to 40 lbs the second time and since.

    • stevekemp  4 days ago

      Sure! Walk out of the sauna, over the garden, down the dock, then jump into the lake for a naked swim.

      Do that daily for about four weeks, come rain or shine, whilst enjoying your summer vacation.

      Of course that probably doesn't work for every country, but here in Finland it's normal enough. Too bad I'm a pale-skinned redhead, covered in freckles, and I get burned if I'm not too careful.

      2 replies →

    • JumpCrisscross  4 days ago

      > I do think getting a bit of sun everywhere has to enhance the benefit

      Why? This is not how we naturally insolate.

      I’m not saying you’re wrong. Just that the status quo is different parts of your body getting sun each day. You’re not replicating that, which places the burden of evidence on you.

      1 reply →

    • djtango  4 days ago

      Depends where you live but where I am it's not unacceptable to go for a run in essentially swim wear so you'd be sunning not much less than what you'd get in a public tanning salon

  • loeg  3 days ago

    This isn't super useful for UV exposure in winter, due to low angle of the sun, clouds, and of course clothing.

  • Krssst  4 days ago

    I just take vitamins if needed, saves time and no cancer.

crazygringo  3 days ago

> I estimated that 1 minute of artificial tanning is comparable to the 10-15 minutes of sun a day that is recommended.

That doesn't seem right. If you only tan in a strong tanning bed for 10 min (or 15 min in a weaker one), it's equivalent to only about an hour in the real sun around noon. I.e. if you've only been going to a tanning bed, you'll start to burn outdoors shortly after that. (And I'm talking about high-UVB bulbs that develop the long-lasting tan that protects against sunburn, just like the sun itself generates.)

So the difference factor is more like 4-6x, not 10-15x. Honestly, 15x would be insane. Tanning beds aren't as strong as some fearmongerers suggest. And that's assuming full-body exposure.

When you say you artificially tan at home for 1 minute, how? Did you buy your own entire tanning bed? Because if you use the small portable devices (like a Sperti), they're providing only a tiny fraction of what a tanning bed provides, since they're so small.

  • Nevermark  3 days ago

    I have a standing tanning machine.

    I think your calculations are good, that I am operating with a significant time safety margin.

    I balanced going (1) “short” on time, (2) “long” on body coverage, and (3) with consistent exposure schedule, for best steady-state body adaptation (I.e. for both high repair and positive health responses). For plausibly higher safety plus higher benefit on all three counts.

    • crazygringo  2 days ago

      > I have a standing tanning machine.

      Lucky you! So convenient. Yeah, then there's probably a good chance that's developing the vitamin D you need, although bulbs do take around 60 seconds to warm up to full brightness, but I'm just basing that off visual brightness and assuming that UV warm-up time is the same. I'm sure getting your vitamin D levels tested will definitely tell you if you're getting enough or not. If not, well you can always do 2 min, but blood tests give you the definitive answer there.