Can You Get Vitamin D From Tanning Beds?
Many women and men visit a tanning bed to darken the skin. Although there have been claims that tanning beds may increase the risk of skin cancer, there may be some limited benefits to tanning bed use. Vitamin D is an important nutrient that is produced in the body after exposure to sunlight or rays from the tanning bed.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium in the digestive tract and keeps calcium levels consistent in our bodies. The vitamin does not occur in many foods naturally. However, production of the vitamin can be triggered by exposure to ultraviolet rays.
Ultraviolet Rays
The sun emits light in two forms of ultraviolet rays: UVA rays and UVB rays. UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, whereas UVB rays affect the outermost layers. The UVB rays trigger vitamin D synthesis.
Tanning Beds
Tanning beds aim to tan the skin of the user without burning. Because of this, tanning beds emit mainly UVA rays. While this may create dark tans, these rays do not produce vitamin D.
Exposure
Exposing the bare skin to UVB rays will trigger Vitamin D production. In the sunlight, the recommended exposure time for the face and arms is about 20 minutes per day. In a tanning bed, this time would be much less because the whole body is exposed and the UV rays are concentrated.
Considerations
Increasing Vitamin D levels through tanning bed exposure is not as good as exposure to natural sunlight. However, with regular tanning bed use you will be exposed to low levels of UVB rays, which can still trigger vitamin D synthesis.
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