Sarah’s rays of sunshine!

It’s Monday and the sun is shining, so it is time for our beauty expert columnist Sarah Rowlands from purebeauty (right) to provide her monthly insight into what’s hot and what’s not in the industry. This month she tackles the controversial topic of tanning!

Hello everyone!

It seems a long time since I wrote my last column, but I have not forgotten about you!

I am usually quite up to date with my column writing skills but I'm going to be truthful, this one has taken some doing. We have been so busy at purebeauty.  The wedding season has arrived and it was lovely to see the Bank Holiday so busy. Our books have been back-to-back with appointments, so because of this I am going to do the typical beauty therapist thing... and talk about the weather!

It's not as boring as it sounds so please don’t turn away. I have some interesting facts ahead and you may even learn something new!

We the lack of summer sunshine so far (although the weekend has been better!), I decided to research the effects of sunlight on our wellbeing.

Recently a friend on Twitter (oh yes, my self-imposed ban lasted two weeks!) posted... 'I'm going for some fake sun’. Normally I would reply with a caution as for the past five years I have always been against sunbed use. But this got me thinking... how many people are using sunbeds?

Are they using it for a tan or for other health related issues? So I decided it was time to learn a lot more about it. Summer is a time when we are supposed to feel radiant and happy but many of us are still feeling fed up, so how many people are using alternatives? I have taken the time to look into the advantages and disadvantages of indoor tanning and I am here today to give you the proven medical facts of why I think the pro's outway the con's and why we need this form of Vitamin D in our lives!

Researchers have started recognising the importance of sunlight for a healthy lifestyle. Recent studies reveal that sunlight renders many health benefits. Sunlight plays a significant role in nourishing and energising the human body. It is also vital in order to get the full nutritional value from food that you consume, and it has been proven that sufficient sunlight helps prevent to chronic ailments such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), osteoporosis, mental depression, type 2 diabetes, and cancers affecting the bladder, breasts, cervix, colon, ovaries, prostrate, and the stomach. To put it more succinctly, sunlight serves as the perfect medicinal pill in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

One of the prime benefits of sunlight is that it supplies the body with Vitamin D, which contributes for a healthy nervous system, helps to lower the level of cholesterol in blood, prevents infections and can help skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis and acne. Sunlight can even prevent the growth of cancerous tumors. Studies show that exposing your face to sunlight for 10 minutes every day can provide your body with the Vitamin D that is required for the day. A lack of Vitamin D is associated with a host of autoimmune ailments such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroditis and the benefits of exposing ourselves to sunlight can help boost our mood preventing depression, anxiety and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Despite its advantages, excess exposure to sunlight may be sometimes destructive, as it can lead to ailments such as eye damage, melanomas and skin cancer.

In other words, benefits derived from the sunlight depend upon its usage, and it's the burning of the skin that increases these chances not the actual exposure to sunlight which I am now well aware of....Methods such as sunbathing and sun tanning are considered effective for getting adequate sunshine, but make sure that you are using an indoor tanning machine that has been checked and is in compliance with the new tanning laws which means the intensity is lower and safer to use, obviously precautions must be taken to prevent over exposure as it is important to remember that an excess of anything, including sunlight, can be damaging to your health.

This is a massive topic and a very controversial subject which I have tried to scale down for readers. Believe me, I have thought endlessly about the disadvantages of indoor tanning but however I see it, the advantages for me outweigh the bad. I have many clients who suffer with acne and psoriasis and SAD in the winter months and scar tissue which needs fading. All of which have been recommended by a doctor to use UV sunlight to help with these issues. When we live in a climate like ours and you are not fortunate enough to take a holiday abroad, it is the only practical way for people to get exposure to the sun especially if you work a typical 9-5 job. A quick 10-15 sunbed session is safer than baking yourselves in the sun for a couple of hours and burning!

So I am pleased to announce the purebeauty have a brand new state of the art vertical sunbed i6 arriving end of June. It is compliant under the regulations of safe tanning (check the one you are using at present as if it is an old model it may not be!) and therapists at purebeauty will monitor the sessions so no client can exceed the estimated allowance. Eye protection will be provided by us for FREE so we know all clients are being sensible. Under 18's will not be able to use it. Yes, you guessed it by the name, the model will include an iPod so you can listen to your favourite tracks. How cool is that? It is like no other sunbed for miles around!

I am excited about our new arrival and I hope it will benefit many of my existing and new customers, if you have any queries please call the salon and I will be happy to answer any questions.

Until then I want everyone to remember what I have already said previously which is an excess of anything, including sunlight, can be damaging to your health, so be wise everyone and stay healthy!