Once considered a unique curiosity, UV meters have now become a valuable tool for indoor tanning professionals. Why should every salon operator use one? Because it’s the most accurate way to tell if your sunlamps and acrylic shields are operating at peak performance. Plus, these technological wonders offer much more useful insight for salon pros.
UVA Reading
Made by Solartech, the Solarmeter 5.0 is the industry’s most basic meter,
and something every salon owner should have. That’s because the device measures
the intensity of the UVA or “browning” rays the lamps emit, which makes
it the perfect choice for tanning pros who wish to perform lamp-aging tests,
says Steve Mackin, Solartech President. “Lamps should be replaced when they
fall to about 70 percent of their new UV values, although some salon owners
change them sooner,” he added. Salon operators can start a metering schedule
when the lamps are new; however some believe that the reading taken after
the first 20-50 hours of use is the best starting point, allowing them to
“burn in” or stabilize at maximum output. “Burn-in is considered complete
when the ‘swirling’ effect of loose mercury droplets stops,” Mackin added.
To properly conduct a reading, turn the tanning unit on for about five minutes and pick a location to read the output. Mackin recommends holding the meter on the bottom acrylic (bench), pointing up in the center of the bed, with the canopy closed. Use the same location every time, and record the readings for a comparison. Readings can be taken after every 50 hours of lamp use, or salon operators can set their metering schedule.
Don’t Forget the Acrylics
In addition to knowing when to change your lamps, a UV meter can also help
salon pros determine when it’s time to replace a worn acrylic shield. “After
so many hours of use, the chemicals in acrylic shields begin to break down
– this process is called ‘solarization,’” explained Mackin. “When an acrylic
shield is solarized, it begins to block the amount of UVB being transmitted
to the tanner, while letting the UVA through, which affects their tanning
results. This can also happen if the acrylic is dirty or scratched.”
To check acrylic transmission, salon pros need the Solarmeter model 6.0,
which solely measures UVB output. “To check the UVB transmission through
the acrylics, simply perform a meter reading with the shield in place, then
do the same without it,” Mackin said. “If there is a 20 percent loss in
UVB transmission with the acrylic on, compared to the reading taken with
it off, then it’s a good indication that it’s time to get a new acrylic.”
Take, for example, a reading of 1.00 milowatts per square centimeter with
the acrylic in place, and 1.30 with it off. First, divide the number obtained
with the acrylic on by the number obtained with it off, and in this example,
it equals 0.77, which means 77 percent transmission, or a 23 percent loss
of UVB transmission. “Since the average acrylic shield is positioned about
an inch from the sunlamps, be sure to hold the meter about the same distance
from the lamps when measuring without the shield,” Mackin added.
UVB, Too
While measuring to determine sunlamp and acrylic life are the main reasons
salon pros should invest in UV meters, there are other reasons. For example,
using the Solarmeter 6.0 model UV meter together with the 5.0 model provides
useful information, such as calculating the UVB percentage of your sunlamps.
“Divide the 6.0 reading by the 5.0 reading to get the percentage of UVB,”
Mackin explained. “And be sure to keep a record of these numbers. Salon
pros can use the meter data to determine whether sunlamps are meeting the
performance expectations of clients.” He cautioned, however, that using
the 5.0 or 6.0 meters for direct comparison between different makes of lamps
or equipment can sometimes be misleading if the spectral distributions are
very different.
Maximum Exposure
UV meters can be used to determine if a lamp’s output is similar to the
manufacturer’s recommended exposure time. For this, Mackin recommends Solarmeter’s
7.0 model. “This meter measures the erythemal effectiveness of lamps, otherwise
known as the ‘burning’ portion of the UVB spectrum,” he explained. The meter
reads MED/hour, and if converted to MED/minute, can indicate the time it
will take to reach 4.0 MED, the maximum UV irradiance (dose) that a sunbed
can deliver to a tanner at its maximum timer interval. “A shortcut for calculating
Te time (minutes) is to simply divide the MED/hr reading into 240,” Mackin
added.
The Solarmeter 7.0 can also be used to calculate the time it takes to reach 0.75 MED, which is the recommend initial exposure time. Divide MED/hr into 45 to calculate this initial exposure time. “If the erythemal reading isn’t similar to the equipment manufacturer’s recommended exposure time, it can point to a lamp or equipment problem,” Mackin stated. “A sunbed technician can check the unit’s electrical components, reflectors, cleanliness and other factors to find the problem. Also, since the 7.0 meter follows the erythemal action spectrum, it can be used for comparison between different lamps and beds.”
Got Vitamin D?
As research into the connection between ultraviolet exposure and vitamin
D production continues, it should come as no surprise that there is now
a UV meter designed to measure the vitamin D3 IU per minute – International
Units (IU) of natural vitamin D3 (converted from 7-DHC) per minute of ultraviolet
B exposure. What this means is, salon pros can measure how long it will
take for a given tanning unit to deliver one minimal erythemal dose (MED)
with 1,000 IU of Vitamin D3. “Currently, this is not a hot topic among tanning
salon professionals because their clients, for the most part, aren’t coming
to their salons to get their vitamin D,” Mackin said. “It’s more popular
among scientists and others who are researching the connection between moderate
ultraviolet exposure and vitamin D production; but as more important findings
regarding this continue to be publicized, the Model 6.4 meter is becoming
more popular.”
Phototherapy Meters
As the industry evolves, so does Solarmeter, as evidenced by its newest
models 9.4 and 9.6. “As more blue and red light lamps and LED devices are
appearing on the market, interest is now increasing in measuring output
and aging of these wavelengths,” Mackin said. “To address this, we’ve designed
the visible light meter models 9.4 and 9.6.” The Red Light meter model 9.6
measures ‘skin rejuvenation’ irradiance from 577-661nm. Response at 633nm
is 97 percent, providing readings for both red lamps and LEDs.”
Get One Today!
So many meters for so many important tasks. If you already have one (or
more) and use them regularly, kudos to you. If you don’t have one, though,
it’s time to consider it. As a salon pro concerned with getting the most
return on your sunlamp and acrylic investments, this is perhaps the most
important tool to ensure that you do.
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