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Ginger:Why, you must be asking, is Don going to talk about skin typing (subtyping) when the subject is supposed to be tanning lamps?There are several reasons for doing so.1. EVERYTHING we do as professional tanning salon personnel is centered on the concept of providing exposure times (especially the initial session time) that neither overexpose, nor underexpose our clients to UVR.2. Assume for a minute that a specific individual (who is the "most sensitive skin type 2) visits 10 tanning salons in Alabama. Shouldn't this individual be classified the same in all 10 salons? And shouldn't this individual be given the same IST (initial session time)? And if this individual then comes to Tucson, Arizona, shouldn't I classify him the same and give him the same IST? I will assume that your answer is "yes" and go forward.3. It is a "no brainer" to calculate the IST for skin type 4's and 5's and we have a large "margin for error" for skin type 3's. However, for skin type 2's, the problem is different. These individuals, especially the most UVR sensitive of this group, have had a life-long struggle with the sun and they often have had problems with previous experiences with indoor tanning. IF you give these individuals an "extra" minute or two on their IST, they will most certainly sunburn. If, on the other hand, you give them a proper IST and handle them cautiously until they have developed a light to moderate tan, they will become one of your most loyal clients (who also buy lots and lots of lotion!)4. If you don't have a standardized format (a questionnaire) aren't you really just "guessing" about their skin type?5. The reason we must "subtype" our clients is because the definition of the "most senstitive skin type 2" demands it. IF you have a "most sentitive" segment, you must by definition have a "least sensitive" segment and if you have a most sensitive and least sensitive segments, you must have a "mean sensitive" segment. There is no alternative to this logic! Therefore, "most sensitive" equals our skin subtype 2A; the "mean sensitive" equals our skin subtype 2B; and the "least sensitive" equals our skin subtype 2C. 6. There is only a 10% difference between the dose of UVR that will cause a sunburn and the dose that will induce a cosmetic tan at the skin subtype 2A level. This "margin of error" increases steadily and we find that skin type 6 individual have a 500 times margin of error! A skin type 2B has a 30% margin of error. Therefore, if you set the IST based upon the "mean" of the skin type 2 population, you will most certainly sunburn all of the skin subtype 2A individuals who patronize your tanning salon.7. Why must we provide skin typing for each and every client. Because the FDA said we should in 1986. They stated that:"Since the UV radiation dose that causes a barely discernible pink coloration (minimal erythemal dose or MED) is not the same for different skin types, the exposure schedule for first-time users will depend on the skin type of the user."The skin typing (subtyping) form my wife and I developed is available on the TSO website (www.naatso.org).We are all going to assign IST's for our clients. The question is whether we are going to base them on "guestimates" or science! It all starts with the determination you make regarding the skin type (subtype) of your clients!Hope this helps.Don
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