Anonymous

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Don Smith

Ginger:The use of hand-held radiometers (UVR Meters) can pay significant dividends to the tanning salons who purchase them.It must be kept in mind that hand-held radiometers are valuable "tools" to help us manage our tanning salons more professionally and they DO NOT replace spectroradiometers. Hand-held meters are calibrated to appoximate the readings of a spectroradiometer, not duplicate it. A spectroradiometer reads each and every wavelength and a hand-held meter reads a specific range and approximates the reading. First of all, we will look at the types of meters available and then the uses to which they can be put.1. UVA/UVB Meter. This meter measures the entire spectrum from 280 to 400 nanometers (nm). This meter is helpful for approximating the total UVR output of your lamps but it DOES NOT measure the erythemal action spectrum (which is most important to us).2. UVB Meter. This meter measures the output in the 280 - 320 nm range. When this number is divided by the UVA/UVB reading, one can estimate the UVB percentage of the lamps you are using. The primary use that we make of the UVB meter is in the evaluation of our acrylics. An acrylic that is failing will cut down on the UVB that is being transmitted through long before you can see it with any other meter. If you want to prove this to yourself, wipe a thin film of lotion on your acrylic and measure the UVB that comes through as compared to an area that is clean.3. UVA. By subtracting the UVB from the UVA/UVB one can calculate the amount of UVA.4. UV Index. This meter (like the MED/hour meter) approximates the FDA erythemal action spectrum (EAS). The EAS "weights" the wavelengths according to how much power they have to cause erythema (sunburn). For instance, 295 nm has 1000 times more power to cause a sunburn than does 365 nm. This meter is invaluable in helping to answer one of the most common questions that you get from your clients which is "How does this sunbed compare to the sun" if your clients are like ours. The UV Index (UVI) meter scale was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) to help provide a "warning" to people about the relative risk of sunburning. If the sunlight UVI reading (at noon) is 6 UVI units and your sunbed reads 18 UVI units, you can point out that the sunbed will provide the UVR in 20 minutes that it would take one hour to recieve outdoors.5. MED/hour. This meter is, IMHO, the most valuable tool that can be purchased by a tanning salon owner. It also reads the EAS (it has the same detector as does the UVI meter) but it is calibrated to read MED/hour. This "reading" can be divided by 60 to get MED/minute. Once you have MED/minute, you can divide 4.0 MED's to get the time to 4.0 MED's (t-4.0); you can divide 1.0 MED by the MED/minute to get the MTE (minutes to erythema); and 0.75 MED to get the IST (initial session time). This information gives you the information you need to determine whether or not your sunbeds are in compliance. (Note: I will be e-mailing John Cole the information you need to make these calculations and perhaps he can put them into a format that will make them easier to use.)Why should every tanning salon purchase these meters (or at least one meter). (1) To save money on relamping!(2) To verify compliance!We use the UVI scale as our "relamping tool" and this meter pays for itself after only one or two times that you use it. We record the value of the lamp when new and read the lamps every 100 hours thereafer. When the output has dropped to 80% of the original output we order new lamps and when the output has dropped to 70%, we replace them. You will find that, for a given lamp, the time it takes to reach 70% varies by a considerable amount. For instance, we have had Cosmedico VHR 160 watt lamps (rated for 800 hours) go as long as 1200 hours before reaching 70% with the average being 1000 hours. If we had changed them at 800 hours,

Ginger

Don,I do have a UVA/UVB Solarmeter, but not the others. Thanks for the info. Wow I have a lot to learn!Ginger

Marty & Carol

Using the UV meters properly is the second phase of Neither/Nor (neither under exposing nor over exposing a client). Without properly skin typing that is consistant, you will not really have the need for these meters. So assuming that we all are on the same page with skin typing, they then play a HUGE part of the neither/nor concept.Why do some Salons start all of their clients in 100 watt beds no matter what skin type at 10 minutes? Without any consideration to the different strength equipment?With the proper use of the UV index meters we can accurately determine the beds ability to burn your client. As Don points out, you can also double check to see if your maximum tan times posted on the bed are accurate from the Manufacture of the equipment.With the UV index meters you can determine the IST (initial session time) for all your skin types in different type as well as strength beds. You would have to agree that initial tanning times for your clients regardless of the type of equipment used is critical to the long term success of your salon.First we had BC then AD now BD! (before Don)Before Don we would use our 17 years in the business to determine IST, this worked to a point. After you add on more stores and more employees, they do not have that experience. After Don, this whole industry can take advantage of what he has worked so hard on. Grab your meters and go test those beds! I hope to be using mine on a new bed we will be trying on Monday!!!!

Don Smith

Ginger:One of the most common questions I am asked is how to test lamps that are not new. It usually means that the person asking the question has just purchased a meter and wants to start monitoring their lamps in the middle of their life cycle.Here's what you do. Put (if possible) three new lamps in the top of the sunbed and read the output of the new lamps and compare that reading to what you got from the old lamps.For instance, if you got a reading of 25 UV Index units in under the new lamps and 20 from the old ones, you could estimate that the old lamps had decreased by 20%. If the old lamps read 17 or 18, it is time to change them.The reason I came to agree with Michael Stepp, President of Wolff Systems Technology regarding the 70% number, is that I did some "expiriments" and found that it is at 60% of new when customers will start to say something about your lamps. Thus, if you change them at 70%, you will get MOST of their useable life without customer complaints.Hope this helps.Don

CHUNN

Don,Thanks for the knowledge. I have been an advid user of the UVA/B meter for several years. I purchased a UV Index Meter after hearing you talk last year in Chicago.The thing I have been pondering is why we don't have the UV meters mounted in the beds. TMAX could easily adapt one of their in room timer to relay the metering to the TMAX manager which could be read by software.Any word on this matter Don? Are you aware of any such effort by the manufacturers. I would think TMAX could adapt some device that could be attached to existing beds in use.Michael

Don Smith

Michael:Excellent point!In fact, medical UVR systems have meters built in to read the output of the lamps on a continious basis so that the cumulative MED's can be read.Some manufacturer will soon include a meter so that the time can be adjusted to reflect the aging of the lamps. The key to this concept work would be making sure that the individual tanning's skin type (subtype) was known and used to calculate the exposure time.What is needed first is to have the exposure schedule algorithms built into the software.Don

CHUNN

Don,We got the OK for the algorithm to be included in Helios. John will work with you to solidify it and them we will give it to Helios for inclusion.Michael

SunspotTanningSalon

I would like to evaluate some bulbs that were already installed in the beds I bought with this salon. I was told that they were new, but, you know...Also, the customers tell me that some beds are hotter than other beds. Am I correct in telling them that the part of the UV spectrum that they feel as heat isn't the part of the spectrum that tans you? What would be the best meter to buy that would help me to check these bulbs if I could only afford to buy just one type? What is the process I would use, if different from the one listed above (install new bulbs and check the difference etc).Thank you for all the help you all have given me.

Fred

As to how old your present lamps are: look at the lamp end where the manufacturers name and lamp specs are. There may be a month and year there. It is date of manufacture. I don't know if all manufacturers do it, but some do. If they are 09/00 you know they haven't been in the beds very long. If they are 03/96, well who knows, maybe they sat in a warehouse for 5 years, or maybe they were installed 6 years ago.Fred[This message has been edited by Fred (edited 04-16-2001).]