Don Smith

FYI:

"I have been over into the future (of HP tanning) and it works." [Lincoln Steffens: Autobiography XVIII]

In the days to come, I will have more (much more!) to say about the exiting new information I learned last week about where "high performance" HP (high pressure) tanning (hp/HP) is going in the future.

The "bottom line" is that the future is, IMHO, VERY, VERY bright indeed!

Don

Drew D

Can't wait. We are looking to get into HP next season. Any and all info is welcome before we make that kind of investment.

Chippp

HP tanning will be of little value, and never be more then a novelty,
the tan doesn't last long and you do not get the natural uv protection from HP like you do with low pressure tanning lamps.
You don't have a wide choice of uva/uvb %.
The heat is always a problem as well as filter replacement, and lamp failure and replacement cost, and slow sessions.
Most systems only tan 1 side at a time, and not very evenly.

_________________


Tanning Booths, for people that want only the very best.
Fast, Comfortable, Dark Tanning and Hygienic.
Don't get booth envy, get a booth.[ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-06-18 13:00 ]

Gene

Tell that to Marty and Carol.

Marty & Carol

Chipp,

Have you tanned in a newer model?????????????

HP is a lot more than a flash in the pan bed.

As Don is now discovering the advantages of HP are MANY including its ability to hold a tan longer than any other equipment.

_________________
TanningProfessionals.com[ This Message was edited by: Marty & Carol on 2002-06-18 19:59 ]

Don Smith

Chipster:

You put more inaccurate statements about HP into one paragraph than I (or anyone else) thought possible. Let's take a look at what you said.

1. "HP tanning will be of little value, and never be more then a novelty."

Absolutely wrong! The future, as you will learn if you keep reading this thread, lies in systems using selective filtering.

2. "the tan doesn't last long".

The incontrovertible fact of the matter is that a HP tan is deeper and longer lasting.

3. "and you do not get the natural uv protection from HP like you do with low pressure tanning lamps."

Hogwash! A tan is a tan is a tan!

4."You don't have a wide choice of uva/uvb %."

This statement may have been true in the past but the systems I had the opportunity to test last week will, when they are commercially available, eliminate this problem.

5. "The heat is always a problem".

I'm not sure what you mean by heat. If you mean the "heat" in the room, that can be controlled by having more A/C in the room. It takes more A/C for a HP bed than it does for an entry level bed. If, however, you mean the feeling of heat provided by the Near IR wavelengths (the "sun-like" feeling on your skin), that is one of the primary advantages of HP.


6. "as well as filter replacement, and lamp failure and replacement cost".

After the filters solarize, you don't have to replace them unless they break. Lamps DO wear out and require changing.

7. "and slow sessions".

The systems I worked with last week will make possible 6, 8, 10 and 12 minute (per side) sessions. What more could you ask for?

8. "Most systems only tan 1 side at a time".

A lot of people appreciate the "luxury" of "mattress type" systems. And, there are now 360 degree systems available like the Matrix.

9. "and not very evenly".

Once again, Hogwash! Any properly designed tanning bed or booth (LP or HP) will provide an even tan.

You are stuck in a "time warp" and you need to get your facts straight, Chippp.

Don

lv2tan

Chip,
HP is the way of the future.. In late Feb we put in our SS 2021 and my customers love it. We will put in another before next season. We added a swamp cooler in the room. You need to do a bit more research, as I did. Good luck.

Don Smith

HP-101-1-The Sunlamp.

The "heart" of the HP (high pressure) tanning system is the sunlamp. It is described as a (1) HID (high intensity discharge) (2) HP (high pressure) (3) Sodium (salts) irradiance source that features a (4) quartz glass envelope that contains a (5) inert gas, and, (6) has electrodes on each end. Thus, it should be referred to as a "HID/HP" sunlamp.

Let's take a look at the components:

1. HID (high intensity discharge) means that the photons of light are emitted (discharged) when the sunlamp operates at "high intensity", i.e., at a high temperature (ususally around 900 degrees Centigrade).

2. HP (high pressure) the quartz glass making up the outside of the glass envelope is filled with the inert gas under "high pressure" conditions.

3. Various "Sodium Salts) are used to create the desired photons of light. UVA, for instance is created by using iron (Fe) salts; UVB primarily by using mercury (Hg) salts. [Note: These "sodium salts" are intorduced into the quartz glass "envelope" as small "pellets" that can be seen in a new HP sunlamp.]

4. The "quartz glass" used has a high strength under high temperature and is specially "formulated" to allow more or less UVB to pass through.

5. A "inert gas" like freon is used to "fill" the chamber under high pressure.

6. The electrical current is applied to the "electrodes" on each end of the quartz tube.

In practice what happens is that the electrical current applied when the sunbed is "turned on" flows through the "inert" gas and "ignites" the "sodium salts" which causes them to "emit" the desired photons of light. The operating temperature of the sunlamp is critical; too low of an operating temperature means that you don't get enough UVA and too high of an operating temperature means that the quartz glass will temporarily "absorb" the UVB photons. As mentioned above, the "optimum" operating temperature is approximately 900 degrees C (Centrigrade) which is approximately 2400 degrees F (Farenheit).

In the next session, I will cover the critical role of the "filter" used in HID/HP systems.

Don "Keeping YOU Infomed" Smith

Mori

Don, in supporting HP, do you differentiate the level of support between what is referred to as the "old system" from Europe which is almost totally devoid of UVB and the "new system" used in the US that emits more UVB ?

I have just installed the new Tanses stand-up with 44 Heraeus #23/100 lamps and a column of 10 400 watt Heraeus HP lamps. The 12-15 minute unit is an instant hit not just as a novelty but with second and third time users willing to wait to use the unit.

The combination of higher UVB from the LP mixed with the way high UVA output from the HP for only 15 minutes is a mix for great results. AND the fact that the unit runs so cool allows the tanners to easily stand the 15 minutes. This point was a major problem for me because I didn't know if the customers would stand that long but I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see it happen with no complaints.


Don, is there a difference between a 400 watt photon and an 800 watt photon or are all photons the same with only a quantitative difference existing?

Don Smith

Mori:

The more I study the biological effects of UVR the more convinced I become that we must reduce the total UVB (t-UVB) as much as possible in BOTH LP and HP systems.

The problem is, just reducing the t-UVB extends the Te (time to 4.0 MED) time and neither we nor our clients want to go back to 30 minute MTI days. Therefore, the "trick" is to reduce the t-UVR and better "position" the smaller amount so that we can have shorter session times. This is what I have been working on for the past year and it is starting to come to fruition!

I am not in favor of the "new era" high UVB high pressure systems but I recognize that the "traditional" low UVB systems had some drawbacks (poor ability to stimulatte the production of melanin and vitamin D). Once again, the "secret" is to better "position" a smaller level of t-UVB and my trip to Europe last week showed conclusively that this is not only possible, it is right around the corner.

You asked "Don, is there a difference between a 400 watt photon and an 800 watt photon or are all photons the same with only a quantitative difference existing?" and the answer is that going from 400 watts to 800 watts DOES NOT make any photon (photons are "packets" of light energy) stronger; rather, it creates MORE photons. And, more photons increases the probability of a photon striking a melanosome (referred to in a 1981 paper as "melanin dust" which is a description I LOVE) and "oxidizing" it to create what we call a tan.

The thing that scares the he** out of me, Mori, is that you and I are getting closer in our approach to sensible, moderate and responsible tanning. Does that mean we are both full of it? LOL

Don