Are Sunbeds Good for Your Skin? Benefits, Risks & Tanning Responsibly at Bronzed, Fleet

"Are sunbeds good for your skin?" and "are sunbeds safe?" are two of the most-searched questions in tanning, and they deserve an honest answer rather than a sales pitch either way.

The truthful picture sits in the middle: modern sunbeds like our Luxura Jewel come with genuine skincare features built in, but UV exposure - from a sunbed or the sun itself - always carries a real, well-documented risk. Both things are true at once, so here's the full picture.

ARE SUNBEDS GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN? HERE ARE SOME OF The Potential Skin Benefits:

Collagen and LED beauty light. 

Our Luxura Jewel isn't just a UV tanning bed - it's built with integrated red and yellow LED "beauty light" alongside the UV tubes. The manufacturer states the red LED light is designed to support the skin's natural collagen production, helping with firmness and elasticity and softening the appearance of fine lines, while the yellow LED light is designed to help revitalise the skin's appearance and support a brighter, more even-looking complexion. This is separate technology to the UV side of the bed, and it's worth asking our team about if skincare, not just colour, is what you're after.

Vitamin D. 

The bed's UVB LEDs are also marketed as supporting the body's natural vitamin D production. That's true in principle - UVB exposure does trigger vitamin D synthesis in skin - but it's worth knowing the NHS specifically recommends getting vitamin D through diet or a supplement rather than through sunbeds or sun exposure, since it's a much lower-risk way to top up your levels. We'd rather be upfront about that than oversell it.

Eczema and psoriasis. 

This is a common question, and the honest answer has some nuance to it. Controlled UV exposure - known as phototherapy - is a genuine, NHS-recognised treatment for both eczema and psoriasis. But clinical phototherapy uses narrowband UVB in a medical setting, under a dermatologist's supervision, with exposure carefully calculated for the individual. That's a different thing to a commercial tanning sunbed, and using one isn't a substitute for that treatment or a form of self-medicating. If you have eczema or psoriasis and are wondering whether UV therapy could help, the right first step is speaking to your GP or dermatologist about proper phototherapy - not booking a sunbed session and hoping for the best.

The Risks You Should Know

We'd be doing you a disservice if we stopped at the benefits. According to Cancer Research UK, there's no such thing as a genuinely "safe" UV tan, whether that UV comes from the sun or a sunbed.

The overall advice, and ours too, is to be genuinely careful with any time spent under concentrated UV - treat it with the same respect you'd give strong summer sun, not as something risk-free just because it's indoors.

How to Tan AS RESPONSIBLY as Possible

If you do choose to use a sunbed, doing it properly makes a real difference:

It's illegal for anyone under 18 to use a sunbed in the UK - not a house rule, but the law under the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010.

Sessions should always be supervised, not left to an unstaffed booth with no one checking on you.

Protective eyewear is essential, every time - UV can damage your eyes as well as your skin.

Give your skin recovery time between sessions, and skip a session if you've already had strong sun exposure that day.

Let your skin type set your session length, not a standard timer - fairer skin needs far shorter sessions, and our team will talk you through this before your first visit.

Moisturise before and after - well-hydrated skin handles UV better and holds colour for longer.

Check with your GP or pharmacist if you're on medication - some antibiotics, acne treatments and retinol products increase UV sensitivity.

Prefer to Skip the UV Entirely?

A spray tan is the UV-free option Cancer Research UK itself points to as the safer alternative if you like the idea of colour without any UV exposure at all - worth asking us about if that sounds like a better fit for you.

Book With Us

Come and talk to us before you book. Our team can walk you through your skin type, realistic session lengths on the Luxura Jewel, and whether a sunbed or a spray tan actually suits what you're after - rather than putting you under a lamp and hoping for the best.

Get in touch or book online with Bronzed Tanning Lounge, Fleet.

FAQS

Are sunbeds good for your skin? - It's mixed. Sunbeds like our Luxura Jewel include LED beauty light features designed to support collagen and skin radiance, but the UV side of any sunbed carries a genuine risk - there's no such thing as a fully "safe" UV tan.

Can sunbeds help with eczema or psoriasis? - Controlled UV (phototherapy) is a recognised NHS treatment for both conditions, but it's delivered in a clinical setting under a dermatologist, using specific narrowband UVB - not the same as a commercial tanning sunbed. Speak to your GP or a dermatologist if you're considering phototherapy for a skin condition.

What does the red light on the Luxura Jewel do? - The integrated red LED "beauty light" is designed by the manufacturer to support the skin's natural collagen production, helping with firmness, elasticity, and the appearance of fine lines - separate from the UV tanning function of the bed.

Are sunbeds safe? - No form of UV tanning is completely risk-free. Sunbeds and sun exposure are both linked to an increased risk of skin cancer, and the overall advice is to be careful with any time spent under concentrated UV. Responsible use - age limits, supervision, eye protection, and sensible session lengths - reduces risk but doesn't remove it.

How old do you have to be to use a sunbed in the UK? - 18 or over - it's illegal under the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 for anyone under 18 to use a sunbed in England.