Protecting your eyes, face, and moles in a solarium. Part 1 - Eyes

Since June 6th, when we can once again enjoy the opportunity to return to solariums, our favorite places where we can use our wonderful products, we have been receiving a lot of questions from people who have never used this opportunity to beautify their skin complexion.

Among the natural questions that rookies often ask us when we first entered the magical tanning booth, only to emerge a few minutes later transformed and happier, are some that recur all too often. They are as follows:

- Do I need to protect my face/eyes/moles when going to a solarium?
- How can I protect sensitive parts of my body?
- Does the protection depend on the time I am going to the cabin for?
- What happens if I don't cover these body parts?

We're known in the market for listening to our customers' requests and suggestions (after all, it's you, your ideas, and your needs, that inspire us!), so we've decided to write a comprehensive series of articles that should answer your questions. Here's the first one – eye protection!

And when all doubts are finally dispelled – then it will be time to enjoy the wonderful tan obtained with the help of Onyx products <3

"I have never sunbathed with glasses on, always with my eyes closed, what's more - I often open them and look at how I look in UV rays and so far I'm alive, I can see (quite well) and I've never burned anything."

The internet is full of such opinions. Yes, but does the fact that nothing happened to someone (or simply hasn't happened yet) give us an excuse to behave irresponsibly?

The skin on your eyelids is thinner than the skin on your entire body and can burn easily. We hope that the need to wear sunglasses or eye shields whiletanning in a tanning bed is, as it is for us, an undeniable fact for you.

SIDE EFFECTS – COMPLICATIONS

Unfortunately, in many clinics and outpatient clinics, we often encounter patients who fail to follow the recommendations of qualified tanning salon staff. Failure to properly protect our eyes can result in numerous complications, such as:

- Photorectosclerosis
- Visual disturbances (blurred vision)
- Watery eyes
- A feeling as if sand had entered the eye (this sensation may be due to fragments of the damaged cornea remaining in the eyeball)
- Burning of the skin around the eyes and the eyelids themselves
- Conjunctivitis (will manifest itself as redness, burning and heavy tearing)
- Accelerated development of cataracts
- Inflammation of the cornea

We must remember that the human eye does not have the ability to create melanin cells on its own, and therefore cannot protect itself from radiation like, for example, the skin.

Taking into account all the complications mentioned (and we have mentioned only some of them), we can see how important it is to properly protect your eyes when tanning in a solarium.

"CLOSING YOUR EYES IS NOT ENOUGH?"

Absolutely not, this won't provide sufficient protection for our eyes. The human eyelid only blocks about 25% of radiation – the rest reaches the eye and can result not only in irritation but even increase the risk of more serious damage.

WHITE SPOTS AROUND THE EYES

Many people do not use glasses or covers in tanning beds because they are afraid of white spots around the eyes – the so-called panda effect.

The first rule in this case is to thoroughly remove your makeup. Some of your cosmetics contain UV filters themselves. Failure to remove them thoroughly can result in unwanted stains on your skin.

The second rule is to properly fit and position your glasses or eyewear on your face. This should be done so that as little skin as possible is exposed beyond the eyelids, minimizing the risk of staining.

COVERING YOUR FACE WITH A TOWEL

After all, if we cover our face with something, we're already protecting our eyes, right? A towel placed on a specific part of the body will only reduce radiation by 5 SPF. This means that even placing the cloth on our face will still provide insufficient protection for our eyes.

"OK, BUT I HAVE SUNGLASSES"

Not to mention, of course, that marks from untanned sunglasses will not look good on your face, there is a more important issue that needs to be addressed here.

Sunglasses, as the name suggests, are designed to protect against sunlight, not UV light. UV radiation spreads in a completely different way, which means unwanted rays can enter the eye, and from there, it's only a few steps to the complications we mentioned earlier.

It's worth bringing sunglasses, though, because it's recommended (if it's very sunny outside) to put them on immediately after leaving the tanning bed. Eyes can be strained and oversensitive after a tanning session – after all, it's impossible to completely avoid exposure to the lamps.

WHAT ABOUT THE LENSES?

If, despite all reservations, we decide not to wear glasses while sunbathing, contact lenses must be removed. This is especially true since contact lenses complicate blood circulation in the eyeball and also restrict airflow. This makes it harder for our eyes to fight irritation, which can ultimately negatively impact our eyes.

Remember that even if we have lenses with a filter, it still only protects the middle part of the eye and unfortunately does not protect the rest of the eyeball and the eye area.

However, it's worth following common sense and protecting your eyes with sunglasses when in a tanning bed. There are two ways to do this:

- We take off our lenses and put on our glasses - then we are 100% safe
- We don't remove our contact lenses, we put on our glasses – in this case, remember to apply moisturizing eye drops immediately before and after sunbathing. The constant circulation of dry, hot air in the booth can dry out the lenses and irritate the eyes.

GLASSES

We're often asked if clear glasses also protect against radiation. The answer is a resounding yes. Color has no impact on the glasses' protective effect.

However, we must remember to keep our glasses in a sterile place (it doesn't have to be sterile, like in a hospital; a simple box or bag will do), and to clean them regularly (NOTE: we don't recommend boiling them, placing them in hot water, or microwaves – the plastic they're made of can warp and lose its properties). Putting your glasses directly into a bag or backpack increases the risk of bacteria getting into them, which are just waiting to bask in the sunbed's heat and enter our eyes, causing irritation or other complications.