How We Tan
The skin is the largest multi-functional organ in our body.
It has three main layers: the top layer (epidermis): the leather
skin (corium) and the true skin (subcutis). It renews itself
every 4 weeks.
Tanning works the same way indoors or outdoors. Ultra Violet
light penetrates the skin, causing different reactions.
UVA rays are sometimes called the tanning rays and UVB the
burning rays as they are more intense than UVA. Indoor tanning
processes are balanced differently, emitting more UVA and
much less UVB than the sun, making it a much preferred option
for many people.
Whenever the skin is exposed to UVB light, more melanin (the
tanning pigment) is produced by cells, deep in the epidermis
layer of the skin. Melanin is carried through the epidermis
to the upper layer of the skin.
UVA light has the effect of oxidising the melanin, tanning
the skin in the process. As a natural process, the melanin
absorbs the UVA light and stops it reaching the deeper, more
sensitive, layers of the skin. In this way the body's natural
defences protect your skin from burning… as long as the skin
is not overexposed. 
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