Always protect your vision when tanning!
WINK-EASE eyewear can be worn when tanning indoors or out!
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022
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Wednesday, April 13th, 2022
Article By BRENDA FISHBAUGH:
I thought you might enjoy reading about a common tanning mistake that can easily be corrected in your salon.
Dear Brenda:
I went into a tanning bed for the first time yesterday and used the gold eye stickers. I did not put them on correctly and just stuck them like a sticker on my eye lid. I was in the tanning bed for eight minutes. My eyes were also shut the whole time. Do you think I did any damage to my eyes?
Thanks for your help.
Rob
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your question, it’s a good one. And I also appreciate you caring about your eye sight enough to write. Shame on the tanning salon you visited for not properly explaining how to use disposable eye protection! I would seriously consider finding a different salon if your new salon is so indifferent to a new tanner that they did not take the time to properly ensure you were familiar with your eye protection.
The display box for every brand of disposable eye protection features a diagram that shows assembly, as well as a photo on the front of the box with a wearer properly wearing the product as an example. You’ll also find directions on the back of every pair of disposable eye protection, regardless of manufacturer. We also recommend that the salon fold the eyewear into a cone and place it on top of the display box, so that the user will see how to use the product properly.
Unfortunately, you tanned at a salon that did not take the time to explain how to use the product. Luckily, disposable eye protection is a complete UV block, so wearing the product flat on your eye would have protected you reasonably well. Disposables worn flat don’t block all of the ambient light that may come in the sides of your eyes. The biggest concern is probably that you received a big, white “raccoon eye” effect, since the product covered more of your eye area than is necessary for vision protection while tanning. Folding the product into a cone blocks ambient light from entering your eye and also allows you to see through it during your tanning session allowing you to adjust your stereo, fans and facial tanners, check the time remaining, all without removing your eye protection.
Of course, only an examination by an ophthalmologist can determine if you have damaged your eyes. If you ever experience eye pain after a tanning session, even if you wore protection, please see your eye doctor.
Once again, thanks for valuing your vision enough to protect it while enjoying the comforts of indoor tanning!
Brenda
About the Author: Tanning industry veteran Brenda Fishbaugh is president of Eye Pro, Inc., makers of disposable eyewear. She travels extensively training salons on the effects of UV light on vision.
Monday, March 28th, 2022
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Monday, February 28th, 2022
By Brenda Fishbaugh
About the Author: Tanning industry veteran Brenda Fishbaugh is president of Eye Pro, Inc., makers of disposable eyewear. She travels extensively training salons on the effects of UV light on vision.
To begin, please use proper hospital grade disinfectants made specifically for use on tanning beds! Anything else will cloud your acrylic and possibly harm your client’s skin.
First, make sure you mix the solution properly. I can’t tell you how many salons I’ve been in that just “add more” to make it better! It doesn’t make your solution better, it makes it strong enough to hurt tanners’ skin! It’s critical you mix to the level your disinfectant to the specifications on the label.
Second, you must check your solution using a quat strip. Quaternary strips are litmus paper rolls, similar to what you would use to test a swimming pool. Tanning bed disinfectants require specific ratios based on their ingredients. For example, the leading bed disinfectant, Lucasol, should be mixed at 700 PPM (parts per million).
Third, use a fresh towel to disinfect each bed. Two tanning horror stories…I tanned at a client’s salon for the first time. I followed them into the room and they used the towel that the previous tanner had left on the bed to disinfect my bed…ugh!!!! What was on that towel and now rubbed all over my bed? Double ugh! Second story…I was training a salon and they had a towel on the disinfectant bottle and used the same towel on every bed all day long. Terrifying. Tingle and sweat and lotion being smeared from one unit to the next. Don’t do this or let your staff do this!
The next step is to spray and wait 60 seconds. It takes this long to sanitize a tanning bed. Don’t just spray and wipe! Waiting 60 seconds sanitizes and kills 99.9% of fungus and germs. So spray, empty the trash can, wipe the door handle and floor, and then wipe the bed with a fresh towel. Your evening routine should be to spray and wait 10 minutes to disinfect. This kills 100% of the viruses and other stuff you don’t want on your bed. This needs to be done at least once a day.
Finally, your solution needs to be made up fresh daily and tested with a quat strip. Don’t make up huge quantities and use for days. The solution will lose its efficacy quickly.
All disinfectants are not made the same. Check the labels thoroughly and make sure you are using the best product to provide a clean tanning surface for your tanners and taking the best care possible of your acrylics.
Protecting the health of your tanners is your responsibility, and keeping your tanning units properly sanitized and disinfected is a critical piece of you providing a clean and healthy tanning experience.
Tuesday, February 1st, 2022
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Monday, January 10th, 2022
By Brenda Fishbaugh
About the Author: Tanning industry veteran Brenda Fishbaugh is president of Eye Pro, Inc., makers of disposable eyewear. She travels extensively training salons on the effects of UV light on vision.
I often hear that a tanner will skip wearing eye protection because they forgot them or have an important event. Nothing will happen, right? It’s kind of like not wearing your seatbelt one time. It could be the time you get hit.
In a single tanning session, the greatest danger to your eyes is photokeratitis, or an eye burn. It’s also called “welder’s flash” or “snow blindness.” You’ll experience red, itchy watery eyes and many tanners describe the experience as extremely painful, as if they had sand in their eyes. But its not sand in your eyes, that is your cornea peeling! Photokeratitis is the most common reason a tanner seeks medical treatment after a single tanning session, as reported yearly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
If you didn’t have tearing and painful eyes, then you probably did not burn your corneas. Most other damage, such as night blindness, color vision loss and growths on the eye, are caused by repeated exposure to intense UV. Remember, damage from indoor tanning and outdoor tanning accumulates over time, so please wear your FDA compliant disposable eye protection indoors and UV 400 block sunglasses outdoors.
Wednesday, December 1st, 2021
In my November column, I wrote about a longtime salon operator who had recently encountered a couple of guests who didn’t like being asked to show the salon staff their eyewear before being able to tan. They felt it was demeaning and that they were being treated “like babies.” I asked several salon operators how they handle this situation with their tanners who feel the same way.
Laura Maxx, Ultra Sun Salon in Manchester, CT explains why eyewear is so important.
“I’ve owned our salon for 37 years, so I encounter customer push-back occa- sionally. I tell every person who signs up: ‘Eyewear is required to be shown to the camera on each visit – have it out for us to see or get asked to take it out. Is that acceptable to you? Good! The safety of your eyes while using our facility is a top priority to us and we appreciate your cooperation.’ Secondly, as the owner of the facility, I require it as I want to run a safe and professional business for them. No eyewear, no room entry! If they really have it, they shouldn’t have an issue showing it. Mutual respect.”
Zoe’ Buchmuller-Killeen of Forever Sunshine Tanning in Little Ferry, NJ has a different approach.
“I think a picture is worth a thousand words. I show them the photos of possible eye damage from unprotected tanning that are printed on the educational handout provided by Wink-Ease. It works every time!”
Team Eye Pro loves this idea:
Christi Miller of Moon Shine Tanning in Glenpool, OK repeats a simple message.
“I have it written on a sticky note, the membership agreements and the handbook – No Eyewear • No Tan • No Exceptions”
Melissa Larabee, Owner of Golden Goddess Tanning Boutique in Colchester, CT gets her guest’s acceptance in writing:
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021
November 2021 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, wants to be sure salons are equipped to help their tanners understand the importance – and the benefits – of wearing proper eye protection when tanning.
Before the holidays and tanning season really get underway, a quick refresher course to help understand WHY eye protection is so important is a great way for salons to get their staff ready. “Some salon staff don’t even wear eye protection,” explains Eye Pro President, Brenda Fishbaugh. “A salon team won’t push eyewear if they don’t believe in it, or understand it’s the federal law for EVERY state, as well as every country.” While Fishbaugh understands it’s a battle for salon operators to educate tanners on the importance of eye protection, she urges them to educate themselves, so that they can then educate tanners. “When a salon guest asks ‘Do I REALLY need to wear eye protection when I tan?’ – that’s the perfect time for staff to say ‘Yes, you do!’ and then explain why wearing eye protection not only prevents potential eye diseases, vision loss, or permanent eye damage, but enhances the tanning experience.”
Eye Pro offers a FREE online eye protection training for salon staff called “Don’t be Slow to Save Your Sight!” The easy-to-take training includes a quick, 20-question quiz to help determine who’s smart about eye protection, with questions ranging from what percentage of tanners seek medical attention after a single session, to the potential eye damage and vision loss, to updates on FDA recommendations and eye protection laws for individual states and countries.
The 30-minute training also includes helpful, usable tanning tips, such as how to combat “raccoon eyes” and the difference between eye protection types. Other information crucial for staff to be reminded of: how to clean and care for goggles and prevent eye infections by providing hygienic disposables – both of which are so important in the current tanning salon environment.
At the end of the training, not only will salon staff find out how they scored, all attendees will receive lots of FREE educational materials for the salon and a personalized certificate to proudly display in the salon verifying their team members are “Eye Protection Experts.”
To take Eye Pro’s FREE online training, go to WinkEase.com, hover over the “Support” navigation button and then, select “Salon Training” from the drop-down menu.
For more info on all Eye Pro products, visit WinkEase.com or call 1.800.726.8322. To learn about special salon offers and promotions, follow and “like” WINK-EASE on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
Monday, November 1st, 2021
In my October column, I wrote about a longtime salon operator who recently encountered a couple of guests who didn’t like being asked to show the salon staff their eyewear before being able to tan. They felt it was demeaning and they were being treated like babies.I am not making this up! I was contacted by a tanner in my state – Indiana – who wanted to know if it was the law that he had to prove he had eye protection. I sent him the 14-page Indiana law (with a three-page synopsis) and covered the several sections in Indiana regulations that stress the importance of eyewear. He wrote to me twice more, stating that even though the law states eyewear must be worn during a session, the law didn’t explicitly say he had to show his eyewear to salon staff every time, and he felt that he was being treated like a baby!
I asked several salon operators how they handle this situation with their salon tanners who feel the same way.
Melissa Laribee, Owner of Golden Goddess Tanning Boutique in Colchester, CT said:
“If only two customers are having an issue out of ALL your customers, I would just tell them it’s really simple: This is the rule here and if they don’t like it, they don’t have to come back! My bottom line is that it’s YOUR salon and YOUR rules and you are only trying to protect them. We aren’t asking for anything out of the ordinary: when they tan, they have to wear eye protection and since we can’t be in the room with them to make sure they do it, the next best thing is to at least make sure they have it.”
Tabitha Camp, Tab’s Tanning in Portage, IN shared a great idea:
