Responsible tanning
Know your skin type
Almost everything that goes wrong on a sunbed comes down to somebody tanning to a stranger's timetable. Your skin type is the number that should set yours.
What the scale actually is
Dermatology uses the Fitzpatrick scale, devised in 1975, which sorts skin into six types by one honest question: what happens when you are in strong sun for half an hour without protection? Not what colour you are — what your skin does. Two people with similar complexions can sit at different points on it, which is why guessing from a photograph is useless and why we ask you rather than look at you.
The scale matters here because it predicts how quickly you are likely to burn, and burning is the thing that ruins a tan rather than building one. It is a guide, not a prescription: individual responses vary, and the same person can respond differently in February and in August.
The six types
| Type | In strong sun | Typically | On a sunbed |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Always burns, never tans | Very fair skin, often red or fair hair, freckles | We will say no. There is no session length that produces colour rather than a burn. |
| II | Burns easily, tans minimally | Fair skin, light hair, blue or green eyes | Very short sessions, long gaps, and a frank conversation first. |
| III | Burns sometimes, tans gradually | The most common type in the UK | Short to start, built up slowly across sessions. |
| IV | Burns rarely, tans easily | Olive or light brown skin, dark hair | Moderate starting length, still built up rather than jumped into. |
| V | Very rarely burns, tans darkly | Brown skin | Longer sessions tolerated — burning is still possible. |
| VI | Never burns | Deeply pigmented brown to black skin | UV still affects the skin. Sun damage is not only about burning. |
Why the number changes your session, not just your risk
Colour develops because UV prompts the skin to produce melanin. How much melanin your skin can produce, and how fast, is largely what the Fitzpatrick type describes. So the type does not only predict burning — it predicts how long a realistic build takes and how much colour is achievable at all. Someone at type II working patiently may reach a light, even colour. The same person chasing a type IV result in a fortnight will burn instead, and a burn sets you back weeks.
Individual results vary considerably. Two people at the same type, on the same bed, for the same time, will not necessarily end up the same colour.
What else shifts the answer
- Medication. Photosensitivity is common and not always flagged on the packet — some antibiotics, acne treatments, diuretics and anti-inflammatories among others. Ask a pharmacist; it is a two-minute question with a real answer.
- The time of year. Skin that has seen no sun since October behaves differently from skin in July. A winter restart is a restart, not a continuation.
- How long since your last session. Colour and tolerance both fade. Coming back after a month off means starting shorter than you finished.
- Recent exfoliation or hair removal. Freshly exfoliated skin responds differently. Leave a day.
How we type you
By asking. It takes two minutes at reception, it is free, and it carries no obligation to book. We will ask what happens to you in strong sun, what you have used before and how you reacted, whether you are on any medication, and what you are actually trying to achieve. Then we suggest a starting length for the specific bed — and a bed is not interchangeable with another bed, which is why we do it per machine rather than once.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a mole that has changed, a skin condition, or a question about medication, speak to your GP or a pharmacist. Sources: the Fitzpatrick classification; Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010.
Free skin-type consultation
Two minutes, no charge, no obligation. Ask when you next walk past.