Reseach Shows Increased UV Light Exposure and Male Libido

Hello,
As you know we have a real interest in keeping our Tanners informed with much of the information available both about tanning and about vitamin D because it is so relative to Tanning.

According to Naturalnews.com If you needed any more reasons to pursue a UV vitamin D boost, news out of Austria may do the trick. Research that appeared in Clinical Endocrinology indicates a connection between increased UV light exposure and male libido.

Based on the research, a representative from the Sunlight Research Forum suggests that men with proper vitamin D levels tested with favorable amounts of testosterone. Several thousand men participated in the study, which noted correlations between fluctuating vitamin D and testosterone levels through a designated time period. When vitamin D was elevated, so was testosterone – as well as the inverse relationship.

The source article mentions some researchers’ recommendations for daily UV light exposure in order for the body to help produce vitamin D; the necessary time varies based on skin tone. It’s noted that the body can complete the vitamin D stimulation process long before any adverse result such as a sunburn would occur.

According to Cancer Research UK’s Jessica Harris, “Enjoying the sun safely while taking care not to burn should help people strike a balance between making enough vitamin D and avoiding a higher risk of skin cancer.”

Also mentioned are: the reported widespread health benefits of vitamin D, the increase in vitamin D deficiency worldwide, and the problems sunscreen causes in prohibiting vitamin D production.

Thank you and Happy Tanning

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

The question of how much is enough Vitamin D is huge.

Currently, there’s scientific debate about how much vitamin D people need each day. The Institute of Medicine, in a long-awaited report released on November 30, 2010 recommends tripling the daily vitamin D intake for children and adults in the U.S. and Canada, to 600 IU per day. The report also recognized the safety of vitamin D by increasing the upper limit from 2,000 to 4,000 IU per day, and acknowledged that even at 4,000 IU per day, there was no good evidence of harm. The new guidelines, however, are overly conservative about the recommended intake, and they do not give enough weight to some of the latest science on vitamin D and health. For bone health and chronic disease prevention, many people are likely to need more vitamin D than even these new government guidelines recommend.

The Institute of Medicine's new recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70, and 800 IU after age 70. Yet this recommendation is overly conservative, since strong evidence shows optimal intakes are higher, at least 1,000–2,000 IU for those over age 2.

The new guidelines from the IOM (Institute of Medicine) note that in children over the age of 9 and in adults, taking up to 4,000 IU per day as a supplement is safe. For children ages 4 to 8, up to 3,000 IU per day is considered safe, and for children ages 1 to 3, 2,500 IU; in older infants (6 to 12 months), up to 1,500 IU per day is considered safe, and in young infants (0 to 6 months), up to 1,000 IU.

Most people find that taking supplements is their easiest way to get Vitamin D. However studies show that most multivitamins (400 IU) is to low. However some of the maufacturers have started adding 800 or 1,000 IU of vitamin D to the mulitvitamins now.

Getting more exposure to UVB rays of light, the rays that trigger the skin to produce vitamin D are of course stronger near the equator and weaker at higher latitudes. So in the fall and winter, people who live at higher latitudes can't make much if any vitamin D from the sun.

That means that in order to get enough UVB exposure it would likely be done indoors in a tanning unit. Remember 20 minutes in a tanning unit is equal to 2 hours in the sun.

Vitamin D is needed

I have been doing a fair amount of research on the subject of Vitamin D so that I can help you be better informed as tanners. This ongoing quest for knowledge of the subject has led me to many interesting studies.

"My guesstimation is that $4 trillion of health costs could be averted over a decade if adequate food fortification and/or supplemntation programs were to be implemented, which would save Americans $1,300 per person per year or $3,900 per family of three annually. These savings won't be achieved now that the Food and Nutrition Board has only taken baby steps to remedy a widespread deficiency in sun-deprived population." This a quote form Dr. Bill Sardi, vitamin D and sunshine advocate, from a statement to the Vitamin D Council.

Simply put so much of our country, especially in climates like this one is deficient in Vitamin D. Getting Vitamin D to off set your bodies deficiency can be done in various ways. The first and what is known to be the best way is UV exposure, then there are supplements and of course eating more Vitamin D rich foods such as Salmon.

As tanners you are tanning in UV light which is a copy of the natural sun rays that are needed to develope the need vitamin D. Tanning for 20 minutes in a tanning bed is equal to two hours in the sun.

Having A Tan Determined To Be Sexier

According to a study by Emory University in Atlanta, GA it was determined that tanned skin makes a person more attractive. Their study was conducted using the hotornot.com web site.

Hotornot.com is a web site that allows users to rate the attractiveness of people who have posted their photos on that site.

Researchers used 45 women, aged 21 to 35. Each woman had a digital photo taken of them and placed on hotornot. After at least 100 ratings, the photo was touched up using Photoshop to make the woman look tanner and then the photo was placed back on the site so it could be rated again.

When the study concluded with 30 of the 45 individuals improving their attractiveness score after their photo had been changed. 12 of the 30 women had improved their attractiveness rating by a significant amount. Only 2 out of the 15 women, who scored lower with the tanned photo had a significant rating decrease. This means that 27 percent of people experienced a significant ratings boost with tanned skin, while only 4 percent saw substantial ratings drop.

Why is tanned skin almost always more appealing? Very likely it is because tanned skin appears to be a healthier and more vibrant helping define sex appeal.

So this is more proof that being tan gets more attention and is more appealing.

Happy New Year 2011

Want to thank all of our Tanners for their business
and wish everyone a Very Happy New Year!

Christmas was good at the Original Tan Down Under

Koala Tree Gifts is now part of Tan Down Under!







Prior to Christmas we created what we are calling Koala Tree Gifts. It is a very nice selection of
Gift Items which include Gift Bags and Baskets for Tanners, wall clocks, t-shirts, tank tops, halter tops, sweatshirts, candles, NFL and NASCAR items and alot more. The selection is growing weekly and has been receiving some really good comments from our customers.

Our belief is that if we offer other items that you may want, you may find that it is a bit of a one stop shopping center, helping you with time constraints that we all deal with on a daily basis.

Next time you come into the salon take a minute and look at what Koala Tree Gifts has to offer.

We are looking for a Hair Stylist, Nail Tech and are considering adding massage to our menu.
If you know a stylist that you think would be interested in working at Tan Down Under have them contact our manager at the store, Michelle or have them call and leave a message on our corporate phone at 503-907-1779.

In addition Tanning Season kicks off on the first of January so now is the time to get a package if you do not already have one and get ready for those 20 minute vacations in your busy day.

If you have not signed up to receive our email with specials go to our web site at www.tandownunder.com. You will recieve some fantastic bargains and advanced notice of our sales.

Thanks and Happy Tanning

NEW GIFT SECTION OPEN

The beginning of the Holiday Season prompted us to make use of some of the lobby space in our salon. What we chose to do was to develop our new Koala Tree Gift section.

We have a very nice assortment of the latest Professional Hot Tools Hair Dryers and Flat Irons, we have a selection of Ed Hardy professional hair tools as well. Many people are not certain to the difference between professional hair tools and those that are found in general merchandise stores, so let me give you a couple of the many differences, a Stylist (professional) will likely use a hair dryer or styling tool all day every day of their work week. For that reason the professional tool must last to that kind of use. The average home use is maybe 15 minutes a day.

When a professional unit is manufactured it has to be created with a motor that will last for a long time the average is on the upside of 1000 hours. Retail versions maybe a 100 hours. Drying time is a big difference in the different ones as well, faster drying means more money the stylist can make, for home use faster drying would cut down the amount of time it takes you to get ready for work or play. Well then there is how it feels to the stylist, lightweight is important for constant use. Ergonomics come into play as well. If you have never used a profession tool for hair styling you are in for a real treat when you get one of these for yourself.

We have a showcase full of Gift Bags and Baskets perfect for Christmas Gift Giving. These are Gifts that a Tanner or a non-Tanner will certainly enjoy. We have them packaged ready to give.

Well stop buy when you get a chance and look around you will be suprised at all that is there and then watch as we add more.