So, how do you get more melanin in the skin? Answer: Time. It takes time for the melanin cells to make more melanin - at least 2 to 3 days to even start the process. It probably takes 3 to 4 weeks to get up to full production and you cannot speed this process up. You cannot rush your cells! During this 'waiting period' you will need approximately 8 - 12 sunbed sessions. This is enough to stimulate the biology, tan the melanin that is produced, but not so much that you burn or waste time and money on overexposure and its attendant risks.

It is important that the first two sunbed sessions are gentle, if there has been a rest from tanning. The first session should be one half the normal time for their skin type and the second three-quarters. People with sensitive skins should start with a one quarter session and add a quarter each time they visit. With 8 - 12 sessions over 3 to 4 weeks, sessions should be spaced 2, 3 or 4 days apart for best results.

The adaptation to sunshine is virtually the same process as above, except that there is much more UVB in sunshine. This means that with a similar exposure pattern to the sunbed course described above, only under 'raw' sunshine, your 'sun tolerance' would increase from about ten minutes to over five hours without the risk of getting sunburnt. A tanning programme under 'raw' sunshine can thus increase UV protection by up to 20 to 40 times. An identical tanning programme under a sunbed does not give nearly so much protection, so you still need to wear sunscreens when you go into the sun. Using a sunbed with lamps that emit a higher proportion of UVB will give better sun protection than those with only low levels of UVB. But because you can't stay under them as long, some people may find they don't tan quite as darkly as under the high UVA machines.

'The above information supplied by Tanning Business Magazine (tanningbusiness.com - 'How to tan')