Tanning Creams

If your motive for getting a tan is to have a so called healthier hue, there are products available which will color your skin to look as though it is tanned, for example, Clarin's Self Tanning Milk, Estee Lauder Tanning Cream, and Lancome Tanning Cream. Tanning creams contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which chemically reacts with the top layer of the skin to produce the appearance of a natural golden tan. This is a safe and effective way to achieve a summertime glow After applying these creams, it will take a couple of hours for the color change to take place and it will last several days until the top layer of skin is gradually sloughed off. These products are much better than the skin colorants of the past which tended to streak the skin and stain clothing. Many tanning creams contain sunscreens and tanning accelerators, as well.

Some tanning agents, better termed coloring agents, can be taken orally These agents contain carotenoids (cousins to carotene found in carrots) which are deposited in the fat and reach the epidermis through the sweat pores thus giving a tanned appearance. Some of these agents, unfortunately, may give a tan like color that has an unnaturally orange hue. Because the skin is thicker on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, these areas become distinctly orange in color when these agents are used.

Our skin contains melanocytes - special cells that produce melanin pigment when stimulated by the sun - and the melanin then provides some protection against further exposure to the sun. If a white-skinned individual spends a lot of time in the sun then his skin will go brown; if he then spends time out of the sun his protective suntan will become unnecessary and it will fade.

At one time, having a suntan was considered socially unacceptable. If you had a tan it meant that you had to work out of doors, that you didn't have servants to shield you with parasols, and that you were a rather inferior sort of individual. Today, a suntan suggests a life among the jet setters, traveling from topless beach to topless beach. And because it is now fashionable to acquire a suntan, thousands of men and women spend their holidays lying on the beach, soaking up the sun's rays.

If you are contemplating acquiring a sun/an you should read these notes very carefully:

1. If you have fair or red hair and light blue eyes, you are more likely to develop skin problems as a result of exposure to the sun.

2. If you already have freckles, sunbathing will almost certainly result in the development of more.

3. The latitude, altitude, season and time of day all have an effect on the type of suntan you are likely to get. The sun is more dangerous when high in the sky, when you are near the equator or when the air is thin and relatively unpolluted, as it is on mountain ski slopes. Snow, water, sand and white buildings all reflect the sun's rays and make sunbathing more dangerous.

4. You don't have to sunbathe deliberately to get a suntan. Playing around in the water doesn't protect you from getting suntanned or burnt. Indeed, water reflects the sun's rays.

5. Clothing can provide much-needed protection in very hot climates. Broad-brimmed hats, parasols and long-sleeved, loose-fitting cotton clothes are most useful. Even if you are trying to get a suntan you shoulchake care to wear the right clothing when not sunbathing, or you are likely to end up with an unsightly burn.

6 The best way to get a good tan is to build it up gradually, by sunbathing for a short time each day. Once the tan has developed, you can spend longer in the sun. If you are not careful, pale skin will easily burn.

1 If you are spending time in the sun use a moisturizing cream regularly and on all areas of exposed skin (the tops of the feet, the shoulders and neck are often forgotten).

8 If you want a total sunscreen (to keep out the sun's rays), try zinc oxide cream - this is a barrier cream. Alternatively, heavy foundation cream will help.

. 9 There is much confusion about what different types of ultraviolet light do. The shorter rays are known as UVB rays while the longer rays are known as UVA rays. Just which rays produce tanning and which do harm is something of a mystery.

Remember to reapply sunscreen creams after bathing or lying on a towel. Creams are easily rubbed off - and then you are exposed again.

10 Manufacturers give their creams' delay factors' - so a cream with a factor of 6 will delay burning for six times as long as normal. These ratings aren't always uniform but they do give some guidance. If you have very sensitive skin, look for a cream with a high factor (10, 12 or 14). If you already have a tan, a cream with a lower factor will suffice. Tan Accelerators

Tan accelerators, sometimes referred to as tan promoters, speed up the tanning process so the time of exposure to ultraviolet light is less. In some ways the principle is similar to that of the pre holiday tan: the sooner you tan, the sooner you will be protected from a sunburn. This is true; tan accelerators, however, do not protect the dermis from damage which is partially responsible for premature aging and, to a lesser extent, skin cancer.

Psoralen is one active ingredient used in tan accelerators. It stimulates the pigment cells to produce more melanin when exposed to the sun. This results in the rapid development of a tan with less ultraviolet light exposure. Psoralen is extracted from citrus oil and other plant substances, and is found in such citrus fruit as limes. Even the juice from a lime, when applied to the skin, will tan that area faster than the surrounding skin.

Tyrosine is another ingredient sometimes added to tan accelerators to stimulate melanin production. It is a building block of the pigment protein melanin. Its usefulness for this purpose is not as well researched as psoralen.

Some tan accelerators also contain sunscreens to protect against burning. This, however, reduces the benefit of the tan accelerator in that it will take longer to get a tan because the sunscreen blocks ultraviolet light which interacts with the stimulator to produce melanin. The benefit of a tan accelerator over any other tanning method is that it requires less exposure to the damaging rays of ultraviolet light to get the tan.

If used cautiously, tan accelerators are probably safe to use. But, in reality, there is no safe way to tan. In order for the skin to tan it must be exposed to ultraviolet radiation which is damaging to the skin in any amount.

Tanning Beds

Tanning beds were thought to be safer than sunlight for many years, but this is no longer is case. In fact, they emit far more of the longer wave UVA light rays than the sun does. Fifteen minutes of exposure to UVA in a tanning bed is equivalent to three days of sitting in the sun. The UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin but do not cause superficial burning unless the skin is exposed to them for long periods of time. Continuous exposure to UVA light rays, however, contributes to the skin's premature aging, the development of skin cancers, the suppression of the immune system, and damage to the eyes. Lying in a tanning bed is much akin to setting a bomb to go off at a later date.

The belief that tans from suntan parlors will protect you from the burning rays of the sun has little substance. The protection offered by a preliminary tan would only be equivalent to an SPF of 2. If a tan is the goal, it is better to start with a high SPF broad spectrum sunscreen and decrease the number as the skin adapts to sun exposure. If you do not want a tan, continue using the high SPF broad spectrum sunscreen.