How many times have you heard someone say: “I’m going to go to the tanning bed and get a base tan so that I don’t get sunburned when I go to the beach.” How many times have you said this yourself? Maybe I hear this more often than the average person because, as a pharmacist and an advocate of healthy skin practices, I’m constantly wagging my finger at patients that tan.
The truth is that tanning your skin does provide an SPF of only about 2-3. You would never (I hope!) use a sunscreen with such a low SPF, and you had to damage your skin to even gain that small amount of “protection” from future sunburn. Tan skin is damaged skin and there is no longer a need to tan with all of the great products that are available to add some color to your skin.
To help further convince you that you shouldn’t tan anymore I’ve prepared some pro’s and con’s of tanning and I’m going to share the best products that are out there to get your fake-bake on!
Tanning Pros:
It looks good (while you are young)
It gives you a time to relax
It helps curb depression in some people during the winter months
Tanning Cons:
It causes skin cancers (Melanoma is the #1 cause of cancer deaths in women aged 25-30)
It causes wrinkles
It causes skin discolorations (ever heard of sunspots?)
It causes dry skin
It has been proven to be addictive
It makes your skin smell bad
It has been linked to ocular cancers
Great sunless tanning products:
I have long been a fan of L’Oreal Sublime Bronze products. They work well, don’t streak when applied correctly and they are relatively inexpensive. I use these products when it is spring or summer and I need a great tan.
In the wintertime, I like to have a faint glow. For this, I use and recommend Neutrogena Build-A-Tan. What I like about this product is that you can gradually increase your shade without fear of turning orange or too dark. It is easy to apply and, because it is gradual, it is much more forgiving if you don’t get it applied just right.
If you need a tan and you need it now (as in, you just tried on that new spring dress and WOW your legs are white!) you should try either- Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs or Scott Barnes Body Bling lotion. These are products that give you an instant tan without a self-tanner odor and both produce amazing results. I prefer to use the Sally Hansen just on my legs and the Scott Barnes on my upper body. The only con to these products is that they can be messy- I stand in the bathtub to use the spray so that I can just wash away the overspray. Both products wash away with soap and water so be prepared to clean up after yourself. I like to think of these products as “special event” products because I don’t want to deal with the mess from day to day, but it is well worth it for an event or night out.
Did you know?
There are LOTS of sunless tanning products out there, but they all use the same active ingredient: dihydroxyacetone (DHA)
Every sunless tanning product in every price range uses this ingredient. Of course, the other ingredients that are incorporated will influence how well the product covers, spreads, feels on the skin, etc.
DHA is also what causes that characteristic sunless tanning smell. The only way to get a sunless tan without this smell is to use one of the body makeup products (like Sally Hansen or Scott Barnes).
BTW- You should know that I haven't been asked to feature these products, I haven't been sent free product, I haven't been solicited by anyone in regards to these products. These are all products that I honestly use and have chosen and purchased myself. If you have any other products or advice that you would like to share in regards to sunless tanning feel free to comment below!
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