The sun-kissed glow of summer is something that many people adore. It’s so popular that some people don’t even wait until summer to get it; they visit tanning salons and use UV tanning to achieve a light-bronze tone. However, the more you learn about skin cancer and sun protection, the more you realize what a bad idea tanning beds are. What should you do instead?
Sunless tanning, which is a more accurate way to refer to the so-called “spray tan,” is an excellent way to get a beautiful, natural-looking tan without all the skin damage. Consider these reasons why you should use sunless tanning instead of a UV tanning bed this summer.
Tanning Beds Are Dangerous
No matter how you look at it, tanning beds are very bad for you. Teens and young adults who use indoor tanning beds are six times more likely to get melanoma before the age of 30 than people who haven’t tanned. Even tanning once before age 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 75%. Hearing those statistics is scary, and it should be enough to put you off from using tanning beds at all.
Sun Tanning Isn’t Safe
Even if you decide not to go to a tanning salon because of the incredible risks, tanning on the beach is just as dangerous and much less specific. The UV rays at the beach aren’t as concentrated, but if you’re exposing yourself to the sun, it’s still hurting your skin. Moreover, you’re essentially trying to time your sun exposure perfectly. You could end up with a severe sunburn and significant skin damage.
Sunless Tanners Can Look Incredibly Natural
When you think of sunless tanning, you probably think of the orangey tone that comes to mind when most people talk about spray tans. Although a poorly applied spray tan can come with an orange-brown tone to it, the art of sunless tanning has come a long way.
The reason that the streaky and orange spray tan concept exists is that DHA, the sugar structure that creates the darkening effect, is notoriously hard to stabilize. Lucky for you, the last decade or two has come with an array of advances in DHA construction, and the sun-kissed glow is more achievable than ever. You shouldn’t go to UV tanning salons or tan on the beach just because you’re worried that a sunless tan will look fake.
It’s Easy to Get a Sunless Tan at Home
Professional sunless tanning is a good option for big events such as weddings and photoshoots, but with the variety of products available, you can do it yourself as well. Sunless tanning products include moisturizers, shower gels, towelettes, powders, and face mists, so you can customize your preferred product to be something that you enjoy applying.
You Can Keep Using Sunscreen with Sunless Tanner
Your faux glow can protect you from pale skin, but it can’t protect you from UV rays. Even if you’re not being bombarded by UV rays in a tanning salon, you should keep protecting your skin even if you’re using a sunless tanning product.
A few sunless tanning products have SPF protection built in, which means you’re essentially applying your sunscreen and your tan at the same time. For products that are generally supposed to wash off at the end of the day, you might want to create a base using a moisturizer with SPF, and then apply your tan over it. With certain products, which sink into the skin a bit more thoroughly, you may be able to apply traditional sunscreen over the top. No matter what you do, make sure you keep SPF in your routine.
Conclusion
UV rays aren’t safe for your skin, but sunless tanning products are. If you’re going to choose between the two, choose a sunless tanner. It gives you that same gorgeous glow without increasing your risk of skin cancer. If all this talk of skin safety has made you more interested in the science behind self-tanning and sun protection, consider the Ogle School esthetics program. That interest could develop into a career in no time.
