Tanning safely for summer

With so many wonderful self-tanning products on the market today, there is no reason to either expose your skin to the harmful rays of UV sun beds or to spend too much time in the direct sunlight without sunscreen. You can look beautifully tanned all year round if you want without resorting to drastic methods.

A recent survey by Cancer Research UK has highlighted the fact that eight out of ten sunbed users have increased their risk of a life-threatening form of skin cancer by around 75 per cent. The survey of 4000 people, commissioned by the charity, has found that the vast majority of sunbed users (82 per cent) first soaked up the artificial tan enhancing rays before they were 35. In light of these new statistics, it has never been more prevalent that sunless tanning is the only safe way to tan.
Michelle Feeney, CEO of St Tropez, leading global self tanning brand, states: “The technology and formulation of self tanning products are more sophisticated than ever before.”

With fake tanning products a perfect tan can be achieved in just a few hours! So there’s no longer any need to sit like a lobster and burn on the beach. It’s really only recently that suntans have become fashionable and a sign of health and radiance. For centuries a suntan was undesirable, and the mark of a hard, manual labourer. Even in Elizabethan England, courtesans would paint their faces white to preserve their pale complexion. It was only during the 1940s when Coco Chanel was cruising aboard a yacht and developed a suntan that women’s magazines started encouraging sun tanning, and the craze continued to develop from there. Unfortunately a clear link between sunshine and skin cancer didn’t emerge until the 1990s.!

We are always on the look out for the new ultimate self tanning option and scientists are finding out more and more about how we tan to the point that they are working on products that can induce our skin to tan, thereby supposedly protecting us from the sun as a real tan will give some protection from burning. Needless to say fake tan won’t.

However, while the scientists work, we are best to stick to ‘tan in a bottle’. Self-tanners work by gradually staining the dead cells in the skin’s outer layer. The tan will usually last a few days to a week – or until the dead cells fall off, so exfoliating will fade the tan faster.

There are many different shades of self-tans, and each brand will offer a slight variation, so it’s best to try a few out to find one that’s right for your particular skin tone. Self-tans are available as sprays, lotions and wipe-on towels and each will also provide a slightly different look, so again, test out what suits you best.

Recently there have been some new ‘moisturiser with a hint of fake tan’ products available too – these give a subtle glow that grows with the more you use it. Just be sure to wash your hands after using self-tan or you’ll end up with stained skin in between your fingers and you’ll just look dirty!

If you are worried about streaks or turning orange, it may be best to go to a salon for a professional fake tan. Either way if you feel better with tanned skin for summer then go for it, but do it the safe way.

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