Sunless Tanning vs Sun Tanning

by E-NewsCast Team
August 17th, 2010

With more and more of us understanding the serious consequencesof sun tanning, we are looking for alternatives. Remember thefirst self tanners that hit the shelves many years ago – wellayou became instant carrot orange. Well we’ve come along waybabe! The new sunless tanning products are much more naturallooking than past generations of sunless tanning products. How do Sunless Tanning Products Work? Your skin is made up oftwo main layers: the outer layer called the and the inner layercalled the dermis. In both normal sun tanning and sunless suntanning the action occurs in the epidermis level. The deepestlayer of the epidermis is called the stratum basale and this isthe layer that is affected during normal sun tanning. Thestratum corneum is the outermost layer of the epidermis and thisis the layer that is affected by most sunless-tanning products. In todays market there are several different kinds ofsunless-tanning products available. Since the early 1960s peoplehave been able to get their tan from a bottle. Coppertone wasthe first to hit the market with its Quick Tanning Lotion. Whatit is most remembered for is the wonderful carrot orange hue itproduced. There have been many advancements in self tanningsince the early years. Now adays you can purchase tanning pills,selt tanners, sunless tanners, bronzers, and a host of othersimilar type products. You can smooth, swipe or spray on a lightbronze glow or a deep, dark tan. Most of these products take 45to 60 minutes to work, and then another couple of hours to dryproperly. The most effective sunless or self tanning productscontain the active ingredient DHA [dihydroxyacetone]. DHA is acolorless sugar that interacts with the dead cells located inthe stratum corneum of the epidermis. As the sugar interactswith the dead skin cells, the skin changes color. This changeslast from 3 to 7 days, and then you’ll need to reapply. Gels,lotions or sprays that contain DHA are said to be the mostreliable. There are other very good products on the market aswell, such as tan accelerators that contain the amino acidtyrosine. Tyrosine stimulates and increases the formation ofmelanin, thereby accelerating the tanning process. Currentlythere is no scientific data available to support these claims.Tanning pills contain canthaxanthin, a color additive used insome foods. Canthaxanthin is approved by the FDA for food use,but it is not approved the use of it in tanning agents. This isbecause when it is used as a color additive very small amountsare needed, but when used as a tanning agent much largerquantities are needed. After canthaxanthin is eaten, it isdeposited all over your body, including in your skin, whichturns an orange-brown colour. These types of tanning pills havebeen linked to side effects such as hepatitis and canthaxanthinretinopathy. Canthaxanthin retinopathy is a condition in whichyellow deposits form in the retina of the eye. Bronzers are alsovery popular. Bronzers come in the form of powders ormoisturizers. They create an instant tan that can be removedwith soap and water. Bronzers are really a line of make-up,because they only tint the surface of your skin. If you’re goingto be outdoors make certain to still use your regular sunscreenprotection. Sunless tanning agents do not protect you from thedamaging rays of the sun unless they have UVA and UVBprotection. Even those products that do contain Your sunless tanwill only last as long as the colored skin layer remains intacton your body, so moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize somemore, because this will slow down the shedding process andextend the life of your sunless tan. Tanning Mother Natures WayWhen you tan, what your melanocytes produce melanin pigment inreaction to ultraviolet light in sunlight which stimulatedsmelanin production. The pigment is able to absorb UV radiationin sunlight, so it is able to protect the cells from UV damage.Melanin production is slow and takes a fair bit of time, whichis why people cannot get a sun tan in one day [although there isa small percentage of the population that can]. What you need todo is expose yourself to the suns UV rays for a short period oftime for between 4 to 7 days. By doing this your cells willbuild up a level of protection. For many races melaninproduction is continuous, so the skin is always pigmented tosome degree, so they have a constant protection from UVradiation. Very low cancer rates are seen in these races.Melanocytes produces two different pigments: eumelanin which isbrown, and phaeomelanin which is yellow and red. Red-headsproduce more phaeomelanin and less eumelanin, which is why theydon’t tan well. Sunlight arrives on earth in three forms: infrared (heat),visible light and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet light is classifiedinto three categories: UVA which causes tanning, UVB whichdamages the skin and causes sunburn, and UVC which is filteredout by the atmosphere and never reaches earth. 99% of the sun’sUV radiation at sea level is UVA. UVB is the one the reeks havocon our skin causing premature aging, deep wrinkles, and in theworst cases cancer. UV radiation is reflected by different surfaces so you canamplify your exposure depending on the reflective surface. Snowreflects up to 90% of UV light and has been known to cause snowblindness and severe sunburn from skiing on a sunny day. Sandreflects up to 20% of UVB that hits it so you get extra UVexposure at the beach. The flip to this is that some thingsabsorb almost all the UV radiation. Glass is a perfect example –that’s why you don’t burn in your car on a hot day. Sunscreensuse chemicals that have UV-absorbing properties. Sunburn Caucasian people do not have a natural built inprotection as do many races. So if you are a caucasion with notan then your skin is not protected from the UV rays, making yoususceptible to sunburn if you spend too much time in the sun.Sunburn leaves your skin red and extremely painful, and insevere cases blisters will appear.Over the course of several hours, exposed skin turns bright redand becomes extremely painful when touched. Most times you canfeel the heat radiating from the skin. When you get a sunburnyou have have killed skin cells. The outer epidermis are alreadydead skin cells, but just below these cells is a continuoussupply of new cells being created to replenish the top layer ofdead cells. When you sit in the sun you expose yourself toultraviolet light which kills cells. The ultraviolet light isable to reach the layer of living cells in the epidermis andbegins to damage and kill them. Your body knows that cells arebeing killed, so your immune system is activated to clean thingsup. Blood flow to the area is increased which opens up capillarywalls so that white blood cells can come in and remove thedamaged cells. The increased blood flow makes your skin warm andred. The nerve endings for pain begin sending signals to yourbrain. The damaged cells release chemicals that activate painreceptors and this is the end result where your sunburn hurts oris very sensitive. You can avoid sunburn by using a properstrength sunscreen or pace yourself getting a tan which thenacts as a natural sunscreen created with its own special pigmentcells in the epidermis. When you have a nice tan and go out inthe sun you don’t get burnt, unless your so fair you never tanin which case you need to use sunscreen all the time Evidence isnow showing that the massive increase in skin cancer is as aresult of sun exposure that occurred, in many cases, over 20years ago. So take care of your skin by using sunscreen, it’sthe only skin you’ve got for your lifetime. We all seem to strive for the rich golden color of summer. Itlifts our spirits and makes us feel better all over. Which evermethod you decide to use to get that golden brown skin, usecommon sense to achieve your goals and always wear sunscreenwhen outside. Your skin will thank you 20 or 30 years from nowwhen your not all wrinkled like a prune and not undergoing skincancer treatments. Take care of your skin, it’s got to las you alifetime!

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