Tanning...What Your Skin Is Desperately Trying To Tell You.

We've all heard the saying that a tan gives a "healthy glow". This day and age everyone is after that sun kissed look whether it's by indoor tanning, laying outside or sunless spray tans.

I find this funny since if you think about how back in the 18th century, it was actually more desirable to be extremely fair as this meant you had the means to protect yourself from the elements and did not have to work outside.
Royalty even went to the lengths of applying white powder on their faces to appear even more fair,  almost resembling porcelain dolls along with the white wigs they also sported.

Somewhere along the line the idea of a tan completely changed and it's now viewed as something desirable that makes you appear as if you've just been on vacation in a beautiful sunny destination.

No matter how you view a tan or what kind of impression it gives you, the fact remains the same that tan skin, is damaged skin. Turns out those in the 18th century had it right all along!

I'm specifically talking about tans from UV rays...at least for now. Trust me, I'll get to those spray tans in just a minute.

Have you ever wondered why our skin turns darker from sunlight? Probably not right? Our bodies are so amazing and they do so many different things, who has time to ponder every little purpose am I right?

You might be surprised to learn that this is your skins natural defence mechanism.

UVA rays are the rays that cause tanning and are the more damaging, and therefor ageing rays. They penetrate into the skin much deeper than UVB rays do. They can even reach the subcutaneous tissue (fat tissue) beneath the dermis.

UV rays are from the spectrum of light which is ionizing, the same spectrum that x-rays and gamma rays are categorized in. This means that these rays are capable of altering atoms and molecules by removing one or more electrons from them.
This then creates an unstable molecule or atom (also known as a free radical) and these carry on to cause havoc to others around them, repeating the process.

This chain reaction can eventually lead to DNA damage, which can then lead to mutations of cells...
as in skin cancer! Not to mention the rays will also breakdown collagen and elastin in the process which is the protien fibers in the skin that keep us looking youthful, healthy, firm and plump.

So what does your skin do to help protect you? It senses the damage being done and sends out signals to the pigment producing cells called melanocytes.
These cells create melanin (the chemical that gives our eyes, hair and skin colour) and it rises to the surface.

Aaaaah, there you have it. A tan!

But how is this pigment going to protect you, you might ask. Take a natural red head, with blue eyes and fair skin and a brown skinned person with dark eyes and hair. Make them stand outside on a hot summer day with not a cloud in the sky. Who do you think is going to burn first?

The more pigment (melanin) you have in your skin, the more natural protection you have from the sun since melanin is designed to absorb light. Hence the natural defence of producing more melanin in a state of crisis.

So, that all being said (and I know it was a lot) tan skin is skin that has already been damaged. Period. This is also why there is no such thing as a "base tan". The damage has already been done, you're simply intensifying it and making it happen even faster in a tanning bed where the concentrations of UV light are much stronger than natural sunlight outside.

Now to touch on spray tans quickly...

As a general rule if an at home tanning product, or professional spray tan goes on as one colour and darkens over a few hours afterwards...this is stimulating melanocyte activity in the skin. Not a good thing! This can be a disaster for those who struggle with hormonal pigment problems such as Melasma, or who already have sun damage in their skin. It will darken Melasma and sun spots, making them more noticeable and harder to remove/lighten.

For those products that go on and one colour and remain the same colour...these are ok since they're simply "dying" the top layer of dead cells on the skin to look darker.

In my opinion though...save your money and sport your natural and beautiful skin tone, whatever tone that may be.
Rock the pale, rock the fair skin or naturally sun kissed colour you were born with. Take that money and invest in your skins health by using high quality nourishing skin care, by using sunscreen and get that healthy glow by being...well, healthy!! Rather than frying your poor skin to death!