The link between sun tanning and skin cancer and premature skin aging was established decades ago, and ever since, people have been wary of sun exposure. These days, you can still get a tan even if your skin has no direct contact with the sun. Sunless tanning products have been around for a long time and they've come a long way from turning people orange back when they first came out.
Sunless tanning products range from lotions, mousses, gels, and sprays, among others; despite the variety, nearly all of them work the same way. Most sunless tanning products contain the chemical dihydroxyacetone (or DHA), which is considered as the most effective self tanning solution. Tanning solutions made with DHA aren't dyes or skin paint; DHA works because of a chemical reaction similar to the Maillard reaction. Bread browning in a toaster is a classic example of the Maillard reaction.
Basically, the DHA reacts to the amino acids found on the upper layer of the skin composed of dead skin cells and results in a fake tan. DHA is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for use in sunless tanners, so you can rest assured that using products with DHA as an active ingredient is completely safe. To be sure that you aren't by any chance allergic to DHA or any of the ingredients in a sunless tanning product, you should apply the lotion or gel to a small part of your skin and leave it there for 24 hours. Also, remember to check the product labels to see if the product is FDA approved.
Sunless tanning products are usually topical (meaning you just apply them to your skin) and not systemic (taken in pill or capsule form). There are several available tanning pills, though the FDA warns against them since most of them have canthaxanthin, a food color additive. Canthaxanthin is stored is different parts of the body, especially in the area below the skin, but you won't have control over where your body deposits the chemical. Side effects include hepatitis and a condition called canthaxanthin retinopathy where the color gets deposited into the eyes.
Sunless tanning products are easy to use, convenient, and safe. If you have a wedding to go to next week, you can apply your tan a couple of days before, instead of going to a salon tanning bed. Fake tans fade over a period of a week to ten days; you can even hasten the process of removing it by exfoliating your skin.
Christopher has been working as a home and office consultant for the past 15 years. He is happily retired and writes articles and weblogs in his downtime. His newest interest is in micro fiber cloths. Come check out his website to learn more at http://www.microfibercloths.org
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