Sun is our skin's enemy, but who can resist a sexy, golden tan? Sunless tanning is the safest way to get that glow without scorching yourself. Here, we cover the basics of each self-tanning method - and learn which one may be harmful to your health.
Blame it on famous fashionista Coco Chanel. In 1920, she sailed from Paris to Cannes aboard a yacht and came back with a suntan – and the result was a craze that has lasted for generations. Women put away their parasols and became sun-worshiping, bathing suit wearing pinup girls á la Betty Grable. Tanned skin was a symbol of wealth and leisure, a sign that you could afford a luxurious vacation and had time to bask in the sun. Since then, we all love the look of a deep, sexy tan. It looks healthy, but it’s not: tanning in the sun is actually extremely dangerous, putting you at high risk of developing skin cancer (not to mention wrinkles, which we spend a fortune trying to avoid). Fortunately, we now realize the dangers of sun tanning, and modern science has come up with many innovative ways to look tan without putting ourselves at risk (the first was in 1960, when Coppertone introduced their cream called Quick Tan, or QT). Unfortunately, these methods can come with their own pitfalls – scary orangey colors, streaks, and products that just plain don’t work.
Why Go Faux?
One person dies from skin cancer every hour. It’s a sobering statistic, and one that should make tanners take heed. The sun’s rays are dangerous! “There is no such thing as a healthy tan. A tan is the skin's response to the sun's damaging rays. In tanning parlors, the UV radiation is far more dangerous than natural sunlight and it increases your risk of melanoma,” says Dr. Betty Bellman, associate professor in the University of Miami’s dermatology and cutaneous surgery department, in an interview with the Miami Herald.
One in five people will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. One in five! You’re at higher risk if you have light skin, hair, and eyes, although you’re by no means safe if you’re naturally darker. Also count yourself in the high-risk category if you have freckles, and if you tend to burn before you tan, or just burn and don’t tan at all. If you spend much time outside, either from work or leisurely purposes, you’re also at risk. And if you’ve had skin cancer before, your chances for getting it again are better than most people’s.
To sum it up, sunless tanning is the only safe way to get that sun-kissed look you’re after. It’s temporary, so you’re not committed to staying tan if, suddenly, gothic pale becomes all the rage. Sunless tans take much less time to achieve than a regular tan, and you don’t have to fry in the sun or in a stifling tanning bed. And perhaps best of all, you won’t look like a wrinkled old bag in ten years like your sunbathing friends will.