The practice of suntanning has come under a lot of fire because of the ability of ultra-violet rays from the sun to alter the cells of your skin. This alteration can cause skin cancer, which affects more than one million people in the United States every year, according to the American Cancer Society. By using alternative tanning methods, or by practicing safe tanning, you can still obtain the glow you desire, without the risk.
Step 1
Use a sunless tanning lotion. Sunless tanning lotions have improved significantly, especially in the area of coloration. In the past, it was common for sunless tanning products to malfunction and cause orange skin. Newer products no longer have this side effect. Sunless tanning lotions work by using a colorless sugar called dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA tints the melanin in your skin, giving the skin a tanned look without requiring exposure to the sun. The effects last five to seven days, just until the outer layer of skin dies and sheds off.
Step 2
Try a spray tanning session. Spray tanning also uses DHA, but is applied to the skin by a spray, rather than a cream or lotion. Spray tanning varies widely in cost, which is affected by whether the spraying is done by a mechanical sprayer in a booth, or by hand by a spray tan professional. Spray tan facilities can be found in many salons and spas, as well as facilities build specifically for spray tanning.
Step 3
Wear SPF 30 or greater when tanning outside. If you insist on using the natural sun to get a tan, it is important to still wear a sun block. Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld recommends wearing at least an SPF of 30 to help block out a substantial amount of UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Although enough rays will still get through to allow your skin to tan, enough can also get through to contribute to the development of skin cancer. Limit your time in the sun tanning to less than an hour to help reduce your risks.
Step 4
Avoid tanning beds. Although many tanning salons advertise tanning beds as a safer way to tan, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, this is not the case. Tanning beds do use more UVA than UVB rays (UVB tends to cause more damage to the skin cells), but many tanning beds still exceed healthy levels of UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer as well.
