Tanning is a ritual that happens every day around the world.
There are many myths surrounding the elusive tan, and we are going to bust some of them right here.
Getting the right education about how the best tan takes place can put you ahead of the game and everyone you know.
How Hot Does It Have To Be To Tan?
It doesn’t matter how hot or cold it is outside for you to tan.
There is no connection between temperature and tanning.
The connection is in the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
For instance, you can ski and get a tan from the UV reflection on the snow.
You can be under an umbrella and burn, not because it’s hot, but because UV rays penetrate the fabric.
Sunscreen and thick enough clothing are the only ways to prevent sunburn.
Which UV Rays Tan You?
There are three types of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
With regard to tanning and burning, you only really hear about the UVA rays.
They are the ones that are responsible for most of the radiation that makes it to Earth.
UVA rays can cause anything from tanning and sunburn to premature aging and skin conditions including skin cancers.
If you use a tanning bed or lamp, that’s UVA because it won’t cause a burn as quickly as UVB rays.
UVB rays are more affected by the ozone layer.
This is the layer of protection the Earth has in its atmosphere from the sun’s radiation.
Earth, by nature, doesn’t have a perfectly even ozone layer that protects with the same thickness everywhere.
Environmental impacts from humans and natural occurrences have affected the thickness of the ozone layer.
UVB rays are shorter than UVA rays, yet they will cause sunburn faster than UVA rays.
Whether this happens or not depends on where you are on the planet and when and how thick the ozone layer is above your location.
UVC rays are the least dangerous in terms of ease of exposure.
Tanning beds should never emit UVC rays.
They are the shortest of the three UV rays.
Most UVC rays will be absorbed by the ozone layer before they ever reach the planet.
However, if they did reach Earth at any real level, they would be the most dangerous.
Is the Ozone Layer Disappearing?
It was in trouble until the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) that you find in aerosols and appliances like refrigerators and other products were controlled.
According to UNEP, the environmental agency belonging to the United Nations, the ozone layer is well on its way to being fixed over some of the areas of the planet.
This should happen by 2030 and beyond in the northern hemisphere if it continues at the same rate it has since the year 2000 at one to three percent every ten years.
How Do I Get An Even Tan Without Burning?
Tanning is an art.
The tan acceleration process differs from person to person.
There is a formula to doing it right while still avoiding a burn in the steps below.
- Sunscreen: Don’t fall for the myth that sunscreen will block your tanning process. It won’t if you use the correct SPF. That’s the number on the bottle. The advertisers named the product in a way that accidentally misled people into believing it’s a “screen” that blocks out the sun. You’ll also see it advertised as a sunblock. The truth is you can’t block the sun. You can, however, reduce the amount of UVA and UVB your skin is exposed to. The perfect number is SPF 30. Anything more than that is an advertising gimmick and won’t work any better than SPF 30.
- Apply Sunscreen in Layers: As you lay out for the periods indicated in the next point, apply the sunscreen in layers. Put it on after being in the water, even if it’s a waterproof kind. Reapply after heavy sweating every 90 minutes.
- Sit out in spurts: Sit out only 20 minutes at a time. Use sunscreen under an umbrella if you aren’t going inside in between sunning sessions. If you are hypersensitive to sunburn, then you should sit out for only 10 minutes at a time.
- Change It Up: Change your position every 10 minutes to avoid being a half lobster should you burn on one side and not the other. Tanning on one side will also look weird and leave a line like a seam on the body.
- Photosensitive Disease Prone: If you have a photosensitive disorder, you may want to look at your diet before sun-worshipping. Foods like carrots and sweet potato, for instance, contain beta carotene and are said to aid in protecting you from burning.
- Less Is More: Melanin is what causes the tanned look. Your body stops creating it after just in the neighborhood of three hours. Once you’ve gone past that time window, it starts to create less melanin and presents more danger to the dermis.
- Prepare for Tanning: Before each sunning session, prepare your skin by exfoliating and moisturizing. A good thick and pure, non-perfumed moisturizer will help to strengthen the skin against attack and encourage even tanning.
How Do I Preserve My Tan?
You preserve your tan by first making sure it doesn’t peel.
You can have a tan and a burn at the same time.
However, because of the melanin color, you won’t see it.
It’s inaccurately called burning under the skin.
The fact is a tan will often form after a burn as the skin heals.
Unfortunately, some peeling may occur at that point.
That’s why light exfoliation is necessary for preservation, even though you may think you are taking away the tan.
It may lighten the skin slightly, but it will preserve the tougher underlying tan.
Wait a few days and you can follow the tanning steps again.
Remember to moisturize after using a scrub to exfoliate.
What Determines The Shade I Will Tan?
What determines the shade you will tan is how much melanin you have already.
If you are born quite fair-skinned, you’ll burn easier and, many times, more severely.
If you have darker, olive-toned skin, you won’t burn as fast.
The evenness of the tan will be determined by several factors including melanin amounts like the evenness of your skin tone.
Another factor is the dryness or oiliness of your complexion.
The more oils your face has, the longer the tan may last and the dry patches on the skin will flake the tan away at a microscopic level.
This can cause an uneven and blotchy tan.
How Do I Treat My Sunburn?
Sunburn may be inevitable, especially if you are a newbie tanner.
We called it an art, and for some long-timers, it’s a pseudo profession.
If you end up with a sunburn, even one of those clandestine types that are hidden within the tan, you need to know how to treat it properly.
First, let’s look at why and what could happen if it’s treated wrong.
A burn can cause freckling and blotchy skin that lasts a lifetime.
These things may happen regardless of treatment, just from a bad burn or a series of burns over time.
Remember that even if you tan, you are causing damage to the dermis.
Premature wrinkles may also appear, seemingly out of nowhere.
Treating a sunburn starts with how well you did your prep and prevention.
Was your skin protected at all?
Did you use sunscreen, and did you exfoliate and moisturize at the beginning and each day you sat out?
If not, then you went in raw and quite literally, came out that way, too—painfully raw!
After the fact, you may be tempted to spray or rub on some type of topical anesthetic, of which there are many, to kill the pain.
We recommend not doing that.
If you are medically able, an anti-inflammatory like Advil or Motrin would do if you took it only as directed by your doctor and the label.
Those topical anesthetics only cause more damage to the skin, and you are not treating the core issue or preventing the damage.
As soon as you come out of the sun for the day and shower, you’ll then discover that you’ve burned.
This is the time when most people discover it and feel it, too.
That tight and blistery feeling all over is not fun.
Pat yourself dry with a soft towel.
Don’t ever rub!
Then, put a thick moisturizer on the burn that has no perfumes or artificial coloring because the sting will get worse with that and can cause an infection if you are blistered anywhere.
Stay out of the sun until fully healed.
If you don’t want to miss the fun with friends, then wear a light-colored shirt over the affected area and stay under some form of shade most of the time.
Continue moisturizing but be prepared that, within three days, you will peel for about a week or more while your body takes care of the issue.
Is Tanning Dangerous?
Tanning in and of itself is not dangerous.
However, the process, when not done correctly by following some of the guidelines we’ve illustrated here, can be dangerous.
First, the most important thing you need to understand is that the most present danger is skin cancer.
Skin cancer can come from your very first burn when you were 10 years old.
The issue is, you may see it immediately, or you may see it later—decades later.
This is true of the blotches and freckles and wrinkles, too.
Your body chemistry changes every few years, and as we get older, it happens even more often.
If you notice, skin changes start to show up as time goes on, seemingly out of nowhere.
This is why it’s so important to check your skin regularly and get a dermatologist to inspect any skin changes you may have noticed.
How Do I Know If I Have Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer can show up or not, at least not right away.
Skin cancer can look rather innocuous on the surface, but it could be digging into the bottom layers of the dermis where it won’t appear evident.
On the surface, you may have an innocent-looking mole or freckle and won’t know there’s something else going on underneath.
Even if you’ve had a mole or freckle since birth, you need to have it checked.
The fairer-skinned you are, the more risk of skin cancer you will have.
Don’t think you’re out of the woods if you have darker skin.
More melanin is more protection, but not 100%.
Any discoloration or changes in size or shape must be checked.
Bottom Line
Heat has zero to do with tanning.
Tanning still means damage, and burning is an inevitable byproduct of the tanning process.
There are ways to prevent sun damage and skin cancer, but if you’re bent on getting a tan, understand that damage will occur.
Make certain you have a good dermatologist who can give you the necessary health checks to catch anything lethal in time.
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