Sunless Tanning Lotion
Sunless tanning lotion provides a solution to those who wish to have the golden bronzed look of a tan but want to avoid the problems associated with sun exposure. With more and more clinical studies showing that excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause problems like premature aging and even skin cancer, sunless tanning lotion is a way to get the look without having to pay the price later on down the road.
How Sunless Tanning Lotion Works
When skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from tanning beds, the bottom layer – the dermis – reacts by producing melanin to darken the skin and thus create a tan. While this is a defense mechanism that our skin has in order to avoid excessive damage from UV rays, the melanin produced to absorb the radiation also creates a dark, bronzed look that is considered attractive by many people. While there were times when “sun worshippers” would lay out in strong sun for hours at a time in order to get this “tanning glow,” increasing medical findings that this type of exposure can result in serious problems has discouraged this type of behavior.
The active ingredient in the most effective sunless tanning lotion types is dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, which is a colorless substance that interacts with the outermost layer of the epidermis – the top layer of the skin – and causes a color change. Other active ingredients include tyrosine, which is claimed to increase melanin formulation, and canthaxanthin, which must be ingested in order for the orange-brown color of the substance to be deposited in the skin. These ingredients have not been approved for use as tanning agents, but are nevertheless popular.
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By Kira Lee
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