The Dangers of Sun Tanning and Alternative Solutions

Ok, kids. Time to come out of the sun. So soon, you may ask? You can never get out of the sun soon enough. Damage to your skin starts as soon as the first UV ray touches it. A suntan may seem like a healthy glow to you but it is actually the first evidence of skin damage.

A sunburn is a higher degree of skin injury due to sun damage. The tan will fade and the burn will heal but the damage will remain. It may not be visible in the early stages but years of sun abuse will damage the DNA of your skin cells.

Eventually, your complexion will become uneven. Blotches, brown spots, wrinkles and possibly moles will make an appearance. If that's not enough warning for you, continued sunning can upgrade your skin damage to skin cancer.

When you look in the mirror during what should be the prime of your life, instead of the glowing complexion you used to have you'll find that your skin is thinner, crepe-y and translucent with red veins showing through the thinnest skin on your nose and cheeks.

Your skin will sag due to loss of elasticity and you'll have marks, like liver spots on various parts of your body. That's if you're lucky enough to not develop tumors in the areas where the most damage from the sun has occurred. Most people leave their face exposed to the sun at all times which would be melanoma's target area.

The sun doesn't seem so attractive now, does it? But if you still want to add some color to your summer skin, do it without the sun.

Sunless tanning products have improved greatly in recent years. The days of orange streaked legs, hands, sheets, underwear and other items of clothing are pretty much over.

And there are more options now, as well. I have researched (and tried) several products and the ones listed below were the best of the bunch. I will say that I don't advocate the tanning bed as it does almost as much damage to the skin as the sun.

Coppertone Endless Summer Sunless Tanning Lotion

Coppertone came out with the first sunless tanning lotion in 1960. It left the user with orange streaks on their limbs and pumpkin colored palms, knees and elbows.

Today's Coppertone lotion goes on smooth, like moisturizer. The container is divided into two parts with the tanning lotion on one side and an accelerator on the other. It requires daily maintenance but imparts a nice tan color to the skin.

Neutrogena MicroMist Home Spray

This spray on product is a little easier to apply to the body and is colorless so should you spray it on objects other than your skin, it won't stain. It dries quickly and unlike lotions, creams and oils, if you're flexible you'll be able to apply it to your own back. It lasts a little longer and gives a neater application. And no orange palms.

Self Tanning Pills

These contain color additives a lot like the beta carotene found in carrots. When you ingest these pills, the color pops out on your skin, evenly distributed with no physical contact whatsoever. However, the color additives could be harmful when taken in high dosages and also causes a yellow color to show up in the eyes, which could cause a mild injury and/or blurred vision. In addition to these not so wonderful side effects some medical professionals have credited the pills with liver and skin damage. So easy to use, iffy to trust. Still better than guaranteed cancer.

Air Brush Spray Tanning

When done by a professional, it takes five to ten minutes and leaves you as tan as you wanna be without streaking or uneven colors. It's a little noisy and takes a while to dry but you'll be nicely tanned for seven to ten days without daily re-application. And having someone else do the dirty work is always an attractive feature.

Use any combination of the above methods for self tanning and keep your youthful skin as long as possible!