Fake Tan not Baked Tan!

It’s a little (OK, MASSIVE) known fact that sun tanning is harmful for your skin, body and overall health. The sun’s dangerous UVA rays leave behind those pesky age spots and freckles. (Freckles are in fact clumps of concentrated melanin, your body’s mechanism to protect you from getting burnt). Then there are the premature wrinkles and eye cataracts that occur also as a result of prolonged exposure to the sun. And for the cherry on the top- sun tanning places you at an elevated risk for developing Melanoma, an often deadly form of skin cancer. UVB rays, UVA rays’ sly counterpart, leave you with an increased risk for developing basal and squamous cell carcinoma which are other dangerous forms of skin cancer. Essentially, the bronzed glow is the only good thing that a real sun tan gives you- and that fades in no time.

Thankfully, sunless, fake tanning has come a far way since its beginnings as an orange-hued skin dye. Sunless fake tanning, notably spray tanning and fake tan lotions, leave users with a natural, even- toned golden glow, making it hard to even tell that the tan came out of the bottle rather than Mother Nature. Spray tans work by spraying dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a harmless, TGA approved colourless sugar that clings to your skin, mixing with the cells on your skin’s outermost layer to produce a darkened skin shade. In contrast to sun tanning, fake tanning leaves you free of tan lines and the risk of red and sore sun-burn, blisters and peeling. Additionally, sunless fake tanning covers up your skin’s freckles- a stark difference to the freckles sun tanning graciously provides.

A fake tan will take around a week to fade, although thorough exfoliation prior to applying the product and moisturiser in the days following (in addition to before) helps to extend the length of your tan before your skin naturally starts flaking and fading your fake tan along with it.

It goes without saying. Faking it stands far superior to baking it. Your health and beautifully fake tanned skin will thank you.