Thursday, December 6, 2012

Information About Getting A Skin Tan

By Veronica Cappelletti


To tan the skin is the process by which the color of skin is changed, usually to have a darker shade than its normal color. Skin tanning can be achieved naturally through exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or by using use of artificial tanning products, a process called sunless tanning. The latter method has steadily gained popularity after a connection was discovered between exposure to UV rays and skin cancer.



A method of getting skin tanned using the ultraviolet radiation is simply baking the skin using sunlight, which constitutes a leisure activity known as sunbathing. Sunbathing is the most commonly used techniques of causing skin to tan. Windburn is another phenomenon that can increase the extent of suntan. It is the removal of the UV-inhibiting layer of skin by wind therefore allowing sunlight to set in and increase the degree of tanning.

UV radiation is also emitted by a piece of equipment called a sunbed which can be used to make skin get tanned as though it were exposed to sunlight. Sunbeds, also called tanning beds, produce artificial UV rays like those in sunlight through phosphor-laced lamps. The bulk of the rays produced by sunbeds are UV A rays but a few are UV B rays. The device is like an artificial way of sunbathing.

You an also get a skin tan without sunlight or any form of ultraviolet source. The technique of doing so is called fake tanning or sunless tanning. In this process, chemicals are used to induce tanning like that of sunlight. These chemicals are taken as pills or applied onto skin.

Beta-carotene is the most useful compound in the making of sun-free tanning products because it protects the skin against the potential harm of UV and also causes a better tanning. Sunburn is uneven skin tone caused by the UV radiation of the sun. Beta-carotene prevents cancer triggered by the effects of sunlight on skin while also tanning the skin better.

There are other forms of sunless tanning e. G., pills containing canthaxanthin, dihydroacetone, tyrosine and melanotan hormone. None of these is as popular as beta-carotene-based products though. Other people have resulted to temporary means to get a tan such as powders that can be removed using water when one bathes.




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