How Does Tanning Lotion Actually Work?

You slather yourself with the greatest tanning lotion around and enjoy the darkened color without stepping foot into the sunlight, but have you ever thought about how the system actually works? It's actually a pretty simple concept, but it's worth understanding so that you know what to expect from your new products.

Your Skin: A Primer

Before looking at the lotions, it's important to understand your own skin. Human skin is divided into two main layers: the epidermis on the outside and the dermis on the inside. The epidermis is what protects the rest of our body from damage; it takes the hard knocks such as the scrapes, bruises and cuts so that these things don't impact our organs. The dermis is where things like the hair follicles start and where several glands happen to be. The dermis is pretty disposable; in fact, it is sloughed off in its entirety over the course of roughly thirty-five to forty five days and new skin is always taking its place. You won't even notice it's happening, but this is why things like permanent ink, marker, and tans fade out.

When you do a 'normal' sort of tan using the sun, the deepest layer of your epidermis is affected (the basal layer). This is actually why the sun can be damaging; the UV rays penetrate pretty deeply into the skin and can cause damage to the dermis and beyond. Sunless tanners on the other hand only affect the outer layer of the epidermis called the horny layer.

How Sunless Tanner Works

When you use sunless tanner, the only skin you are affecting is the horny layer, or the outermost layer of the skin. The lotion won't penetrate any deeper which is why it doesn't have any of the terrible risks of damage that things like too much time in the sun does. No matter which kind of product you use-sunless, self tanners, bronzers, spray-ons or lotions-you are still only going to affect the top layer of your skin.

Once the stuff is applied, it goes to work by utilizing dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which is basically just a type of sugar. It can interact with the dead skin cells in the outer layer of the dermis and causes a color change. It really is as simple as that, though you have your choice of which kinds of products to use and how much you want to spend on it.

The big problem with these tanners is that the effect is far from permanent since those dead skin cells will be sloughed off again within days. This is why you have to reapply your lotion every three days or so in order to maintain your tan and why many people only use them for special occasions. More permanent sunless tanners use tanning booths to achieve a longer lasting glow.

You Will Still Need Your Sunblock

There are many people who believe that these products will protect your skin from sunburns because they darken your skin but this just isn't the case; all you've done is color your skin after all. You will still need to wear sunscreen when you head outside and even tanners which claim to have sunscreen in them will not work because they lose their effectiveness within hours.

Sunless tanners are a great way to get the glow you want any time of the year without relying on the sun to do it. They tend to be fairly affordable and as long as you are smart in their use, they can be very effective. So if you've been dreaming of a tanned glow, check them out for yourself and see how they can work for you.

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