Women Corner

Tanned skin has been popular for many years now, but it has only been recently that people have begun to understand the risks associated with some forms of tanning, such as increased chance of getting certain forms of skin cancer and premature aging.

There are now many simple ways in which you can get a gorgeous tan which do not have the same risks as more traditional methods such as sun beds and lying in the sun for hours, and many of these are affordable and widely available.

Bronzers
These sunless products come in the form of powders, creams or tanning lotions and if applied correctly create a smooth, even tanof almost any tint you want. When using bronzers at home you should make sure you exfoliate your skin and apply a light moisturiser all over a couple of hours before you use the bronzer. This will help to prevent any dry or rough skin patches that could affect how smoothly the bronzer is applied and will also prepare the skin to receive the bronzer more effectively. You should avoid applying the bronzer directly after a shower or bath, and you should wear plastic gloves to avoid your hands from getting stained by the tint.

Spray Tans
Spray tanning booths are a popular way to get a tan as they will apply a bronzing product smoothly and evenly all over your body, and you will be less likely to get any streaking or patching. Spray tans are applied with an air gun or brush and are widely available from most beauty salons theses days, and there are a number of different qualities of products used, so you should make sure you choose the best one you can afford. Cheaper spray tans may be more difficult to match to individual skin tones, and you could end up with a very orange, fake looking tan, or they may go on slightly less evenly. As with other bronzing products you should make sure you exfoliate and moisturise your skin before you go and get your spray tan applied, and wear loose fitting clothes so that when you leave the salon the tan is not rubbed off by tight clothing whilst it is still settling in.

Tanning accelerators
These accelerators are not suitable for everyone, but are thought to provide an effective tan to certain skin types. Tan accelerators come in lotion or pills forms and contain and ingredient called tyrosine, which works by increasing melanin, the skins darker pigment, and accelerates the tanning process. Some tanning pills also contain cathanxanthin, which also works by changing the colour of the skin. Tanning accelerating lotions and pills have not yet been scientifically proven to work, and the effects of increasing melanin and cathanxanthin in the body are not really known, but a lot of experts already believe that this form of tanning has some potentially dangerous side effects, especially for those people who have certain medical conditions and are taking other medicines, so it is important that you check with your medical advisor before using a tanning accelerator product.