Are Self Tanners Safe?
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Are self tanners the way to go? From the onset, we have all known or have been warned of the damage the sun causes to the body. Skin cancers have been found to pop out over the entire body when one has been exposing him or herself to the sun regularly to obtain that sun-tanned beauty. There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than the beauty of a sun-tanned body glowing in the midday sun. The cold-hearted fact of that beauty is that ultimately it can cost you. Quite possibly, it can cost you your life.
There are ways, however, to obtain the same look with minimal damage to the body. Self-tanners, sunless tanning, or even tanning extenders have been the rage for close to a decade and a half. There are risks involved in the self-tanning process also. However, the risk of a sunless self-tanning experience is far less extensive than the risk of the actual sun exposure itself.
Medical scholars at the Mayo Clinic warn that self-tanners can cause damage if not taken or administered with care. Risk can be minimized by following directions and adhering to a few of the guidelines stipulated in the following information.
Most sunless self-tanning products are applied to the body in the form of creams, gels, sprays or lotions. These products have been found to be and are usually reported as safe by the FDA. When used as directed, sunless self-tanning products, which are sprayed or rubbed on, work with dead skin cells to darken the areas covered. These dead skin cells will generally rub off within a few days as they are removed from the body by clothing, or bathing the area will gradually lighten. The tanning results will generally remain on the body for about seven to 10 days, gradually lightening each day.
There is also the method of pill taking to get a sunless, self-tan. When sunless tanning is achieved by taking pills, the invasion can be dangerous. Taking pills to obtain tanning results is not recommended and has been found to be destructive to the body. When administered in the form of pills, the pills taken contain large amounts of the color additive canthaxanthin. Canthaxanthin collects in the body. It can turn your skin an orange to dark brown tone. The formations, or settling effect, can cause a condition in the eyes known as canthaxanthin retinopathy. This is a crystallization of the retina in the eye. In addition, these pills can cause stomach problems such as nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea.
One warning when applying sprays to the body: sprays are applied over the entire body. When administered too closely to the eyes or nasal passage, there can be damage resulting to the lungs and air passages.
As always, before introducing anything into or on the body, discuss your intentions with your physician. A beautiful body is useless if you are not physically able to enjoy it.
One Response to “Are Self Tanners Safe?”
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My favorite sunless tanner is Jergens Natural Glow, the fast one that takes three days.