how skin tans

As a tanner, you've probably always been curious about exactly how your skin tans. The process is really quite simple, and works the same whether you tan indoors or outdoors.

Ultraviolet light is the catalyst, and a pigment in your skin, called melanin, does the rest.

Here is a layman's description of the entire process:

Tanning takes place in the skin's outermost layer, the epidermis. Approximately 5% of the cells in your epidermis are special cells called melanocytes. When exposed to ultraviolet B light, melanocytes produce melanin - the pigment which is ultimately responsible for your tan. The pinkish melanin travels up through the epidermis and is absorbed by other skin cells. When exposed to ultraviolet A light, the melanin oxides or darkens. This darkening is your skin's way of protecting itself against too much UV light.

Everybody has the same number of melanocytes in their body, about 5 million. It is your heredity that dictates how much melanin your body's melanocytes will naturally produce. For an example, the skin of African-Americans contains enough melanin to create a black or brown skin color, while someone of Irish decend will have less melanin and their skin color will be very pale.

In order to most effectively avoid overexposure, a tan should be acquired gradually, according to the guidelines prescribed by your salon professional. A sunburn, or erthema, occurs when too much ultraviolet light reaches the skin and disrupts the tiny blood vessels near the skin's surface.

Why does a tan fade? Cells in the epidermis's germinative layer are costantly reproducing and pushing older cells upward toward the horny layer (dead epidermis), Where they are sloughed off in about one month. As your skins replaces its cells, the cells laden with melanin are removed. So the tanning process must continue with the new cells.

Understanding Ultraviolet Light

Ultraviolet light, whether produced by the sun or an indoor tanning unit, consists of two main componenets, UVA and UVB, both of which contribute differently to your tan. Indoor tanning equipment utilizes a carefully formulated and controlled mixture of the two light waves, designed to tan you with a minimized risk of sunburn. Tanning outdoors does not give you this control, because the sun emits the entire spectrum of ultraviolet light, including the most intense rays that burn you more quickly. That 's why we call indoor tanning under professional tanning operators "Smart Tanning".

Why Redder Isn't Better

Many people grow up thinking that if they don't experience a slight red or pinkish tinge after they tan that they didn't "get anything". The truth is that the red or pinkish tinge you see is actually sunburn (or erythema) - your skin's worst enemy. The fact is that the sunburn we experience due to lack of information when we are growing up are the very things that lead to skin damage later in life.

Smart Tanners know that the key to avoiding sunburn is moderation in terms of UV exposure. The best way to ensure a "smart tan" is to take advantage of the years of reserch that have gone into tanning equipment to provide you with a controlled, predictable dosage of UV light. Also, use the lotions to moisturize your skin before tanning and, if you do tan outdoors, remember that the sun emits whatever types of UV rays it wants. Several other environmental factors come into play with outdoor UV light, making exposure unpredictable.

Don't rely on the color of your skin to tell you when to get out of the sun. Overexposure isn't evident sometimes until hours after the sun has gone down. It's better to use a sunscreen and to wear protective clothing than to risk overexposure which can lead to skin damage.