Healthy Alternatives for Tanning
This is NOT Your Mothers' Sunless Tan
A sun-kissed glow, a touch of youth, a touch of health, all these, are included with your quality, sunless tan. Today’s sunless tanners are not the orange, streaky sunless tan your mother sported and your father snickered at. Sunless tanning has experienced an amazing evolution in the past several years. I have been involved in the creation and development of sunless tanning products for eight years and have seen the science evolve to near perfection.
With the incidences of skin cancer increasing every year—there is no good excuse for getting your sun-kissed glow from dangerous UVA & UVB rays. If you are among the population who have experimented with sunless tanners, garnering less than favorable results, or have witnessed the fake, sometimes frightening sunless tans of a friend, TV personality or politician, you owe it to your skin and your health, to give sunless tanning another try.
What are self-tanners and how do they work?
DHA (dihydroxyacetone) is the ingredient, which nearly every self-tanning product on the market uses as the tanning agent. DHA is a carbohydrate normally derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane. This skin browning effect is non-toxic, and is commonly seen in the food preparation industry. DHA reacts chemically with the amino acid groups of your bodies’ chemistry, which are part of the protein containing keratin layer of the skin surface. Various amino acids react differently to DHA, producing different tones of coloration from yellow to brown, scientists and cosmetic formulators have worked diligently to create the perfect, natural color over the years. The resulting pigments are called melanoidins. These are similar in coloration to melanin, the natural substance in the deeper skin layers which brown or "tan", from exposure to UV rays. DHA was first recognized as a skin coloring agent in the 1920’s, by German scientists and later in the 1970s the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added DHA permanently to their list of approved cosmetic ingredients. By the 1980’s refinements in the DHA manufacturing process created products that produced a more natural looking color and better fading.
The most frequently stated issues with sunless tanners include:
Ease of application: There are many different home application choices available in self tanners today including lotions, sprays, foam, towelettes and now the latest technology, self tanning mitts. Each has its’ own positive side and many have more negative sides. A few negative aspects of self-tanners are uneven application resulting in streaking, discolored hands and fingernails, hands and feet are the toughest to get even, and may take some practice. The problem with lotions and creams is that they are heavy and will sit and collect color in the crevices of your hands, feet elbows, etc. so it is important when applying to make certain to rub in as completely as possible on freshly exfoliated skin. The mitt is a great application technology because the mitt will form to your hand allowing you to feel coverage as the tanner is being applied and the plastic liner keeps tanner off of your hands.
Odor: DHA with all of its’ benefits have a few negative aspects, a very “distinct” (not so pleasant) odor being one of the most prominent. Consumers complain the after smell of DHA sometimes lingers for hours after application. Many formulations will mask the scent of the DHA with fragrance; the problem is that the fragrance will dissipate much more quickly than the DHA. The industry is making headway with this issue and Solerra® has independent scientific studies proving the Invisicare® formulation helps to negate the odor of DHA. In other instances, it takes time and a shower (only after waiting at least 2-4 hrs) to negate the smell.
Self-tanning dries the skin: Dehydration of the skin is the next most prominent complaint with self-tanners. It is recommended that you wait 4-6 hours before moisturizing after self-tanning to allow the DHA to develop. Moisturizing too soon after application will inhibit the DHA, providing less than perfect results. It has taken many years of study and development to create a self-tanner that will also moisturize as it tans. Solerras’ Invisicare® sunless tanning formulation acts as a natural moisturizer during the initial 4 hours of development and the Drench™ daily moisturizer also contains Invisicare® which allows you to apply moisturizer immediately after tanning, if you have extremely dry skin. The daily Glow moisturizers that have been very successful have helped to curb this side effect by using a very small amount of DHA added to a moisturizing lotion. The reason many people get good results from this concept is due to the fact that the percentage of DHA is so minute, that it must be used daily to get any noticeable color. Moisturizing the skin daily keeps the skin healthy which will give you better results from any self-tanner. A well-moisturized and exfoliated skin is the best possible pallet for a great sunless tan.
In today’s environment, sunless tanning should be the “in thing” when it comes to getting a tan. With the technological advancement in the industry, ease of use and economical value, I hope you will give it another try. As with any cosmetic or new beauty regiment you should try different applications and experiment with them to find what works best for you. Remember, you will get better with each application!
As we raise the level of awareness to the dangers of tanning with UVA / UVB rays, we hope the incidences of skin cancer will be reduced. According to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the National Cancer Institute found that between 1980 and 2004, annual cases of melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) have increased by 50% among young women between the ages of 15-39. Melanoma has now been ruled the most common cancer in young British women, according to the country’s leading cancer organization. Skin cancer has overtaken cervical cancer as the top cancer striking young women in their 20’s according to the latest data from Cancer Research United Kingdom. This alarming data should inspire each of us to do our part in raising awareness to these facts in order to reduce these startling statistics. Get your healthy glow today, with a beautiful, faux tan! www.solerra.com
Angie Trelstad is President of Sunless Beauty, Ltd the manufacturer’s of Solerra® Sunless Tanning Science products. The Solerra® products are the result of millions of dollars and years of research and development to create the perfect sunless tanner. The Solerra® patented Invisicare® formulation and patent pending mitt application are a result of a perfect blend of beauty and science designed to successfully battle every negative aspect of sunless tanning.
Skin Cancer Facts
- More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.1
- Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but are easily treated if detected early.1
- Current estimates are that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.2
- Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old.3
- Melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the same age group. In females 15-29 years old, the torso is the most common location for developing melanoma which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.3
- Melanoma in individuals 10-39 years old is highly curable with five-year survival rates exceeding 90 percent.3
- 1 in 58 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime. Caucasians and men over 50 years of age are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.4
- It is estimated that there will be about 116,500 new cases of melanoma in 2008 — 54,020 noninvasive (in situ) and 62,480 invasive (34,950 men and 27,530 women).1
- One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 62 minutes). In 2008, 8,420 deaths will be attributed to melanoma — 5,400 men and 3,020 women.1
- The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 65,161 people a year worldwide die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer.5
- More than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.1
- The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 99 percent.1
- In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion.6
- The American Cancer Society recommends periodic skin examination as part of any cancer related check-up depending on a person's age and gender.1
- Individuals with a history of melanoma should have a full body exam at least annually and perform regular self-exams for new and changing moles.7
- Five-year survival rates for regional and distant stage melanomas are 65% and 15%, respectively.1
1American Cancer Society. 2008 Cancer Facts and Figures.
http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf.
2Robinson JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.
3Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
4Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov.
5World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation: Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
6Bickers DR, Lim HW, Margolis D et al. The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American
Academy of Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Journal of the American
Academy of Dermatology 2006; 55: 490-500.
7Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force, 2007.