How to Get a Tan With Fair Skin
Know the risks., Purchase a high SPF sunscreen., Cover your entire body generously with sunscreen., Prepare a comfortable area to lay out., Lay out in the sun., Make sure to flip over half-way through., Reapply sunscreen within two hours.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the risks.
Although you may want a "natural" tan, you should be aware of the serious health risks associated with the kind of extended sun exposure it requires.
People with particularly fair skin should be aware that they are at an extremely heightened risk for all of these consequences:
Sunburn, while painful in its own right, is more dangerous for the link between it and melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
The damage to the DNA in your skin cells caused by UV radiation from sunlight or tanning beds results in the unregulated growth of cancerous cells.
Though melanoma is treatable, it is also the type of skin cancer that causes the most deaths annually in the United States.
The American Cancer society estimates that 120,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year.Extended UV radiation exposure can lead to premature aging of the skin.The price of a tan today will be the early onset of wrinkles, blotchiness, sagging, and leathery skin.
These results have been observed in people as young as 20 years old.
Though you may not think of it, laying out can severely damage your eyes.
Sunburn to the eyes, medically termed "photokeratitis," can result in severe pain, temporary blindness, and longterm decline of eye function.UV exposure can also result in cataracts, a clouding of the eyes' lenses that occludes vision.Overexposure to UV radiation can suppress the healthy functioning of your immune system, leaving you exposed to illnesses your body should otherwise be able to fight off and potentially causing adverse reactions to certain medications.Indoor tanning beds put you at a much higher risk of all of these consequences; people with fair skin should never frequent tanning salons. -
Step 2: Purchase a high SPF sunscreen.
SPF stands for “sun protection factor,” and lets you know how long you can stay out in the sun without getting a sunburn.
Keep in mind that sunburns are more than just uncomfortable — they indicate injury to skin cells that can result in cancer.
Therefore, it’s very important that you use a high SPF product.
An SPF 15 product will extend the time it takes the covered area to burn by 15 times.
For example, if your skin would normally get sunburnt after 10 minutes, you could stay in the sun for 150 minutes without burning if you wore an SPF 15 sunscreen.
Note that SPF products will not prevent you from tanning; they will allow you to stay out in the sun longer without damaging your skin cells.
People with fair skin are at a particularly high risk of burning easily in the sun, so purchase a sunscreen with an SPF of at least
35. , Although it’s important to use a product with a high SPF, far more important is that you use enough sunscreen.
Most people simply apply a thin layer, as they might for cream on their face.
However, when the FDA tests the SPF of sunscreens, they use a layer as thick as “cake frosting.”Use more sunscreen than you think seems reasonable — a cake frosting layer of product.
Rub it into your skin as well as possible, but don’t worry if your skin can’t absorb all of the product immediately.
Let the rest of the product air dry.
Ask a friend to help you cover areas of skin that are difficult to reach, especially your back.
Make sure to cover all of your skin — your face, chest, neck, between your fingers, the bottoms of your feet, etc. , If you have a beach or poolside chair, pull it into an area that receives a good amount of sun.
Prepare some snacks and drinks, and perhaps take a book or some other activity to keep you occupied while you’re laying out. , You may think that the best way to get a good tan is to lay out for a long period of time, but that can be extremely dangerous — especially for people with particularly fair skin.
Because your skin has a higher likelihood of reacting badly, you should lay out for short periods of time, giving yourself days in between sessions to see how your skin reacts.
You should never tan two days in a row.
Begin with half an hour of total exposure.
As your skin gradually darkens, you can lay out for longer periods of time.
Work your way up to an hour, but don't lay out too much longer than that.
Set a timer if you’re worried you’ll fall asleep or lose track of time.
Give your skin a few weeks to heal completely if you ever lay out too long and get burnt. , Set a timer for half-way through the amount of time you plan to lay out — half an hour if you plan to lay out for the maximum recommended one hour.
When the timer goes off, flip from your back to stomach (or vice versa) to make sure that you get an even tan all over your body. , Especially if the weather is very warm, you’ll probably sweat off some of your sunscreen without even noticing it.
However, even if you’re not sweating noticeably, the ingredients in sunscreen simply lose effectiveness within two hours of their original application.
Reapply a frosting-thick layer of sunscreen all over your body if you originally applied the sunscreen two hours ago or more.
Note that you shouldn’t lay out for two hours; this advice is simply for people who may have applied sunscreen at the beginning of the day, then decided to lay out later. -
Step 3: Cover your entire body generously with sunscreen.
-
Step 4: Prepare a comfortable area to lay out.
-
Step 5: Lay out in the sun.
-
Step 6: Make sure to flip over half-way through.
-
Step 7: Reapply sunscreen within two hours.
Detailed Guide
Although you may want a "natural" tan, you should be aware of the serious health risks associated with the kind of extended sun exposure it requires.
People with particularly fair skin should be aware that they are at an extremely heightened risk for all of these consequences:
Sunburn, while painful in its own right, is more dangerous for the link between it and melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
The damage to the DNA in your skin cells caused by UV radiation from sunlight or tanning beds results in the unregulated growth of cancerous cells.
Though melanoma is treatable, it is also the type of skin cancer that causes the most deaths annually in the United States.
The American Cancer society estimates that 120,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year.Extended UV radiation exposure can lead to premature aging of the skin.The price of a tan today will be the early onset of wrinkles, blotchiness, sagging, and leathery skin.
These results have been observed in people as young as 20 years old.
Though you may not think of it, laying out can severely damage your eyes.
Sunburn to the eyes, medically termed "photokeratitis," can result in severe pain, temporary blindness, and longterm decline of eye function.UV exposure can also result in cataracts, a clouding of the eyes' lenses that occludes vision.Overexposure to UV radiation can suppress the healthy functioning of your immune system, leaving you exposed to illnesses your body should otherwise be able to fight off and potentially causing adverse reactions to certain medications.Indoor tanning beds put you at a much higher risk of all of these consequences; people with fair skin should never frequent tanning salons.
SPF stands for “sun protection factor,” and lets you know how long you can stay out in the sun without getting a sunburn.
Keep in mind that sunburns are more than just uncomfortable — they indicate injury to skin cells that can result in cancer.
Therefore, it’s very important that you use a high SPF product.
An SPF 15 product will extend the time it takes the covered area to burn by 15 times.
For example, if your skin would normally get sunburnt after 10 minutes, you could stay in the sun for 150 minutes without burning if you wore an SPF 15 sunscreen.
Note that SPF products will not prevent you from tanning; they will allow you to stay out in the sun longer without damaging your skin cells.
People with fair skin are at a particularly high risk of burning easily in the sun, so purchase a sunscreen with an SPF of at least
35. , Although it’s important to use a product with a high SPF, far more important is that you use enough sunscreen.
Most people simply apply a thin layer, as they might for cream on their face.
However, when the FDA tests the SPF of sunscreens, they use a layer as thick as “cake frosting.”Use more sunscreen than you think seems reasonable — a cake frosting layer of product.
Rub it into your skin as well as possible, but don’t worry if your skin can’t absorb all of the product immediately.
Let the rest of the product air dry.
Ask a friend to help you cover areas of skin that are difficult to reach, especially your back.
Make sure to cover all of your skin — your face, chest, neck, between your fingers, the bottoms of your feet, etc. , If you have a beach or poolside chair, pull it into an area that receives a good amount of sun.
Prepare some snacks and drinks, and perhaps take a book or some other activity to keep you occupied while you’re laying out. , You may think that the best way to get a good tan is to lay out for a long period of time, but that can be extremely dangerous — especially for people with particularly fair skin.
Because your skin has a higher likelihood of reacting badly, you should lay out for short periods of time, giving yourself days in between sessions to see how your skin reacts.
You should never tan two days in a row.
Begin with half an hour of total exposure.
As your skin gradually darkens, you can lay out for longer periods of time.
Work your way up to an hour, but don't lay out too much longer than that.
Set a timer if you’re worried you’ll fall asleep or lose track of time.
Give your skin a few weeks to heal completely if you ever lay out too long and get burnt. , Set a timer for half-way through the amount of time you plan to lay out — half an hour if you plan to lay out for the maximum recommended one hour.
When the timer goes off, flip from your back to stomach (or vice versa) to make sure that you get an even tan all over your body. , Especially if the weather is very warm, you’ll probably sweat off some of your sunscreen without even noticing it.
However, even if you’re not sweating noticeably, the ingredients in sunscreen simply lose effectiveness within two hours of their original application.
Reapply a frosting-thick layer of sunscreen all over your body if you originally applied the sunscreen two hours ago or more.
Note that you shouldn’t lay out for two hours; this advice is simply for people who may have applied sunscreen at the beginning of the day, then decided to lay out later.
About the Author
Ruth Perez
Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.
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