To tan the skin is the process by which the color of skin is changed, usually to have a darker shade than its normal color. Skin tanning can be achieved naturally through exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or by using use of artificial tanning products, a process called sunless tanning. The latter method has steadily gained popularity after a connection was discovered between exposure to UV rays and skin cancer.
One method of tanning skin from ultraviolet radiation is by basking in sunlight, in a leisure activity called sunbathing. This is most common and arguably most convenient way to get skin tanned. The effectiveness and speed of suntan can be enhanced by another phenomenon called windburn. Windburn is a process where wind removes a layer of skin that filters out UV rays leading to a more pronounced tanning.
UV radiation is also emitted by a piece of equipment called a sunbed which can be used to make skin get tanned as though it were exposed to sunlight. Sunbeds, also called tanning beds, produce artificial UV rays like those in sunlight through phosphor-laced lamps. The bulk of the rays produced by sunbeds are UV A rays but a few are UV B rays. The device is like an artificial way of sunbathing.
Skin tanning can also be achieved without using the sun or any other source of UV radiation. This method is called sunless tanning or fake tanning. Chemicals of different kinds have been used to successfully cause skin to have a tan similar to that caused by the sun. The chemicals may be applied to the skin topically or orally.
Pills containing beta-carotene have become very useful for non-UV tanning because they produce a lasting effect and protect against sunburn. Sunburn is the discoloring of the skin due to excessive exposure to sunlight. Beta-carotene produces a better skin tone than sun tanning and eliminates the risk of cancer posed by the sun.
There are other forms of sunless tanning e. G., pills containing canthaxanthin, dihydroacetone, tyrosine and melanotan hormone. None of these is as popular as beta-carotene-based products though. Other people have resulted to temporary means to get a tan such as powders that can be removed using water when one bathes.
One method of tanning skin from ultraviolet radiation is by basking in sunlight, in a leisure activity called sunbathing. This is most common and arguably most convenient way to get skin tanned. The effectiveness and speed of suntan can be enhanced by another phenomenon called windburn. Windburn is a process where wind removes a layer of skin that filters out UV rays leading to a more pronounced tanning.
UV radiation is also emitted by a piece of equipment called a sunbed which can be used to make skin get tanned as though it were exposed to sunlight. Sunbeds, also called tanning beds, produce artificial UV rays like those in sunlight through phosphor-laced lamps. The bulk of the rays produced by sunbeds are UV A rays but a few are UV B rays. The device is like an artificial way of sunbathing.
Skin tanning can also be achieved without using the sun or any other source of UV radiation. This method is called sunless tanning or fake tanning. Chemicals of different kinds have been used to successfully cause skin to have a tan similar to that caused by the sun. The chemicals may be applied to the skin topically or orally.
Pills containing beta-carotene have become very useful for non-UV tanning because they produce a lasting effect and protect against sunburn. Sunburn is the discoloring of the skin due to excessive exposure to sunlight. Beta-carotene produces a better skin tone than sun tanning and eliminates the risk of cancer posed by the sun.
There are other forms of sunless tanning e. G., pills containing canthaxanthin, dihydroacetone, tyrosine and melanotan hormone. None of these is as popular as beta-carotene-based products though. Other people have resulted to temporary means to get a tan such as powders that can be removed using water when one bathes.
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