Pros and Cons of Sun, Sunless, and Salon Tanning

What Is The Best Way To Tan?

There is no denying that tan skin looks healthier and more attractive than pale skin. However, sometimes achieving that perfect tan is easier said than done. There are many ways to approach tanning.

The first way is to try and get tan the ‘good old fashioned’ way by laying out in the sun.

The second way is to get an expensive tanning package at your local tanning salon.
Finally, the third (most effective) way is to use a sunless tanning product. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each:

FIND OUT MORE: Natural Tanning Solutions

Sun Tan:

Pros:
Being out in the sun is a great source of vitamin D. You can get the recommended amount of vitamin D by taking supplements or simply spending 15 minutes per day 3 times a week in direct sunlight.

Cons:
Overexposure of the sun can speed up the aging of the skin which will cause the skin to look older and have more wrinkles. This is the opposite of why people choose to tan in the first place. The sun can burn the skin causing sun spots which some might not find to be cosmetically appealing. It is also a well-known fact that overexposure to the sun puts you at greater risk of getting skin cancer. This is simply not a very fair trade.

READ ALSO: Natural Dark Tans

Tanning Beds:

Pros:
A tanning salon offers more convenience than traditional tanning because you are not limited to only daylight hours. This also allows you to get a tan year round.

With the advances in technology you can now get a nice tan from a machine much faster than you could from the sun. Most tanning beds only require 10-20 minutes a few times a week to achieve a dark bronze tan.

Cons:
According to skincancer.org indoor tanning can be more dangerous than tanning outdoors. Here is what they have to say on the matter:

“No matter what you may hear at tanning salons, the cumulative damage caused by UV radiation can lead to premature skin aging (wrinkles, lax skin, brown spots, and more), as well as skin cancer. In fact, indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors.”

RELATED: Tanning with Mother Nature

Sunless Tanning:

Pros:
A properly done sunless tan can look as good, sometimes better than a traditional tan if proper tanning preparation techniques are used to achieve maximum absorption and even distribution of the tanning product.

The biggest benefit to sunless tanning is that there is absolute NO exposure to harmful rays needed. This is a big plus because you are eliminating the harmful UV rays that are known to cause skin cancer.

Spray tanning is also very inexpensive and is the most convenient way to tan. You can visit a salon and have a trained professional tan your body to perfection, or you can use smaller individual products in the comfort of your own home.

Cons:
Unfortunately, not all spray tans are created equal. Some companies use harmful ingredients, and what’s worse is they don’t list all ingredients on bottle. It is important to make sure you understand all the ingredients and only use a sunless tanning product if you can see all the ingredients so you know exactly what you are putting on your skin.

Continuing on the quality, there are some companies that will leave you looking orange by using FD&C dyes in their tanning product. Again this goes with knowing the ingredients and letting the company prove they are going to do what they say they are going to do. (Safely)

You can see a full list of our ingredients vs. the other popular spray tanning guys here!