Tanning is the act of exposing your skin to UV radiation to achieve that fashionable and healthy state of caramel shade of skin, equally popular amongst men and women these days. There are two well-known tanning methods, Sun tanning and Sunless tanning.
Sun tanning can be achieved while sun bathing or using artificial sources. Exposing your skin to ultraviolet rays creates a brown-colored pigment called melanin, which protects the skin against harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Normally, people sunbathe in the nude, topless or in bikinis. However, what is important is that one should prevent excessive exposure to UV rays as it results in sunburn as well as skin cancer. This kind of exposure also causes skin to age faster.
Self-tanning or sunless tanning has become the preferred choice these days due to the harmful effects of sun tanning. One need not wait for summer time to arrive to get a tan. The self-tanning or sunless tanning is the process of applying chemicals onto the skin, which produces a similar effect as sun tanning.
Airbrush tanning is done using dihydroxyacetone that gives a golden tan color within five to ten days. It can be applied in the form of lotions, wipes, gels, sprays and mousses.
Tanning booths and beds use lamps with UV-B and UV-C rays to produce tanning. The harmful UV-A rays are not a part of this method of tanning, therefore, making it a very safe method of getting a tan.
Sunless tanning lotions are also available but they are not as effective as the other two methods mentioned above.
