What Causes Skin to Tan and What Breaks It?
Tanned skin may be a beautiful sight, but have you ever tried to suspect why skin tans in the first place? Is it just an act of nature giving us that beach babe glow or is it more than what meets the eyes?
Here, and in a complete guide, we shall discover:
- The Science of Skin Tanning (why it happens)
- How Tanning Can Be Actually an Evidence of Skin Damage
- What risks you as far as skin damage is concerned?
- How to Keep Yourself Safe Without Avoiding the Sun All Compressively
- 🎁 Bonus Tip --- Best Solution to Protect Tan From the Sun
Since it is fascinating and a bit frightening (but it must be an interesting world by the moment it is said to have tanned skin), so let us get in to it.
The Science of Skin Tanning (why it happens)
Have you ever gone outside during the day and by a few hours ended up with darkened skin? That is tanning, but that is much more than cosmetic.
The question is therefore, why does skin tan?
When the sun rays (ultraviolet UV rays) are directed to your skin, it perceives danger. The UV rays enter the lower parts of the skin and from there they have the capacity to negatively affect the DNA in your skin cells. To protect itself, your body releases melanin pigment manufacturing cells -melanocytes- and thus acquires a skin color.
Melanin’s job?
- ✅Uptake UV radiation
- ✅Deflect dangerous rays before their damage to DNA can occur
The harder your skin tries to protect you the more melanin it creates and you end up having a tan. Tanning can be considered your skin making a darker shield that would absorb more UV rays.
Quite interestingly, skin types react differently. Individuals who have darker skin already have higher quantities of melanin, so they are better by nature. People of lighter skin color lack melanin and are more susceptible to burns and long-term tissue damage.
How Tanning Can Be Actually an Evidence of Skin Damage
And here is the world to win over: the tan is not the measure of healthiness, it is an evidence that your skin is damaged.
Whenever your skin changes to a dark tone, it is as a result of the DNA being damaged and your body is overworking to avoid worse damages. According to dermatologists, tanning can be called as the distress signal of your skin.
What occurs in this damage?🔍
- ✅UVB rays directly cause destruction of the DNA thus mutations.
- ✅The UVA rays are more penetrative, they degrade collagen and elastin. This leads to formation of wrinkles, sagging and uneven texture with time.
Even when you do not peel and burn, the process of tanning alone implies that your skin is being injured. This builds up over the years leading to early aging, sun spots and making you susceptible to skin cancer.
The lovely, golden tinge? It is actually a scar under the microscope cells, which is like a memory of the battle your skin had with the UV rays.
What Risks You As Far As Skin Damage Is Concerned?
Tanning may appear to be innocent at the moment but it paves the way to severe long-term problems. This is what is in reality at stake:
1. Early Aging (Photoaging)The ultra violet rays find their way into your skin destroying the collagen and elastin fibers through which your skin is tight and smooth.
- Causes wrinkles and crow feet
- Makes skin rugged, and leather-like in feel
- The age spots and uneven pigmentation are the results.
It is thought that only 1 in 10 of the visible signs of skin aging are genetic and the other 90% is by sun exposure.
2. Inflammatory borne Pain and Sensation of SunburnTo the extreme when your skin cells die of overabundant DNA damage, you have a sunburn. To repair the place, your body is extra blood to initiate the repair activities, which results in the events of redness, heat, and swelling.
3. Dark Spots and HyperpigmentationRecurring tanning will activate uneven production of melanin which will result in the permanent appearance of dark spots that are difficult to cure.
4. Skin Cancer (The Most Dangerous Risk)The greatest risk is not cosmetic its cancer. Both the UVA and the UVB rays result in DNA mutation that may subsequently develop to form skin cancers, including:
- Basal cell carcinoma (slow growing yet frequent)
- Squamous cell carcinoma (can spread when neglected)
- Melanoma (most dangerous, can easily spread to the other organs)
One serious sunburn as a child is twice as likely to increase your chance of melanoma in future life.
How to Keep Yourself Safe Without Avoiding the Sun All Compressively
You don not need to be a vampire in order to be safe on your skin. It is not about staying out of the sun entirely but it is about smart fun under the sun. Here’s how:
🌞 1. Welcome Sunscreen Daily- Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 values or more because it blocks the UVA and UVB rays.
- It should be worn at morning and even in the cloudy days and after every 2 hours when you are outdoors.
- Use wide brim hats to shade your neck and face.
- Choose sunglasses blocking ultraviolet light that protects the eyes.
- Long-sleeved shirts and pants are extremely lighter which makes an enormous difference.
- UV rays are worst during the time 10 am to 4pm, whenever possible do yard work, exercise or go via the sea during other times.
- Exposure to the sun may also peel off your skin compromising your protective barrier.
- Take a lot of water.
- Consume food sources that have antioxidants (such as berries, leafy greens, nuts) as a way to combat free radical damage.
- Apply lotions containing hyaluronic acid or ceramides to maintain the strength of skin.
- They would appear to be a solution that has been controlled, but skin tanning beds can carry about 12-fold the amount of UVA radiation encountered in natural daylight. This puts you at a high risk of having cancer.
🎁Bonus Tip --- Best Solution to Protect Tan From the Sun
To make things simple to keep your skin hydrated, glowing, and safe upon exposure to the sun, you require a good body lotion.
Nivea Body Lotion is one of the best-rated products in the global market. It has thousands of positive reviews and people adore it because of its deep hydrating properties, lightweight, and its possibility to soothe sun-stressed skin.
It is rich in moisturizing components that assist in restoring the skin barrier that traps moisture and minimizes dryness or peeling that occurs after tan. After only a few days of going through, many customers report having a more clean skin tone and feeling more smooth to touch.
Going by this, in case you want the best body lotion to look after your tan and maintain the health of your skin, use Nivea Body Lotion.
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