Do suntan lotions that dye the skin to simulate a tan give the same sunburn protection as a real tan?
Asked by
ETpro (
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April 15th, 2012
The amount of melanin in our skin is what controls the darkness of it. The darkest Africans have a great deal of melanin in their skin and the lightest Scandinavians have very little. Melanin is a natural protector against damage to the skin from sunburn. When we slowly develop a tan in the summer, we allow the sun’s UV-D rays to stimulate an increase melanin production in our skin, giving it a darker shade and protection against sunburn. The protection comes from the fact that melanin is and electro-conductive molecule that is extremely efficient at absorbing the damaging UV rays from the sun and converting them to harmless heat. It absorbs 99.9% of such rays.
There are tanning lotions that contain iodine and other dyes to artificially produce a tan without exposure to the sun. Does that artificial tan also protect against sunburn, or is it just for looks and is the natural melanin protection the only way to develop sunburn resistance.
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6 Answers
*dye
Also, probably not. Model toy cars do not work either.
Does the product provide an SPF number? What does the label say? Does it mention anything about providing sun protection?
Some have spf factors yes. I like the Jergens “Natural glow” product and it does not have an spf factor, but…you can use another sunscreen on top of it after it “takes.”
Absolutely not. Only if there is SPF in it is it protecting you from the sun while the lotion is on, as any suntan lotion would. The tan you get from the fake tans does not protect you at all. Many sudden tan products do not have SPF and provide zero protection from the sun.
There are an abundance of self tanners with 15–30spf on the market now.
Does self tanner on it’s own protect your skin from sun damage? No.
Do spf self tanners? Yes.
Does a base tan protect you from sun damage or skin cancer? No.
@ragingloli Thanks. The Mods kicked it back to me. I could just “die” for a misspelling like that.
@Charles, @Coloma, @SpatzieLover I was wondering not about their immediate value, but the tan they provide.
Looks like @JLeslie answered that. Thanks
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