History:
Self-tanning is becoming more popular. Being tan/bronzed started off as showing a sign of lower class. Alongside that, women commonly had pale skin as they were expected to stay inside out of the sun.
To make sure of this paleness, women in ancient Greece and Rome would paint their skin white with lead paint and chalk. They often would also draw on blue lines as veins to emphasize the paleness of their skin.
Fashion designer, Coco Chanel, returned from vacation in 1923 with a very glowy and bronzed look, which was very abnormal for this time period. Once people saw this, they were now all wanting the same sun-kissed look that she had. It is even said that she invented sunbathing, as people flock to beaches and tropical paradises just to obtain a glowing tan for themselves. This would change what tanning would now have on the world, forever.
Discovery:
The chemical “Dihydroxyacetone” or (DHA) is often taken from plants like: sugar beets, sugar cane, or through the fermentation of glycerine. This was first discovered in the 1920’s when German scientists used it in X-ray processes. They noticed it started to turn the skin brown when it made contact.
The first people to really take action on the reaction wasn’t until the mid 1950’s. Eva Wittgenstein deeply dived into the research of deciding to paint solutions with DHA on her own skin to see if she could reproduce the change in pigmentation. It was a success.
Evolution:
The world’s first tanning product with DHA was “Man Tan”, available to purchase in the 1950’s. The product was, as in the name, first designed for men but there wasn’t a definite exclusion that women couldn’t use it as well. The product never took off because of unpredictable outcomes, it was very streaky, and didn’t smell the best.
A little later on, a company named Coppertone released the first ‘quick tan’ product that estimated the tan develop time between four to five hours. Finally, in the 1970’s, a European scientist named Friedrich Wolff founded the indoor tanning industry while studying the impacts of ultraviolet (UV) light on athletes.
Benefits/Drawbacks:
Self Tan-
Some benefits of using self-tan over tanning beds are that the self tanner is completely safe from skin cancer and UV damage, provides instant/customizable color, acts as a temporary bronzer, and avoids tanning booth UV exposure. Overall, so far studies have shown that topical self-tanners are safe and do not cause any long-term skin damage.
Some drawbacks could be that it fades quickly, can turn orange if over-applied, may have an odor, and may cause skin dryness.
Tanning Bed:
Benefits include a deep long-lasting tan, can provide a temporary mood boost, increase Vitamin D, and help treat certain skin conditions like acne/psoriasis.
Although those are strong benefits to prolong your tan, there are some major drawbacks that you should definitely take into consideration. Some of those drawbacks include a significant risk of skin cancer, melanoma, and premature aging. A tanning bed is the equivalent to 3-5x the stronger than midday sun, which can cause inflammation and eye damage as well. Another unknown major drawback is that this can cause a risk in DNA mutations and a huge development in skin cancer over time.
Overall, self-tanning is significantly better for your health than tanning beds. Self-tanners provide a safe, UV-free, surface level glow, whereas tanning emit high-intensity UV radiation linked to skin cancer, premature aging, and immune system damage. Dermatologists also recommend self-tanners as a safe alternative to UV tanning.
