The perfect tan is something that a lot of people are after and there are a number of ways to achieve that look. You can lie out on the beach, soaking up the rays of the sun. You can use a tanning bed at a tanning salon. Or you can choose a sunless tanning option. In the past, self tanning products left people with orange skin and a very unnatural looking tan. However, sunless tanning techniques have improved greatly over the years and it is now a viable and much safer alternative to UV exposure. On this page we are going to go over some of the benefits of sunless tanning.

The Convenience of Sunless Tanning

One benefit of sunless tanning is that it is very convenient. You can get a beautiful tan day or night, at any time of the year, during any type of weather conditions. You don’t have to wait for a sunny day to lie down outside and soak up the sun. You can get a perfect tan any time and the whole process only takes a matter of minutes.

Because you can get a beautiful looking tan on demand, sunless tanning is a great option if you want to get a nice tan before a special event. If you will be going to a wedding, a reunion, or on a vacation, you can get the perfect tan right before that special occasion.

Avoid the Health Risks of UV Exposure

As you probably know, there are some health risks associated with exposure to ultraviolet light. When your skin is exposed to ultraviolet light and you get a tan, it’s your body’s way of trying to protect you from the damaging effects of the sun. Overexposure to ultraviolet light can cause sunburns but it can also cause wrinkles, spots, premature aging and it can even lead to skin cancer.

Sunless tanning allows you to achieve the same look without exposing yourself to any of those risks. Skin cancer is obviously the most serious health risk associated with sun tanning but even if we set that aside, sunless tanning offers some significant benefits. The whole point of getting a tan is to have more attractive skin, so why risk developing wrinkles and prematurely aging skin when you can achieve the same look without the risk?

Are Sunless Tanning Products Safe?

Not only are the sunless tanning products available today able to produce a much more realistic looking tan than the products available years ago, most self tanning products are also completely safe. The tanning products available today that are applied topically are safe to use.

Many sunless tanning products today use an ingredient called dihydroxyacetone or DHA. This ingredient reacts with the dead skin cells found in the outermost layer of your skin. The reaction temporarily causes the skin to appear darker. The darker color of your skin will not wash off but as the dead skin cells naturally flake away the color will fade. According to the FDA, DHA is safe and it has been approved for external application to the skin.