To tan the skin is the process by which the color of skin is changed, usually to have a darker shade than its normal color. Skin tanning can be achieved naturally through exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or by using use of artificial tanning products, a process called sunless tanning. The latter method has steadily gained popularity after a connection was discovered between exposure to UV rays and skin cancer.
One method of tanning skin from ultraviolet radiation is by basking in sunlight, in a leisure activity called sunbathing. This is most common and arguably most convenient way to get skin tanned. The effectiveness and speed of suntan can be enhanced by another phenomenon called windburn. Windburn is a process where wind removes a layer of skin that filters out UV rays leading to a more pronounced tanning.
UV radiation is also emitted by a piece of equipment called a sunbed which can be used to make skin get tanned as though it were exposed to sunlight. Sunbeds, also called tanning beds, produce artificial UV rays like those in sunlight through phosphor-laced lamps. The bulk of the rays produced by sunbeds are UV A rays but a few are UV B rays. The device is like an artificial way of sunbathing.
Skin tanning can also be achieved without using the sun or any other source of UV radiation. This method is called sunless tanning or fake tanning. Chemicals of different kinds have been used to successfully cause skin to have a tan similar to that caused by the sun. The chemicals may be applied to the skin topically or orally.
Beta-carotene is a very useful mineral for making tanning products because the effect it delivers is more permanent and it guards skin against harmful UV rays. UV rays can cause sunburn which is unevenness in the tone of skin because of over-exposure. This mineral gets skin tanned better and safeguards against skin cancer caused by UV radiation.
Other types of products for fake skin tanning do exist and these are also pills but containing other compounds besides beta-carotene as main ingredients. None of the products is preferred to products containing beta-carotene, however. Many people also use temporary methods of achieving a tan such as powders and creams that can be washed off easily using water during a bath.
One method of tanning skin from ultraviolet radiation is by basking in sunlight, in a leisure activity called sunbathing. This is most common and arguably most convenient way to get skin tanned. The effectiveness and speed of suntan can be enhanced by another phenomenon called windburn. Windburn is a process where wind removes a layer of skin that filters out UV rays leading to a more pronounced tanning.
UV radiation is also emitted by a piece of equipment called a sunbed which can be used to make skin get tanned as though it were exposed to sunlight. Sunbeds, also called tanning beds, produce artificial UV rays like those in sunlight through phosphor-laced lamps. The bulk of the rays produced by sunbeds are UV A rays but a few are UV B rays. The device is like an artificial way of sunbathing.
Skin tanning can also be achieved without using the sun or any other source of UV radiation. This method is called sunless tanning or fake tanning. Chemicals of different kinds have been used to successfully cause skin to have a tan similar to that caused by the sun. The chemicals may be applied to the skin topically or orally.
Beta-carotene is a very useful mineral for making tanning products because the effect it delivers is more permanent and it guards skin against harmful UV rays. UV rays can cause sunburn which is unevenness in the tone of skin because of over-exposure. This mineral gets skin tanned better and safeguards against skin cancer caused by UV radiation.
Other types of products for fake skin tanning do exist and these are also pills but containing other compounds besides beta-carotene as main ingredients. None of the products is preferred to products containing beta-carotene, however. Many people also use temporary methods of achieving a tan such as powders and creams that can be washed off easily using water during a bath.
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