Tan Skin - Get It The Healthy Way

Back in the day, pale skin was a sign of beauty. The paler the skin, the more desirable the owner. Pale skin was a sign of nobility and of success. It meant that the person with the pale skin didn't have to labor outdoors under a hot sun. Tan skin, like rough hands, was a sign of social inferiority. This is where pejorative words like "redneck" come from.

This all changed back in the 1920s when increased standards of living gave rise to a leisure class. These people had enough money to spend significant amounts of time in warmer climates. Beach resorts sprang up to accommodate them. Places like Cannes, San Tropez and Nice became synonymous with idle wealth and languorous days spent in tropical sunshine. Suddenly, the tables were turned. Tan skin, once declasse, was now radically transformed into a symbol of attractiveness. Everybody wanted tan skin.

Today is no different. A tan is still considered sexy. The problem is that suntanning is risky business. The ultraviolet radiation that darkens your skin also considerably increases your risk of developing skin cancer. Skin cancer is no laughing matter. It is disfiguring and it can be deadly. Additionally, prolonged exposure to the sun thickens and toughens the skin, making it leathery. We've all seen that old woman at the beach who has been tanning her whole life. Right. Enough said.

There are healthier ways out there to get that sunlit glow. Self tanners are an inexpensive and convenient way to get tan skin in the privacy of your own home. You simply apply them to your skin like you would suntan lotion. They darken the skin, like a tan, without any exposure to UV rays.

Spray tans are another solution. Available at salons and spas, a spray tan uses a natural substance that actually changes the color of the top layer of your skin, just like a suntan does. Furthermore, a spray tan is virtually indistinguishable from a suntan. They're that good.