• Question: does tan effect your skin

    Asked by 688heaq45 to Ted, S. S., Laura, Kevin, Ellen, Andrea on 13 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by sophie.
    • Photo: Andrea Pacheco

      Andrea Pacheco answered on 13 Mar 2019:

      Yes, tan is a biochemical reaction from your skin to the over-exposure to the UV light. Your body tries to create a shield by getting darker.

      Over exposure to UV light cause your skin to age faster.

    • Photo: Kevin OBrien

      Kevin OBrien answered on 14 Mar 2019:

      If you’re asking about fake tan, then depending on the ingredients of the product, it may have some effect on your skin.
      If you’re referring to a real tan, either from the sun or from tanning beds, then it can have a more serious effect on the skin, damaging cells, which can result in sine forms of skin cancer.

    • Photo: Ted Burke

      Ted Burke answered on 14 Mar 2019:

      The sun tan you get on your skin is there to defend you against the UV light in bright sunlight, so if you’re going to be exposed to a lot of sunshine then your tan has a positive effect. However, a dark tan probably means that you’ve been getting too much sun! While moderate exposure to sunlight is good, you shouldn’t over-expose your skin to bright sunlight because it can easily become damaged by the UV rays. That’s exactly why we evolved to have sun tan in the first place. The reason your tan goes away when you haven’t been in bright sun for a while is so that your body can produce Vitamin D which requires sunlight to land on your skin. During the darker months of the year, pale skin makes better use of the light that lands on it. However, during the summer, when the sun is bright, pale skin is too vulnerable to getting damaged by the bright light and your skin can afford to get darker and still produce enough Vitamin D. Nowadays, you can make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D by taking a supplement.

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