| Sunless tanning is a tan achieved by special chemical | | | | sunless tanning instead of tanning in the sun. |
| substances. These substances act one of two ways - | | | | What about people with psoriasis? Will they benefit or |
| they either force the skin to produce more melanin | | | | not from the use of sunless tanners? |
| pigment or they saturate the dead skin cells of the | | | | There is no information about the sunless tanning |
| epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) and color its | | | | helping to treat psoriasis. But there is information that |
| proteins brown. | | | | some people with psoriasis say sunless tanning helps |
| Nowadays sunless tanning means are divided into 2 | | | | them to feel better about their skin and they started |
| main categories - external and internal means. External | | | | wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts in the summer. |
| means (lotions etc.) use Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as | | | | This happens due to that sunless tanning makes your |
| their active ingredient. In the 1970s Dihydroxyacetone | | | | skin brown which makes the red psoriatic lesions much |
| (DHA) was added by the FDA to its list of safe | | | | less noticeable than if they were on a pale skin. |
| cosmetic ingredients, and it is still on that list. The | | | | It is probably more comfortable to apply sunless |
| internal means (tanning pills etc.) contain beta carotene | | | | tanning means with the use of special tanning towels |
| or canthaxanthin - the ingredients which were banned | | | | saturated with the tanning lotion. After you wipe your |
| by the FDA many years ago due to being unsafe. | | | | body with such towels and rub the tanning lotion into |
| The main advantages of sunless tanning include: | | | | your skin, the tan will start appearing in about 1 hour. |
| - You can achieve the tan in several hours after | | | | First it may look red or orange. But within a few more |
| applying sunless tanner onto your skin. This eliminates | | | | hours the orange nuance should disappear and the tan |
| the need of taking weeks or even months to achieve | | | | will turn brown. |
| a nice tan. | | | | Scaly psoriatic lesions may also first appear orange |
| - Modern sunless tanners give you a completely | | | | but after you shower (in about 24 hours of the |
| naturally looking tan. You just want to make sure (by | | | | achieving of the tan) these scales will be gone. |
| reading what other users say) that the tan will be of a | | | | You may want to shower right before you apply the |
| brown, and not orange-shade brown color. | | | | tanning lotion because after applying of the lotion it is |
| - Sunless tanning will not give you tan lines - you can | | | | not recommended to take a shower or even to |
| apply them in private all over your body. | | | | sweat (like with exercises) for about a 24 hour period. |
| - You will achieve a nice tan even if you are a person | | | | Sunless tan will usually last for about 5-7 days and |
| with fair skin due to which your skin does not produce | | | | then disappear. Tiny remainders may stay for up to 2 |
| much melanin (pigment that gives skin the pink, brown | | | | weeks. |
| or black color) | | | | Most people with psoriasis that have tried sunless |
| - Sunless tan is a temporary tan - it will disappear in | | | | tanning did not experience any inflammation nor |
| about a 5-7 day course of time. | | | | blocked or clogged pores. However, some people with |
| There are people that are actually obsessed with their | | | | psoriasis noticed that a sunless tanning lotion can block |
| tan. They can not picture themselves without having a | | | | skin pores and dry up psoriatic scales, making them |
| tan. If those people want to keep their skin looking | | | | look flakier. |
| younger for years to come they should opt to use | | | | |