Tanning oil has long been used by sun worshippers and beach bunnies looking for a way to get a dark, even tan. However, there are quite a few myths about tanning oil, and it can be difficult for consumers to sort out the facts from the fiction. There are many people who erroneously believe that tanning oil offers them protection from a sunburn, or that tanning oil makes a tan healthy for your skin. Still other people believe that tanning oil will help them gain a sophisticated bronze glow more quickly than simply lying in the sun. The biggest question about tanning oil is what exactly this product does, and there are few tanning oil users who fully understand the answer.
One thing that tanning oil does not do is protect your skin against a damaging sunburn. The only thing that can stop you from absorbing potentially harmful UV rays is a sun block that will stop UVA and UVB rays from penetrating your skin cells. Unfortunately, this kind of sun block will also stop you from tanning. Tanning oil cannot make it safe for you to get a tan, since there is technically no such thing as a safe tan. Because tanning is your body’s attempt to protect your skin against the sun, your body will only begin to tan after your skin has suffered some damage.
Science tells us that tanning oil doesn’t attract the sun to your skin; allow you to achieve a dark bronze with greater speed than your neighbors; or in any way improve your tanning prowess. However, using tanning oil can enhance the appearance of your tan. The oil softens your skin, creating a supple, attractive physique, and the oil changes the way that your skin reflects light; and can thereby give the illusion of making your tan darker. Many people who yearn for a deep, rich tan do so because they believe that it will make them appear more attractive, and a gentle application of tanning oil can help anyone to achieve this goal.
However, before you use tanning oil or try to get a sun kissed look, consider whether the risks of this beauty option may outweigh the benefits. If you are worried about showing early signs of aging, increasing your vulnerability to skin cancers like melanoma, or causing other kinds of damage to your skin, it may be time to ditch the tanning oil in favor of sun block. Although sun block won’t leave you looking glamorously burnished, it will leave you looking healthy and wrinkle free for years to come.