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Summer is the time for shorts, summer dresses and sandals. Many people want to take advantage of sunny days to tan quickly – after all, legs, arms, etc. Chestnuts still match the common ideal of beauty. But how can you tan faster in a healthy way? And do you actually tan in the shade or despite using sunscreen? Below, we’ll introduce you to more about this, as well as helpful tips and home remedies for tanning.
How do you tan quickly? home remedies and tips
Many people want to tan as quickly as possible in the summer. However, it is not recommended to just lie down in the sun when the first rays of the sun appear. Because the UV radiation contained in sunlight can cause permanent damage to the skin.
These tips and home remedies will help you achieve a healthy tan:
- Apply the scrub: Exfoliating your body before sunbathing ensures an even tan. Because peeling removes old skin flakes, which means that the skin can tan faster.
- Start slowly: When it comes to sunbathing, “a lot goes a long way” doesn’t necessarily apply. In order not to risk sunburn or other skin damage, you should only slowly increase your time in the sun from day to day. The sun is strongest at noon, so you should always be in the shade.
- Eating Beta Carotene: Yellow and orange foods contain beta-carotene. Carrots, pomegranates, corn, squash, sweet potatoes, or mangoes can help with pale skin. However, don’t eat too much of these foods, or your skin may take on a distinctly yellow-orange discoloration (carotenic jaundice). However, this discolouration is not harmful to health, it is purely an optical problem. It disappears by itself with a reduced consumption of beta-carotene.
- Waterproof sunscreen: The sun’s UV rays are amplified by the water. Therefore, you should use sufficient sunscreen even when staying in or above water – and this should be waterproof. Otherwise, the skin protection is simply washed off and there is a risk of sunburn instead of a nice tan.
- Drink cocoa: The cocoa bean contains, among other things, the mineral copper, which is said to have a tanning effect on the skin. In any case, copper is involved in the formation of skin pigments (coloring substances). Other foods high in copper include nuts and legumes.
If you want to start the summer season slightly tanned or if the sun takes a little longer in spring, you can do something else: just a touch self-tanner add to body lotion after shower and distribute evenly to avoid smudging.
Tan despite sunscreen?
Many people share the misconception that sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF) keeps you from tanning. That’s right: SPF ensures that your skin is protected from UV rays, which eventually cause brown skin as well. But it only extends the skin protection time by the factor stated on the package. Without SPF, you can only be in the sun unprotected for a limited amount of time without burning.
For example, if your skin protection time is 10 minutes, an SPF of 30 extends this time to 300 minutes (10 minutes x 30) – provided you’ve applied the cream thick enough. However, the SPF does not guarantee complete protection against UV radiation, after all, the radiation still reaches the skin. That’s why you can tan even if you’ve put on sunscreen.
Can you tan in the shade?
You can also tan in the shade. Because about half of the sun’s rays are reflected by surfaces such as water, buildings or sand. You tan more gently in the shade because the UV radiation is less intense. That’s why you should apply sufficient sunscreen even in the shade, because you can get burned even without direct sunlight.
By the way: the sunlight is also reflected by the clouds. Even a cloudy sky does not protect against sunburn.
Keep your tan longer – that’s how it works
The skin pigment melanin darkens the skin when exposed to sunlight to better protect it from UV rays. However, this only affects the upper layers of the skin. In order for this layer of skin to be well protected and not to peel off or form, for example, the skin should be well cared for after tanning. This can help keep your tan longer.
Updated: 07/14/2023
Author: Dagmar Schüller, medical editor and qualified trophologist | Jasmin Rauch, medical editor
