The safe way to get a tan

Dear Betsy, I really hate to be pale skinned but I am worried about skin cancer if I try to tan. What is the safest way to get a tan? How long can I lie in the sun without burning?

What about fake tan lotions? Are they any good and what is the best way to apply them?

Thanks for your columns each week and your advice.

Janine.

Dear Janine,

The only truly safe tan is a fake tan out of a bottle. You are right to be worried about skin cancer as it is on the rise globally.

When you consider that even in England in the winter your skin can suffer from the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation, it surely must make you think twice about the wisdom of actually lying sunbathing in the 45C+ sun in Bahrain.

If you want to sunbathe then there are a few guidelines you should try to follow. Stay out of the sun when it is at its potentially most damaging between the hours of 11am and 3pm.

Wear a total sunblock, with an SPF of at least 25 to 30, on your face and neck and other delicate areas such as your ears and don't forget the back of your neck.

Use at least an SPF 15 cream or oil on your body. An SPF or 'sun protection factor' usually means the amount of time you can safely stay in the sun wearing that product.

Most companies work this out at 15 to 20 minutes times the SPF number so as an example let us say that an SPF 10 sun lotion loosely means that you can stay in the sun for 150 to 200 minutes as opposed to 15 to 20 minutes when you are not wearing any SPF product. I use the word 'loosely' as this is not really an exact science.

It can depend on many variables such as how you apply the product - placing it thickly on the skin rather than massaging it into the skin is best as massaging it in may break down some of the protective ingredients and either lessen it's protective effects or render them useless.

It can also depend on the frequency of application especially after swimming or in a particularly humid environment where the amount of perspiration on the skin can negatively affect the efficacy of the product.

The product itself may be impaired depending on its age (expiry date) and how it has been stored. Once opened, I recommend that you use the product the same season and that you store it in a cool dark place to preserve the active ingredients. Leaving it in the trunk of your car between visits to the poolside or beach is not ideal.

I recommend that after swimming, you always dry your skin with a towel, as water on your skin under direct sunlight can act like a magnifying glass on your skin (this also applies for when you are actually in the pool or sea) and cause burning. Re-apply your SPF product to your dry skin and repeat this application every 30 minutes or so, showering and drying your skin in between applications.

Obviously, it is best to wear a hat and drink lots of mineral water to minimise your risk of sun stroke. Some scientists believe that eating certain foods before and during your sun exposure can help maximise tanning and minimise burning.

These foods include mangoes, apricots and carrots as the beta-carotene in them is thought to help protect your skin from the UVB rays (the ones that 'burn') and also to stimulate the melanocytes, which are the cells that produce 'melanin' or the pigment that produces the tan in your skin.

Cucumbers are also favoured as they are high in caffeic acid which offers a natural protection against the harmful effects of UVB rays. Naturally, dark skins have more melanocytes than naturally pale skins and the unnaturally white skin of albinos means there is a total absence of melanin in that individual. This condition is true of certain animals as well as humans, for example, the white rabbit with the reddish eyes is a perfect example of albinism.

Another form of tanning that is currently popular is the use of sunbeds. These artificially stimulate the production of melanin in your skin resulting in a tan.

They are largely using light bulbs that emit pure UVA rays which, although they do not 'burn' your skin like the UVB rays, have the potential to cause much more long term damage, in my opinion, as they are known to be able to penetrate deeply to the dermal or 'true' skin layer where the collagen and elastin cells and other reproductive cells are located.

This means they are able to wreak havoc with your cells and cause serious damage like the stimulation of the formation of rogue cells that can lead to cancer.

At the very least this can cause premature ageing of the skin which surely negates any short term esoteric benefits of achieving a golden glow.

I agree that many of us look and feel better with that 'golden glow' so the best strategy is to use a liquid fake tan product.

Nowadays, there are so many good ones available from the budget Dove and Nivea ranges to the designer labels of Dior, Lancaster and Estee Lauder. The active ingredients are largely the same, with the main differences being in the quality of the skin conditioning ingredients and, of course, the amount spent on the packing and marketing of the product!

In general, these products work better on smooth, hydrated skin. I would therefore strongly recommend that you carry out an exfoliation or 'body scrub' and moisturise your skin, 24 hours before applying your chosen fake tan product.

This can mean using a commercially prepared body scrub or making a natural one at home using a cup of brown sugar mixed with three tablespoons of olive or sweet almond oil. Rub liberally over dry skin paying particular attention to the areas of hard skin such as the knees, heels and elbows.

Rinse well, apply your favourite moisturiser and take 10 honest steps backwards and relax for an hour or so. Now, apply that fake tan product according to the instructions. Sit back relax and take note.

Trust me, the REAL winners will be those last in line, with the least resistance to your appointment. Above all else, remember that until the time of the fabulous Coco Chanel, the sun tan was seen as vulgar.