5 Facts About Spray Tan
Many of us would love to get that beautiful bronze sun-kissed color of skin, but baking in the sun is considered harmful. Well it is, and that is why there are spray tan parlors. But is spray tanning a safe alternative? Here are some facts which may help you answer that question.
1. Illusion of vitamin D
Most tanning parlors would give you the illusion of health that the ultraviolet (UV) radiation which you receive during the tanning process would provide vitamin D to your body. The reality of this being that spray tanning provides absolutely zero vitamin D to your system.
2. Spray tanning ingredients
Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a color additive is the main ingredient in most spray tanning solutions. It reacts with the amino acids on the surface layer of your skin to darken it and provide the tan. Modern tanning products contain between 1 percent to 15 percent DHA. The industry claims that DHA is a simple carbohydrate sugar solution, while various toxicologists differ in opinion, and say that this isn’t safe. Spray tans also contain lead, arsenic and mercury. Lead in particular can have extremely harmful effects on the brain, and pregnant women are advised to never undergo spray tanning.
3. Could be cancerous
While the tanning product is being spread into your body, you are inhaling it in. Once the DHA reaches your lungs, it spreads throughout your body via the bloodstream. Several experiments have been conducted at various university-based laboratories where DHA was tested on different forms of bacteria and skin cell of mice. The shocking results showed cell mutation, which would eventually lead to cancer. The FDA has also found that even if not inhaled, DHA could reach deeper levels of your skin by absorption.
