The Big Lie About Tanning Lotions
Jessica admits to commiting a beauty sin: she tans indoors. She’s been told that in order to maximize your skin’s ability to tan, you should use an indoor tanning lotion. They have ingredients such as Tyrosine that are supposed to make you tan faster/better, as opposed to regular body lotion. She wants to know if the ingredients in indoor tanning lotions make a difference in how you tan. The Right Brain reponds:
Jessica, Jessica, Jessica. We’ll skip the lecture about how bad tanning is for your skin and instead we’ll just jump right in and start bashing tanning accelerators. To put it scientifically, these tyrosine tanners are bulls**t. The companies that sell pills and lotions with tryosine claim that they stimulate the production of melanin, the natural pigment that makes you look tan. Unfortunately, that’s just not true.
How Tyrosine In Your Body Is Good For Your Tan
It is true that tyrosine plays a role in the tanning process. It’s an amino acid that your body forms by breaking down the protein you eat. This amino acid is then broken down by an enyzme called tryosinase that is formed by melanin-producing cells in your skin known as melanocytes. This reaction converts tyrosine into a chemical called DOPA. DOPA reacts further to form Dopaquinone which in turn forms the different types of melanin. (Eumelanin is black-brown and pheomelanin is yellow-red.) This chain reaction is triggered when your skin is exposed to UV light.
How Tyrosine in Tanning Pills and Lotions Is Bad
But taking pills with tyrosine or rubbing a tyrosine lotion on your skin doesn’t really help the process. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, Tanning accelerators, such as those formulated with the amino acid tyrosine or tyrosine derivatives, are ineffective … evidence suggests they don’t work. FDA considers them unapproved new drugs that have not been proven safe and effective. It makes sense if you think about it - swallowing a chemical like tyrosine or rubbing it on your skin doesn’t necessarily make it available to the right metabolic pathways.
So shame on all the companies out there marketing tyrosine-based products! Shame on you Hawaiin Tropic Tan 2 Max. Shame on you Reviva Sun Tan Protection Lotion. And shame on YOU, Bio-tan Sunless Tanner.
The Brains Bottom Line: Don’t waste your money on tyrosine tanning accelerators, they don’t do anything special for your tan.
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Jessica Says:
Thank you SO much, Brains! I’ll stick to plain lotion with a low spf from now on
Easy Tanning Beds » The Cost of Tanning Says:
[...] The Big Lie About Tanning LotionsThey have ingredients such as Tyrosine that are supposed to make you tan faster/better, as opposed to regular body lotion. She wants to know if the ingredients in indoor tanning lotions make a difference in how you tan. … [...]
Easy Tanning Beds » The Cost of Tanning Says:
[...] She?s been told that in order to maximize your skin?s ability to tan, you should use an indoor tanning lotion. They have ingredients such as Tyrosine that are supposed to make you tan faster/better, as opposed to regular body lotion. …The Big Lie About Tanning Lotions [...]
Marina Says:
Jessica, I’m a tanning salon owner and obviously disagree with the above opinion. Go to http://www.tanningtruth.com or http://www.vitamindcouncil.com, get the facts about tanning and decide for yourself if it’s good or bad.
But don’t go to a tanning salon and use a “plain lotion with a low spf”! . You’re wasting your money by paying for UV exposure and protecting from it at the same time. Unless you’re applying it only on selected area( like your face) that you don’t want to be tanned.
thebeautybrains Says:
Oh brother! Next thing you know we’ll get a comment from a cigarette company telling us how cigarettes are good for you and they don’t cause cancer.
With all due respect Marina, the tanningtruth.com is filled with biased, bogus research. The leading scientists of the day would completely disagree that indoor tanning is a good thing.
Beauty Brain community, be safe and stay away from these things.
Dianne Says:
Could you tell me the name of an indoor tanning lotion that would be the best to use on your skin? Thanks
tanning lotion Says:
Tyrosine was actually first used in Europe and was used to help even out people with discolored skin pigmentation.
More facts less filler Says:
Yet another piece of garbage posted on the internet intended to scare people. Quit using your scare tactics and properly educate people with respect to tanning and sunburning. Tanning is completely natural, smoking and burning are NOT. To compare tanning to smoking clearly shows a lack of understanding of both activities.