TANNING YOUR SKIN

UV SPECTRUM FORMULATION
Energy from the sun comes as rays in various wavelengths. These broadly consist of ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light and infrared (IR) light or heat. UV consists of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. UVC rays are dangerous, but they are filtered out by the earth’s atmosphere and don’t reach ground level. The sun’s UVA and UVB concentrations and strength depend on the time of day, season, air pollution, distance from the earth’s equator or poles, and reflection strength, e.g. from water and snow.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAN
Tanning is no more than the skin’s own sun protection. Some of the sun’s rays are invisible, such as UV light, which gives you the tan. Once UV light reaches the skin, the upper skin layers react by thickening. The UVB component is responsible for indirect deep tanning, stimulating the skin’s pigment cells that produce melanin, the brown pigment that gives you that tan. The production process needs a run-up time of several days, but the dark skin colouring gives the skin its own sun protection. This is why UVB is so important when you take a tanning session on a sunbed before you go on holiday. UVA darkens melanin already in the skin; this direct surface tan is immediate, but it doesn’t last. A pre-holiday tanning session can give you the equivalent of sun protection factor 3 to 5.