men women healthy tan

Gender Divide Over ‘Healthy Tan’

A study has shown a gender gap between male and female understanding of the risks of tanning and sun exposure. 

According to a survey by the AAD (American Academy of Dermatology):

  • 76% of women agree that ‘there’s no such thing as a healthy tan’
  • 56% of men agree that ‘there’s no such thing as a healthy tan’

Experts are urging everyone to understand the dangers of tanning.

The ‘Healthy Tan’ Myth

Experts now agree that there is no such thing as a healthy tan. Bronzed skin may look healthy, but actually any tanning is a sign of sun damage, indicating that the skin has been overexposed to UV radiation, causing it to produce pigmentation to try and protect itself.

Why does skin go brown?

When exposed to UV radiation, the skin produces melanin a dark-coloured pigment. This is designed to protect the skin against sunburn and damage from UV radiation.

There are two types of tanning reaction:

  • Immediate tanning – this happens when the melanin already present in the skin darkens on exposure to UVA exposure. This can give a fairly quick colour to the skin but tends to fade quickly – within a few hours after
  • Delayed tanning – this is when new melanin is produced and distributed between the upper skin cells. It takes around 3 days to develop and the tan can persist for several weeks

Whatever the nature of the tan, it is important to recognise that it is not healthy.

Does a tan help protect against sunburn?

A tan is your skin’s natural way of protecting itself from sun exposure and sunburn. However, it provides a very low level of protection and never enough to do without sunscreen. Experts suggest that white skin with a dark tan is benefitting from a sun protection factor of between 2 and 4. While SPF of 30-50+ is generally recommended for daily protection against the sun’s damaging UVA/UVB rays.

Does a tan help protect against skin cancer?

NO – a tan is no defence against long-term UV damage which causes the majority of skin cancers

The sun is responsible for the majority of skin cancers and the majority of cases would have been preventable.

Mole Checks

Cosmedics Skin Clinics’ team of mole removal doctors advocate regular self-checks to spot any worrying signs early.  Dr Ross Perry simply calls it the ‘ugly duckling’ syndrome – a skin lesion or blemish that simply looks wrong or different from the others. The ABCDE rule is a handy reference guide for mole checking.

Skin Surgery Laser Clinics

Cosmedics’ Skin Surgery Laser Clinic offer private mole removal at a selection of clinics based in London and Bristol. Moles are removed using the latest surgical techniques including laser mole removal; with trained doctors and surgeons.

Our team of qualified and experienced doctors and surgeons also treat other skin blemishes, including sebaceous cystsskin tagswarts and lipoma using  freezing, laser or surgical techniques.

For ultimate peace of mind, Cosmedics Skin Surgery Laser Clinic offer a thorough top to toe mole check carried out by their trained and experienced doctors.

Cosmedics Skin Clinics was founded in 2003 by Dr Ross Perry, a qualified and experienced London GP who has an excellent reputation in skin treatments and has removed thousands of lesions/blemishes in his career.

For more information or to book a consultation, please complete the form on this web page or call 020 7386 0464.