Getting a Perfect Skin Bronze
When making a trip to the beach, you usually go equipped with several things. A towel, a hat and sunglasses, a big bottle of sun block, comfortable clothes and slippers, lots of water and, if you’re planning to spend most of the day there, maybe a chair and a large umbrella. But sometimes, even with all these preparations, the day ends with your skin either too dark or too red to look attractive. This is only natural; there is no way to control or accurately predict the strength of the sun rays, and thus no way to measure how long you need to stay in it to get that perfect shade of bronze that you crave.
There are a few ways to get the shade of your choice but of all those, only two are worth mentioning. The first is temporary, cheap and easy to apply. tanning lotions can be found at any drugstore or supermarket with instructions as to how to get the best effects. All you have to do is rub the lotion evenly over your skin and sit long enough to let it dry, which usually isn’t more than ten minutes. If you require a darker shade, simply add another layer on top of the first one, and so on. If you’re in a rush for your tan, this is the way to go.
The other method is not cheap and not very fast, but doesn’t come off in the shower either. Using a tanning bed regularly will ensure that your tan stays, and the color is entirely controllable. All you have to do is adjust the lamps to the strength that you want. If you don’t know exactly how high they should be, simply ask around in a nearby fitness center or spa or check the accompanying manual. Spreading a little oil on your skin before diving under the lamps can make the process a little faster. However, lying under them for hours on end is not healthy and will do more harm than good in the long run.
Of course, both of these methods don’t give you the joy and relaxation you can get from the beach, even if your skin gets a little burned as a sacrifice. Science, no matter how convenient, cannot compete against the beauty of nature. It is unfortunate that most people do not have the time to enjoy much of it and reap the benefits.
Trevor Mulholland
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/getting-a-perfect-skin-bronze-103542.html
Sunburn – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Sunburn is the result of not using proper skin protection while sunbathing or even from routine sun exposure. The skin becomes red, tender and swollen. You may have a stinging sensation and blistering may occur. Some people even get a low grade fever. The skin will eventually shed or peel, once the skin underneath has renewed itself.
Causes of sunburn
The causes of sunburn are overexposure to the sun, tanning lamps, outdoor activities, excessive intake of birth control pills and also sometimes the antibacterial agents used in soaps. As with any disease, sunburn has certain symptoms. The symptoms of sunburn are the reddening accompanied with the skin becoming tender, blister formation.
Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun or other ultraviolet light source exceeds the ability of the body’s protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin. Sunburn in a very light-skinned person may occur in less than 15 minutes of midday sun exposure, while a dark-skinned person may tolerate the same exposure for hours.
You can be sunburned on a cloudy or overcast day as well as a clear sunny day. The risk for sunburn is increased for persons with fair-skin, blue eyes and red or blond hair. Persons taking some medications including sulfa drugs, tetracyclines, some diuretics are at risk.
Symptoms of Sunburn
The symptom of the sunburn can appear from 1 hour to 1 day after exposure to the sun. While some of the symptoms such as red skin, are usually temporary, the skin damage is often permanent. In the case of severe sunburn, blisters are formed. Possible symptoms of sunburn are:
Swelling of the skin, especially in the legs
Skin peeling
Red warm skin
Initially, your skin turns red about 2-6 hours after exposure and feels irritated.
Flulike symptoms
Blistering – May range from a very fine blister that is only found when you begin to “peel” to very large water-filled blisters with red, tender, raw skin underneath
When UV radiation strikes the body, the skin cells react immediately. Specialized cells produce melanin, the body’s defence against UV radiation. People with naturally dark skin have more melanin and more melanin-producing cells. When light-skinned people are damaged by UV radiation, these cells produce more of this dark substance, creating a tan. Since they have fewer pigment-producing cells, the total amount of pigment (melanin) is low and thus the protection against further UV light is poor. So further exposure leads to sunburn and sun damage even if there is some tanning.
Treatment of Sunburn
The treatment tips of Sunburn are following
One of the best sun burn treatments is Dr. Michelle Copeland Revitalizing Protect & Repair Regimen , which can protect and repair damaging effects of the sun.
The best treatment for most sunburns is time. More severe burns may be treated with burn ointments such as silvadene .
A medicine called Indocin if taken soon after a sunburn will help reduce the pain, redness and swelling. Indocin is available from your doctor with a prescription.
Medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are useful, especially when started early.
For mild sunburn, cool compresses with equal parts of milk and water may suffice.
Avoid lotions that contain topical anesthetic medications because you can become sensitized and then allergic to that medicine.
Vitamin A, C and E containing creams have a beneficial effect on the sunburned areas.
Use a light moisturizer or a dusting of powder to ease chafing.
peterhutch
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/sunburn-causes-symptoms-and-treatment-488903.html
Sunless Tanners – the Votes are in
Want a great tan? Duh! Then you want a great sunless tan. If you’ve been paying attention at all to what researchers say about the damaging effects of the sun on your skin, you know that lying out in the sun or in a tanning bed is out of the question. I guess you could choose alligator skin and a really good skin cancer scare it you really wanted to, but I have faith that people today are better informed and therefore “smarter” about the way they tan.
Fortunately for us, advances in research and development have provided us with some pretty good, fairly inexpensive alternatives to get that summer glow some of us absolutely crave…sunless tanners. Today you can get that golden glow from an aerosol can, foams, lotions, creams, gels, towelettes, sprays, and mousses. There are certainly plenty of sunless tanning products out there to choose from, but which ones really work, and which ones are duds? Great question. And here are some great answers.
Prevention magazine found more than 30 people willing to participate in a test of 30 sunless tanning products. The test was done in January, when people have that pasty winter look and are aching for the golden glow of summer. In the words of Prevention Magazine.com, “9 products (out of 30 tested)… made our volunteers look like they’d just jetted back from St. Barts (as opposed to looking like they’d just emerged from the spray chamber at Earl Scheib Auto Painting). Their fake tans compared favorably with a $50 spray-on tan one tester got in New York City.” So let’s take a look at these nine products with such favorable results so that you can get an ‘unbiased’ opinion about what really works and what doesn’t.
Here are the nine products and how they rated:
1. Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer got an A+ for price, scent, and streak-free coverage with a tan that lasts a day or two. Repeat daily for extended tan.
2. Banana Boat Summer Color Sunless Tinted Lotion was voted best deep, dark tan; it tanned even the darkest-skinned tester. Quick-drying but with a slight odor. You get 3 to 4 days of a streak-free bronze.
3. Coppertone Endless Summer Sunless Tanning Gradual Tan Moisturizing Lotion provided the most even, streak-free tan of the bunch; several applications gave a deeper tan. The tan lasted 2 days but is mild enough to use every day.
4. L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Dual Action Instant Bronzer & Self-Tanning Lotion is a tinted self-tanner/bronzer combo; tan deepens from initial instant bronze effect. One tester described her tan as “sunburn gone bronze.” The vitamin E formula was reported to leave skin feeling smooth and healthy with a tan that lasts about 4 days.
5. Neutrogena Build-a-Tan Lotion for Body and Lotion for Face with SPF 15 is gentle enough to use twice a day for faster tanning, or every other day for gradual darkening; tan lasts 3 day to a week, depending on skin tone.
6. Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray provides a hands-free airbrush application from an aerosol can that will let you reach even hard-to-reach places without help. You get 4 to 5 days of a salon-like airbrush tan, but be careful with your strokes as spray is colorless.
7. Clinque Body Quick Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner Mousse for Body and Face Self-Tanner gives a beautiful, glowing tan that lasts 4 days or more, but the body mousse can be a little tricky because it’s sticky and can take up to 20 minutes to dry.
8. Estee Lauder Go Tan Sunless Towelettes are colorless towelettes that give you a natural glow with just a few swipes for a tan that for about 3 days. These can be great for traveling or for people always on the go.
9. SkinCeuticals Sans Soleil Sunless Tanner got kudos for how this tanner glides on just like a moisturizer with the most natural tan of the bunch and not a single streak; the downside is that this tan fades in 2 days.
There you have it. Nine sunless tanning products with great reviews from over 30 testers trying 30 different products. If you don’t already have a self-tanner or bronzer that you absolutely swear by, you might want to give one or all of these a try, and see if you find a new favorite. If you haven’t started your own research yet, this list of nine sunless tanners is a fantastic way to start. Prevention magazine has already done the work for you, taking out most of the guess work. Now you are better armed for that search to find just the right ‘golden summer tan in a bottle, can or tube.’
George Mello
http://www.articlesbase.com/cosmetics-articles/sunless-tanners-the-votes-are-in-100343.html
Safe Tanning: Know The Do’s And Dont’s
Various questions arise in your mind regarding tanning when you read the hazards of it in your favorite lifestyle magazine or a website. And the very next moment you see a celebrity’s tanned body photographed in the same magazine or at another website.
Well, despite all these ill claims about tanning or tanned skin, the truth is tanning prevails and is still opted by billions of people around the world with safety measures. Tanning besides all sense is very essential to your body for it helps in some metabolic activities. The borderline is to follow some defined tanning Do’s and Dont’s.
1. Do use your instinctive common sense while you go for tanning—be it natural or artificial. Here is a list of Tanning do’s and don’t for that healthy and rich luster on your skin.
2. Don’t tan without knowing your skin type. Do consult a dermatologist to know the type of your skin. And then tan accordingly.
3. Don’t tan without moisturizing your skin. Your skin will get dry which will further make it prone to various disorders. Do use quality moisturizers to get the safe tanning.
4. Don’t tan naked. Its harmful for genital organs and breasts. Hence, do cover the susceptible parts of your body preferably with cotton cloths.
5. Don’t tan with naked eyes. UV radiations cause harm to the retina of your eyes. Do wear sunglasses for sun tanning and goggles meant for tanning beds instead.
6. Don’t use perfumes, deodorants or ant make up before tanning. They increase the possibility of sun burns. Instead go for tanning lotions.
7. For facial tanning don’t use oils, but do use lotions or creams meant for tanning.
8. Don’t tan for more than 20 minutes either under the sun or inside a tanner. Do keep track of the time you are exposed to UV rays. Less exposure to UV rays fulfills the requirement of the radiations needed by the body and has no side effects.
9. Don’t tan at very short intervals. However do give a minimum gap of two days between two sessions.
10. Don’t tan if you experience some kind of uneasiness like burning sensation or itching or red rashes on your skin. Do consult a doctor immediately.
11. Don’t take tanning pills. They are not approved by FDA. Do use morning sun before 10 to get natural and safe tanning.
Following these precautions, you are sure to get safe tan that will last for long. Yes, getting safe tan is that easy!
Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/safe-tanning-know-the-dos-and-donts-71333.html
