Are You Dying For A Tan?

With the UK currently experiencing an unusually warm and sunny autumn, it’s not yet time to pack away that bottle of SPF. However, even with the colder months nearly upon us, protecting our skin from the dangers of UV rays during this season is often ignored.

Dr Walayat Hussain, consultant dermatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, warns people to ensure that they are aware of the dangers of the sun all year round to avoid sunbeds & UV tanning and opt for safer measures such as spray tanning or bronzing creams.

“People don’t often think about the dangers of the sun throughout the year and wrongly presume that they only need to be careful when on holiday during the height of summer. There needs to be a more pronounced positive shift in consumer attitudes towards safe tanning. The phrase, ‘getting a healthy tan’, is a misnomer as there is no such thing if you have been lying out in the sun all day or have been using a sunbed. A tan is the body’s defence reaction to prevent further UV sun damage taking place in the DNA of skin cells. The more UV exposure you have, the greater risk of skin cells mutating and dividing uncontrollably, which is what happens in cancer. Use a sunbed before the age of 35 and you are 60% more likely to develop the most serious form of skin cancer (malignant melanoma) compared to those who have never used a sunbed. It should come as no surprise therefore that Dermatologists are pushing for a total ban on sunbeds because of the dangers associated with them and instead we would advise getting a spray tan or getting your tan out of a bottle.

Recent research from AURA Tanning Sprayers reveals that nearly 60 per cent of salons questioned stated that sunbed and sunbooth tanning continues to rise despite the ongoing warnings from medical specialists.

“It’s evident that there has been a slight shift in mind-sets as spray tanning technology and the tanning market in general has evolved tremendously to enable people to achieve a flawless effect without UV rays.”

Dr Valentin Langen, global brand development director at AURA Tanning Sprayers, says: “During the autumn months, men and women should be seeking alternative options to achieving a bronzed glow rather than using a UV tanning machine. Spray tanning is a far safer option when bronzing your body rather and wearing a high SPF on top is even better.”

Here are some of AURA Tanning Sprayer’s tan tips for beauticians and customers:

1) Get that spray tan prep done:

Ensure that customers’ remove body hair at least 24 beforehand to ensure their pores are closed. The skin should also be moisturised and well exfoliated. Discuss with the client which shade is desired whether it is a honey or a mocha shade and adjust the solution flow dial and percentage of DHA solution being used.

2) The spray tan session:

Ask the customer to remove all jewellery. Provide your customer with a cap to protect their hair, stickers for the soles of their feet and disposable underwear. Once the customer is in the spray tan booth, start working on their front including the torso and the arms and keep asking them to rotate to ensure that all nooks and crannies are covered. Repeat this for the back of the body, then move on to the legs ensuring that you tan the front, inner thighs and the back of them. Remember, when tanning the face, ensure you spray lightly. The treatment should take 10 minutes.

3) The Technique:

With the AURA Allure machine’s lightweight compact design, you can easily position the machine to spray the contours of the body. You can adjust the settings on the machine depending on the client’s requirements. When using the machine, take full advantage of its 3.5m hose by positioning the turbine at least 3m away from the spraying area.  Its compact shape allows easy manoeuvrability and in between sprays, you can dock the gun on the turbine.  For flawless coverage with the lowest overspray, position the gun about 4-6inches away from the client’s body and use a flowing hand movement to tan the customer. The solution flow dial can also be adjusted to increase/decrease the amount of liquid that is emitted from the gun and depending on the setting, this will affect the overall tone of the tan.

4) After the Tan:

Remove the gun from the front of the hose and then use the pipe to blow cool air onto the client’s body to aid the drying process. Remind customers not to shower for at least 8 hours and wear loose fitting clothes. Most importantly, direct them to apply SPF cream on top of their tan everyday to protect their skin from those UV rays.

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