History of Tanning

History

Skin color has always been associated with class.  In the renaissance and elizabethen era, women used chalk to whiten their faces to make their skin appear like pale (much like a porcelin doll.) The practice of tanning is the process of skin darkening and has become a growing trend since the beginning of the 20th century.

1920:  Cocoa Chanel's fame, beauty, and her Parisian sunburn started the trend of tanning

1940's: Sunbathing was more accepted and encouraged after bikinis appeared

1950's: Silver metallic UV reflectors were used in the

1962: sunscreen started to be SPF rated which was FDA enforced.

1978: tanning beds were first used.

1980: BMW advertised its convertible as "The Ultimate Tanning Machine”

2012:Today the tanning industry has reached about five billion dollars


Tanning Today

“If you've ever seen a sliced apple turn from white to brown, you've seen how spray-tanning products work on your skin.” This exposure to UV radiation, either by outside sun exposure or with tanning beds, will cause your skin to change color. Many people “sun bath” as a form of a hobby. By exposing yourself to the sun you can benefit by vitamin D, but too much can have terrible effects like sunburn, skin cancer (melanoma) and premature aging. A remedy for this would be sunscreen and limiting exposure to UV rays. Your genetics will affect how quickly or slowly you tan or only burn. Some countries have “clothing optional swimming areas” also known as nude beaches.  These in addition to tan-through swimwear are ways in which one can avoid tanlines, however these alternative methods of tanning offer no refuge from UV rays.  An alternative method to excessive sun/tanning bed is sunless tanner. There are bronzers, tan accelerators, and make up that people just use make up to create a tanned appearance.

Fun Facts from the FDA

• Spray tanning booths are not FDA approved
• The tanning controversy it that overexposure to UV radiation is likely to cause skin cancer.
• Tanning often increases wrinkles and reduces the immune system. Some people think tanning in moderation is healthy.
• Indoor tanning is over 10 times more likely to give off UVA radiation than the sun
• Tanning is in the category of “highest cancer risk” next to smoking tobacco.

Skin Color Chart

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Type	Also called	Sunburning	Tanning behavior	von Luschan scale
I	Very light or white, "Celtic" type[10]	Often	Occasionally	1–5
II	Light or light-skinned European[10]	Usually	Sometimes	6–10
III	Light intermediate or dark-skinned European[10]	Rarely	Usually	11–15
IV	Dark intermediate, also "Mediterranean" or "olive skin"[10]	Rarely	Often	16–21
V	Dark or "brown" type	No	Sometimes darkens	22–28
VI	Very dark or "black" type	No	Naturally black-brown skin

Sources

 

http://www.style.com/beauty/thelook/073010_Tanning/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/sun-care/spray-tanning2.htm

http://www.paradisislandtan.com/history.html