How Does Skin Tan?

Skin tanning is a popular activity especially if you live in a place that is near the beach.  However, have you ever wondered how skin tans? Well, if you haven’t, here are the facts and essential things that you have to know about the whole process of getting natural golden brown skin.

The Process

Although you might not notice it, the whole process of tanning actually begins as soon as you first step out under the sun. Your exposure to the sun signals the start of the whole process.

Your Body’s Response

If you do not know, your body has its own way of maintaining equilibrium or balance in connection to your body’s different systems. It naturally protects your body from external factors that stimulate your body. This scope of protection also involves your body’s largest organ, your skin.

When you are exposed to natural sunlight, UV rays penetrate your skin. At the same time, these UV rays also start breaking down DNA in your body. Thus, your body reacts so it can protect itself and to interfere with having further body damage.

This defensive reaction can vary, but one thing’s certain, your body produces melanin.  The more melanin you have in your body, the darker your skin becomes.  However, you also get to have extra sun protection. Thus, if you are the type of person who loves being under the sun or have been accustomed to staying under it for a number of hours, then you are also they type of person who can stay under the sun longer without having to worry about getting sunburn.

However, if you want to have good results, understand that you have to take things gradually. It’s better for you to tan for just a little bit every time you go out. You should also have some protection. Thus, you should use sunscreen.

What Is Melanin?

Basically, melanin is produced by your skin so that you won’t be susceptible to sun damage. As soon as you are hit with the sun’s UV rays, whether from the natural sun or a tanning bed, your body would automatically protect itself from the UV rays by melanin production. This is achieved by cells in your body, called melanocytes. However, each melanocyte only produces a certain amount of melanin at a time. In fact, there are some people whose melanocytes produce only a little amount of melanin. There are also those that do not produce any at all.

There are people who have extremely sensitive skin and if you are one of them, you shouldn’t expose yourself to the sun, any more than necessary especially without any kind of protection. Actually, everybody has approximately the same amount of melanocyte cells inside their body. However, only those that have skin that is above “Skin Type I” would have these kind of cells, which has excess melanin to give your body a tan.

Are Melanin Cells Too?

Melanin is not a cell. It’s actually the pigment of your skin. Your melanocytes are the cells and they generally produce two kinds of pigments. One would be Phaeomelanin, which is a yellow or red color; Eumelanin, which is colored brown.

If you have red hair, your skin would be producing more of the Phaeomelanin substance compared to the amount of eumelanin. However, melanin pigments are not naturally produced by most people that have fair skin. The only time that they can produce it is through the help of the sun’s activation. This is also the reason why some people who get a fairly good tan, can still end up having white skin if they do not get any more sun exposure.

How About Those With Dark Skin?

However, if you are not of Caucasian origin, your body’s melanin production would still continue even if your skin does not get any kind of regular sun exposure. The darker your skin tone the more amount of melanin is produced by your body. Your skin has also better adaptation skills when exposed to the sun in long durations. Even if you have a really dark skin pigment, you could still get sunburn from overexposure to the sun, but you would still get better protection compared to lighter skinned people.