Claim: Is Self-Tanner Safe, and Should You Be Wearing It Overnight?

Question

Many people avoid going into the sun to tan due to health risk factors like skin cancer and sun spots. But is fake tanning healthier than going into the sun? Fake tanning involves a chemical process using dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which binds with the amino acids on the top layer of the skin to produce melanoidins. This article claims that it is the same chemicals that turn fruits brown when they go bad. The author believes that most products on the shelf are safe and don’t have any pronounced aging effects because the chemical only interacts with the top layer of skin which is composed of dead skin cells. She says the main cause of aging is free radicals interacting with collagen and elastin and doesn’t have any correlation to fake tanning in terms of speeding up aging. However, in another article, the author says she went to a dermatologist who spent hours removing little “brown-heads” that clogged her pores due to fake tan damaging the sebum and dead skin. Dr. Francesca Fusco, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai in New York explains how the DHA not only stains the pores but causes those free radicals to interact with molecules called Amadori products causing oxidation. This oxidation happens two times quicker than naturally occurring UV-generated free radicals and causes dark spots and oxidative stress which results in aging effects. They recommend combining fake tan with rich anti-oxidant moisturizer to reduce these effects. 

Answer 1

I think that the answer to this claim is objective based on the list of tanning products that are approved by the FDA. One thing that needs to be kept in mind, according to a recent study in JAMA Dermatology, tanning products must be used in correlation to the correct sun protection. It is important to remember that even the FDA-approved products do not provide protection from the sun, so therefore attention to detail is crucial when using these products. One active ingredient that could make-or-break whether or not suntan products are safe to use is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which reacts with dead skin cells to darken skin, but only can be used externally and can not be in contact with the human eyes, ears, or mouth.

https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/healtharticle.what-you-need-know-about-sunless-tanning

Comments

This is a very thought-out answer and I appreciate how you pointed out how objective this question is and depends on what products one is using.  Using Kaiser Permanente as a source is smart because it is a well-respected medical facility and has official answers from real doctors. I was able to easily find which paragraph in the article you referenced the studies and products. This is very well thought out.

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Your answer provides a solid foundation, but there are a few areas that could benefit from further clarification and expansion. FDA approval and sun protection: while it’s true that the FDA regulates certain tanning products, it’s important to note that the FDA primarily oversees the safety of these products as cosmetics, not their efficacy as sun protection. The FDA explicitly states that sunless tanning products do not provide UV protection. This distinction is crucial for users to understand to avoid misconceptions about their safety in the sun. JAMA Dermatology Study: The study you referenced highlights a critical point about the behavior of sunless tanner users. According to the study, individuals who use sunless tanning products may engage in risky sun-protection behaviors, such as not using sunscreen adequately. This underscores the importance of educating users about the need for proper sun protection even when using sunless tanners.

Answer 2

Since this is kind of a multi-part claim I will adress the two claims seperately.

First - Is Self Tanner safe? As the orginally article linked says that it is sfae due to the skin on the top being dead and the product being tested and not linking to any issues that have been reported yet. However, depending on the kind of self tanner it can be deemed safe or unsafe. According to Piedmont and Sarah Beer M.D self tanner is safe a slong as it contains DHA, as it is derived from plants and is approved by the FDA (https://www.piedmont.org/living-real-change/is-self-tanner-safer-than-the-sun#:~:text=She%20adds%20that%20sunless%20tanners,(FDA)%20for%20skin%20tanning.) the reason why they are safe is because it only gets the top layer of skin, and the UV from the sun can be much more damaging and even cause cancer. Therefore, comparitvly speaking (to the sun) self tanner is safer. If you are just asking about general use than as long as it is approved by the FDA then you should have no harm from self tanner unless you are allergic to one of the ingridents.

Second - Should you be wearing it overnight?

Each self tanner is different, and has a differently listed time frame to be left on. If the time frame is more than 24 hours it is very safe to assume that you can leave it on overnight, refer to this article for more information (https://consumerreports.org/health/is-self-tanner-safe-a3329623598/#:~:text=%22It's%20always%20best%20to%20follow,on%20your%20skin%20for%20longer.%22)

I will mark my answer as "True" because it is indeed safe to use self tanner, and to leave it on overnight if the timeframe suggests it.

Answer 3

According to Dr. Francesca Fusco, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai, in the article, "Maybe Self-Tanners Aren't So Great After All", DHA may stain pores, and "the usual cause of their dark appearance is due to free radicals, which are unstable atoms in the skin linked to acne and visible signs of aging". The article then goes on to explain how if one regularly uses self tanner, oxidation on the surface of your skin increases by nearly double. Therefore, this effect could be comparable to the negative implications of excessive sun exposure. However, what the above claim did not mention is that the study finding these oxidation levels was conducted with a solution of 20% DHA, which is highly uncommon. Most self-tanning products only include one to two percent DHA, proving the above claim to be misleading. 

According to Sarah Beer, M.D., in the Piedmont Healthcare article titled, "Is self-tanner safer than the sun?", sunless tanners are a safer option than exposing your skin to the sun because the self-tanners "tint the top layer of the skin that sloughs off in two to three weeks" as opposed to UV rays from the sun which could cause "cellular changes that can turn malignant or cancerous". Additionally, it is explained that DHA is deemed safe because it is plant derived and approved by the FDA for skin tanning. Although self-tanner might cause temporary changes to the skin, it is exaggerative to claim that it is just as unsafe or more unsafe than radiation from the actual sun. 

https://intothegloss.com/2019/08/self-tanners-and-skincare/

https://www.piedmont.org/living-real-change/is-self-tanner-safer-than-the-sun#:~:text=She%20adds%20that%20sunless%20tanners,(FDA)%20for%20skin%20tanning.

Answer 4

The title catches the readers’ attention, to question whether self-tanner is a safer alternative to sun tanning, or safe at all. I appreciated the inclusion of the chemical process and how it works, but without citing the source they got this information from it is hard to verify. The article linked is about nutrition and healthy eating, it does not mention self-tanning. In trying to find the answer to the original claim I found the original article on Consumer Reports. The article says “More than 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, and more than two people die of the disease every hour”, so it is no wonder so many people have turned to sunless tanning. Breaking down the chemical process of Maillard reaction, which is also what makes food like bread, brown during cooking, the article explains how self-tanner works. “The active ingredient in most self-tanners is dihydroxyacetone (DHA)”. The article goes on to say that DHA mostly reacts in the top layers of the skin, which are dead, so it is unlikely that any aging effect would occur. The bigger safety concern is inhalation, “cell damage is worse with repeated inhalation”. In terms of wearing self-tanner overnight, Wong says, “There aren’t really specific safety risks associated with leaving DHA… on your skin for longer”. In conclusion, the question posed can be answered, but not with the provided link. 

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/is-self-tanner-safe-a3329623598/