Right now, it’s extremely popular to have a glowing tan year in and year out. Whether it’s via lying out in the sun or encasing yourself in a tanning bed, it doesn’t matter where you get your UV rays, so long as you’re burnt to a lovely golden brown.
Of course, a tan is actually just a sign that your skin is damaged. And while you can make your skin look healthy after a tanning session, you can’t undo the internal damage caused by even one serious sunburn. While many people have begun using tanning skin lotions and bronzers to get the look without risking all that sun exposure, the use of tanning beds is still staggering. If you want to know how to look younger, you’ve got to put the kibosh on tanning for good, because all that sun exposure — even if it’s artificial — can cause you to look old way before your time.
Spending all your time under the sun — or bed, as the case may be — is a fast-track to wrinkles, age spots, and dry skin. Constant exposure to UV light prevents your body from being able to produce elastin and collagen, both of which help keep your skin firm and full, and allow your face to move without creating fine lines when you’re young. When you’re body isn’t able to complete these processes, you’re more likely to see wrinkles, sagging or thin skin, and a rougher skin texture.
In addition to all the ways that sun exposure can mess up just your complexion, UV rays are one of the main causes of malignant melanomas and various carcinomas. In other words, that tan that makes you look so good right now could someday be the cause of cancer. It’s not a great look; removing cancerous cells — even if they are contained and haven’t already spread within your body — can cause scarring and discoloration at the site of removal.
If you’ve already spent some time tanning, and need to make dry skin look healthy again, the first step is to begin using a hydrating cream all over in the morning and evening to give you back the hydration that the sun sapped. In addition to the skin lotions, you’ll probably want to begin — or continue — using anti aging skin care products to try to ward off any signs of premature aging. If you’ve already noticed fine lines or wrinkles due to your UV usage, an anti wrinkle cream can help reduce their appearance.
If you want to look 20 or 30 years older than you are, tanning is a good way to do it. But if you want to know how to look younger naturally, the answer is to stay out of the sun and protect yourself with SPF sunscreen. It’s the best thing you can do for your skin.
