Oral Tanning

Technology and progress created new life styles and different ways for enjoy everyday living. Example for people who don’t have time to get enough tanning by the sun's UV radiation or by applying lotions or sprays and wait hours to dry and fade in few days, now they can use tablets or capsules that contains beta-carotene and canthaxanthin to give a natural-looking tan and they are divided to two main groups one that enhance our tan by producing melanin and other which claim to protect our skin from the sun and contains beta carotene.

People who seeks to be tanned and thinks UV radiation is unsafe and replace it with oral tanning they might be taking an unsafe decision because there are no such pills medically approved for this purpose. Even though the FDA recognized that the beta-carotene and canthaxanthin are generally classified as safe substances as they are used in a small quantities as a color additive in foods but has not yet approved it as tanning pills.

As mentioned in Daily Online on Dec. 9, 2014 there are several kinds of pills that improve our tan such as Tyrosine which include amino acid and Himanthalla elongata a kind of algae and non of these will affect our tan. Also some pills which claims to protect us from sun such as beta carotene and selenium are not accurate and its better to have beta carotene from fresh food.

Volunteers who consume 180 mg/day of beta-carotene for 10 weeks showed no toxicity, but this is not safe nor its a healthy way and should be instructed to take enough precautions against exposure because its not 100% accurate that beta carotene protect us from UV radiation.

Many disadvantages have been shown after taking oral tanning such as discoloration of the stool, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, presence of rectal bleeding also the most common non-dermatologic adverse effects include nausea, cramps, diarrhea and a deposition of crystals in the eye were discovered. The FDA has received reports of drug-induced hepatitis and a case of severe itching and scar that may have been related to oral tanning products.

If you want to get tanned my advice is to follow the instructions and never go over the recommended time or quantity prescribed. The safest and healthiest way to get tanned is avoid artificial tanning because they harm your health and skin, and according to experts the best way to avoid damaging the skin is to avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest and try to keep your skin covered, also apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF15 and keep in mind that the less UV radiation and any artificial way of tanning the better it is for a healthier skin over long time.