// BLOG

Is There Such a Thing as a Healthy Tan?

February 22, 2012

While tanned skin is generally considered to look healthy in an outdoorsy sort of way, a tan is actually the skin’s response to sun damage. So, there really is no such thing as a healthy tan. However, sunless tanning products can provide skin with the healthy glow that many find so desirable without the sun’s damaging rays. The active ingredient in most of these tan-inducing products is a chemical called dihydroxyacetone, which was approved for use as a color additive for cosmetics more than three decades ago. Unlike skin “bronzers,” products containing dihydroxyacetone will neither wash off with water nor rub off on clothing. However, sunless tanning products with dihydroxyacetone will not protect the skin from the sun’s rays.

P.S. The higher the concentration of dihydroxyacetone in a sunless tanning product, the darker it will make the skin.

Laser Hair Removal

February 16, 2012

Unlike electrolysis, laser hair removal can treat large areas, making this method quicker and more cost-effective. The laser hair-removal technique works by sending a low-energy light beam through the skin to be absorbed by the dark pigment residing in the shafts of hair follicles. Those with dark hair and fair skin are the best candidates for laser hair removal because the contrast makes it easy for the laser to target the pigment. Lasers with longer wavelengths, such as the Nd:YAG lasers, have the ability to treat darker skin types, including African-American skin. In any case, because hair grows in cycles, repeated treatments are likely needed in order to destroy about 80 percent of the hairs.

P.S. Intense pulsed light (IPL) systems are also used for hair removal.

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