How Should Sunless Tanners Be Used?

Sunless tanners are meant to be a safe alternative to outdoor and indoor tanning. However, a new study published in JAMA Dermatology has found that most people who use sprays, creams, and lotions that give skin the glow of a suntan don’t take protective measures while outside in the sun and frequent indoor tanning beds.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of California, San Francisco looked at data from 27,353 males and females over the age of 18 who participated in the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. They found that 6.4 percent of participants used sunless tanning products and were likely to be young, white, female, educated, sun-sensitive, non-obese, living on the western side of the United States, and came from a family with a history of skin cancer. People who indulged in sunless tanning also frequented indoor tanning salons, experienced a recent sunburn, had undergone a full-body skin examination, and used sunscreen. They also had a tendency to not use protective clothing or long sleeves when outdoors.

Ultimately, the research demonstrated that sunless tanners are used as a tanning supplement to regular sun-based tanning practices, an issue which could be treated as a public health concern. "Most evidence supports that sunless tanning products are safe to use and do not cause skin cancer,” said study leader Matthew Mansh, MD, a dermatology resident at the University of Minnesota. “However, these products can only be effective at reducing skin cancer rates if they are able to help people disengage in risky behaviors such as indoor tanning or outdoor sunbathing. Our study casts doubt on whether that assumption is true and suggests that sunless tanning products could inadvertently reinforce desires to achieve tanned skin.”