If you’re like majority of the adult working population, who doesn’t have time to bask in the sun, using a spray-on to have glowing, tanned skin seems like an attractive option. Spray tans are a quicker, less time-consuming alternative to sun bathing or using a tanning bed. They provide an instant tan solution, giving you that bronze complexion you’ve always wanted to have.
Most tanning salons would claim that spray-ons will do you no harm, but do you know that these fast-acting tanning treatments are not completely safe for you? The startling fact is that it contains potentially toxic chemicals that may be dangerous for your health.
Identify the Dangers of Spray Tans
According to Associated Content, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that dihydroxyacetone or DHA, a color additive often used in spray tans, is harmful when applied improperly to humans.
DHA is actually made of some harmful chemicals –mercury, lead, and arsenic – that when sprayed onto the body can be very risky, based on an investigative report by CBS 3. Although it is approved by the US government for topical application in the skin, it has not been permitted by the FDA for spraying in tanning salons because of safety issues involved.
When DHA is inhaled or squirted into the body’s porous membranes, the chemicals can go into the bloodstream and can cause adverse reactions like:
• Dizziness
• Coughing
• Difficulty in breathing
• Fainting
• Rashes
Also, if sprayed without covering your eyes, nose and mouth, its effects could be harmful.
What’s more: exposure to high levels of chemicals found in DHA may be especially dangerous for a pregnant woman. Mercury and lead may cause autism and have an effect on brain development in the newborn baby.
Staying away from Spray Tanning Is the Better, Healthier Choice
With the risks that come with spray tanning, Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends that you avoid it completely. Aside from lead, mercury and arsenic, spray tanning solutions are made of various other ingredients or chemicals, whose safety may still be questionable.
He adds that if you’re pregnant, the more you should not use spray tans in order to protect your baby. That way, you wouldn’t expose your child to toxins that may have potential complications on his or her health.
The healthier choice, Dr. Mercola notes, is to get safe sun exposure or to use a safe tanning bed, both of which will give you healthful UVB and optimal Vitamin D levels that your body needs.
Go for the Real, Healthy Benefits of Sun Tanning
Spray tanning solutions may seem like a speedy way to get all that tan but they really just offer you superficial benefits. They help you have a “fake tan” in a matter of seconds but with a huge price: increased risks for you, without the natural, health benefits of the sun. So are you considering spray tans any time soon? Make sure you go for the one that’s safe for you.
