Are spray tans as dangerous as UV tanning sessions? That is the latest question the skin-scare industry is raising ever since an ABC report on the safety of spray tanning aired. The answer, in short, is no. While id love to say that my answer comes from plain old basic common sense, the fact of the matter is: there are no facts! It's amazing what a flashy news show can do. It can scare you and make you fear for your health without providing one single shred of valid evidence supporting its case.
For example, the report and a follow up article in the September 2012 issue of Allure magazine state that dihydroxyacetone (or DHA, the ingredient that actually causes skin to darken) was "found to cause DNA damage in bacteria and cells". That's it. Seriously, that's all they say. So my immediate response is a) what does an effect on bacteria have to do with possible effects on humans and b) exactly WHAT cells? Human? Rat? Fruit fly? Sunflower? The fact that the type of cells are not specified lead me to an almost certain conclusion that they are not human.
They don't stop there. They go on to question the safety of self tanning creams. Their cause for alarm is the fact that IF creams containing DHA are absorbed below the superficial layer of skin and into the dermis or bloodstream, a reaction could occur that forms age accelerating compounds. Now, if you use a self tanning cream on, say, your face then you already know that it doesn't absorb that deeply. A couple of face washes and you either have to reapply or it wears off. Therefore, and this IS just plain common sense, it can't be absorbing that deeply into your skin. Throughout the report and article, we are given professional quotes from highly regarded dermatologists who leave us with such gems as "I'm not sure what to think" and "it's probably all safe" which leaves me with just one question: Why is ANYONE listening to this crap?
