Before finally getting to know measures to maintain a sunless tan, it would be helpful and ideal if the natural coloration process in the skin would be further and more clearly understood. As you see, tan is produced when the skin produces enough melanin that gives the skin its rosy or brownish color. The more the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from artificial sources like UV lamps in tanning beds and booths, the more it produces melanin and the more tanned the skin would appear. Sunbathing and indoor tanning at tanning beds produce melanin in the basal layer, which is the deepest part of the skin epidermis.

In sunless tanning, melanin production and coloration is done at a shallower stratum corneum, which is the outer part of the skin epidermis. To understand sunless tanning more, be informed that sunless tanning products prompt skin coloration through interaction of basic ingredients with the skin's dead cells, which are abundant in the outer skin layer.

Practical guidelines for sunless tan maintenance

Thus, with that basic understanding of sunless tanning occurrence and effect to the skin, it would be easier to understand and set sunless tan maintenance measures. Here are some simple and practical tips on how to do so.

• Once the tan manifests signs of fading, you could immediately re-apply your particular sunless skin tanning product. If you are satisfied with the tan you have got, then continue using the product. If you want more, or if the tan was too much, try other forms. Sunless tanning products can be in creams, gels, sprays and lotions. Usually, sunless tans last about a week. Wearing off a dead skin cells is natural and inevitable, so there is nothing you can do to prevent fading of sunless tan. Maintenance, however, is as easy as getting it initially.
• Hydrate your skin always from inside and out. Do not let your skin run and feel dry. At the same time, maintain skin hydration by drinking adequate water and juices. Keeping the skin hydrated somehow helps slow wearing off of dead skin cells. And if dead skin cells are kept for prolonged duration, so is sunless skin tan.
• Avoid exfoliating the skin while aiming to prolong or maintain the sunless tan. Skin products with alcohol and strong cleansing bases are not ideal for sunless tan maintenance.

Alternative use of a bronzer

There is one alternative the usual forms of sunless tanning. That is the use of bronzer. If you are keen on maintaining sunless tan, bronzer can pose a good option for you. Unlike all other forms and techniques to getting a sunless tan, bronzers are temporary skin tanning. To set the difference, all other sunless tanning products give out a desired skin coloration that would last for about a week, whereas bronzer would only last until it is washed off from the skin.

Thus, bronzer could be a great sunless tanning alternative. Bronzers are usually moisturizers and powders that are applied on the skin to give the skin surface an appearance as if it had undergone a normal tanning process. Good thing about bronzer is that it is washed off once the skin is washed through sweating, taking a shower or bathing.

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