A little bit of history and info...

So obviously we know that sunless tanning works by creating pigment in the top layer of one's skin, the stratum corneum to be exact. But what exactly is it and how does it happen? How long have we been using this method of achieving a "temporary" yet safe tan?

There are so many products out on the market these days including tanning pills, self-tanners, and of course airbrush tanning sprays. People have been tanning via topical application since 1960, when Coppertone released the first sunless-tanning product they called QT, or Quick Tanning lotion. It gave a ridiculous orange hue according to the article you can read here http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/sun-care/question639.htm. Of course, many changes and advancements have been made and we are now in a place where you can literally spray or wipe on a beautiful bronze glow or a deep dark tan. The usual recommendation is to leave on the solution for at least 4 hours. We always recommend at least 8 unless a tan accelerator is used in conjunction with the spray application.

So as explained in a previous blog of mine, DHA is the main active ingredient in sunless tanning lotions and sprays. We use a spray that also contains erythrolose, which leads to a red-brown color instead of the orange-brown hue from the DHA. In perfect combination, they balance each other out to create that amazing deep dark tan or that fabulous bronze glow, which will last for an average of 7-10 days. The reason it only lasts about a week or so is because every day millions of dead skin cells are sloughed off the surface of the skin. Every 35 to 45 days, you generate an entirely new epidermis. So as you lose skin cells, there goes your tan. So hence "reapplication" every week or so, if you want to keep your color. :)

Here is an excerpt from an article on sunboattan.com regarding the history of DHA;
"DHA was first used as an active ingredient during research on the treatment of diabetics, some of whom tolerated DHA better than glucose.
In 1957 the tanning properties of DHA were discovered in a children's hospital. DHA was administered orally as a treatment of a childhood glycogen storage disease. The doctor noticed that children that spit up some of the DHA mixture developed brown spots where the DHA splashed on the skin. The doctor experimented by rubbing the mixture on her own skin. She tanned as well. The first scientific papers on DHA were published in 1960. DHA's physicochemical properties, tanning mechanics and skin tolerance have been explored since these studies resulting in an improved method of application, a more natural looking and more uniform tan. Present day production of DHA still relies on fermentation, as it did in the late 1800's."

New Featured Partner - the Spa at Morgan Run!!

Sunless Revolution San Diego is very proud to announce that it has partnered up with and is offering services through the Spa at Morgan Run in Rancho Santa Fe. As stated on their website:

"The Spa at Morgan Run offers a relaxing ambience with wonderful aromas and soothing music that takes you to a place of pure bliss. With zen gardens and plush, extra wide, heated beds, we turn an hour massage into a mini vacation. Our exquisite spa menu includes a variety of massages, facials, body wraps and body scrubs. This magnificent facility provides a delightful and unique setting to celebrate couples, connections and corporations."

We will be offering 2 services in their facility. One will be a Basic Tan and the other is an Ultimate Tan Package. We will offer "in-spa" as well as "in-room" services in the hotel. There will be a $15 in room charge.

We are very excited about this new partnership and are happy to extend the information your way!!

Suffering from Pale Skin due to the new ban...

If you are younger than 18 in California, you just automatically became a member in a club you might not like. You have no say and there is nothing you can do to get out of it. So what do you do? And what is this club?

Well, this club is one that bans anyone under the age of 18 from tanning indoors using any form of UV tanning. You can’t even have written consent from your parents or guardians anymore. And the thing is, this is being done because it’s safer!! This is because indoor UV tanners are 74% more likely to develop Melanoma than ones who never have tanned indoors, and the younger you start, the higher the risk!!

Senator Ted W. Lieu has proposed what has become the nation's strictest tanning law yet and on October 9, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill replacing the Filante Tanning Facility Act of 1988. That bill stated any minor between 14 and over, could tan indoor with the permission of a parent or a guardian. This law will go into effect in January 2012 and that leaves few options for teenagers in need of amazing tans for formals, prom, and homecoming. There is always the over-the-counter lotions and sprays. This is an ok method, if you know what you are doing, but the other alternatives are automated sunless tanning booths and custom airbrush tanning. Both of these methods have become much more affordable with the ever growing popularity of sunless tanning. 

Automated sunless tanning booths or spray tan booths, can run between $15-$30 per session. There are always specials and packages to purchase of course. The average airbrush session costs between $40-$60. Again, you can always find specials and packages. If you are in San Diego, our custom airbrush sessions start at $25 and go up from there. This is due to the selection of add-ons we have available for a session. It’s super affordable and the results are unparalleled!

A Bride's Night Out at FLUXX and Sunless Revolution will be there!

Exclusive event being held for brides and guests! Come join us on August 17th for an evening of pampering, music, entertainment, a fashion show, drinks and more at the hottest nightclub in the nation! Get an up-do, make up application, facial tanning and much more! Try the latest in photobooths with EPOD talking photobooth! Delicious food provided by El Comal. Music provided by Mobile Music Plus and Israel Maldonado. See beautiful gowns in the fashion show by The Little White Dress. Learn the latest trends in weddings and in beauty at the best venue in the industry!

There will be many opportunities throughout the evening to win amazing prizes. The prizes will include a series of 6 microdermabrasion facials, nutritional coaching with a personal training session, a basket of makeup goodies, an engagement session, a tanning package for you + 2, dinner to El Comal, and MUCH more! Come and meet some of San Diego’s hottest vendors, while enjoying a night out!

Tickets are available now and you are welcome to purchase a ticket for a guest as well. Just click the link below! Hope to see you there!

http://abridesnightout.eventbrite.com?ref=eweb

Why you should avoid deodorant before your spray tan

So every once in a blue moon, someone will have a strange discoloration under their arms or where they had on some silver jewelry, immediately during or following their spray tan session.

The former is extremely common, as some ingredient in spray tanning solutions, react with the skin to cause a greenish tint if deodorant has been applied. This is "thought" to be due to the raising of the pH, creating a more acidic environment. The acidic environment just happens to change the skin to a shade of green. As I have explained in the past, changes in skin's pH will affect the results of a spray tan session, but I am still looking into what exactly the reaction is here.

This can also happen with other products, on occasion. I just recently had a client who had had on a silver necklace right before her session. She had taken the necklace off, and where it had been resting on her skin, a light green line started forming almost immediately. It seems that it was the same reaction like when you wear a silver ring and it turns the area under the ring green! This reaction is one of more acidic skin with the small amount of copper that is usually added to silver, to help make the metal harder. Silver is really a very soft metal. That is why it is usually stamped .925, which is 92.5% silver, and more often than not, 7.5% copper. Why it turned green after the application of the spray tan....??? 

I am still investigating all of this. What I want to guess is that some ingredient in the spray tanning solution is reacting with a metal found as an ingredient in the deodorant and jewelry. Obviously, we know copper to be culprit of turning skin a lovely hue of green, when either .925 silver or another metal with copper as an ingredient is removed from the skin. Now Im just trying to pinpoint the ingredient in the deodorant, specifically, and what it is reacting with in the solution. I think this will be very important information, as maybe the ingredient is found in other things, as well.

Keep checking back, as I will update with findings, once i have some. :)

Let's talk about pH...and your tan

So Im sure most people don't think what is going on in their life or their day would really have any effect on the spray tan they are about to go and get. WRONG!! It has everything to do with your spray tan.

When you think about getting a spray tan, you probably don't take into consideration that your skin is the largest external organ you have, and a lot of things affect it. It's very moody. Considering this is what you are actually spray tanning, there are a few things you should be aware of. A huge factor in how your skin reacts to a spray tan is your skin's pH. Your skin's pH affects how irritated it gets, how well it ages, and how well it deals with product and environmental stressors.

When we are born, we have a neutral pH of 7. This number adjusts within a few months to what is termed "normal" skin pH - 4.5-5.5. This helps it to become more bacteria resistant. When the skin pH is over 6.0, it can have a lot of problems killing bacteria. Things like skin diseases and stressed skin, lead to the skin having difficulty maintaining a normal pH. This can put it over 6.0 and lead to a lot of surface issues, one of which is acne. Another result of a high skin pH is Staphylococcus colonization. Again, this is due to the skin not being able to fend off bacteria.

Things that can affect your skin's pH are hormones as well as stress, environment, and cleansers. Your hormones are key as they regulate your whole body. When you are menstruating, pregnant, or menopausal, you have a serious amount of hormones raging through your body. Just think about how sensitive you are to everything, as well as how sensitive your skin might become to the sun and certain cleansers. This is the same with getting a spray tan. I, personally, experienced this when on my period. I noticed that when not using a pH balancing prep product, the upper area of both my thighs, as well as my arms, both didn't hold a tan and started to fade roughly. When going through my cycle but using a pH balancing prep product, my tan came out perfect. I also experimented with this on a friend. She was having her period and didn't use a pH prep spray. Her arms came out with white spots on them and her tan started fading very roughly. We tanned her on her cycle with a pH prep, and she came out just fine. I can really only draw one thing from this-the pH is affected by your hormones, which in turn leads to uneven spray tans. The only way to combat this is to first balance the pH on the skin's surface, and then spray with the tanning solution.

Similar things can happen if you use very harsh, irritating cleansers, or even cleansers containing any type of oils or moisturizers. The former of the two will dry out the skin leading to moisture loss and increased irritation. This can lead to uneven exfoliation of the skin, which leads to uneven spray tanning patterns. This is why we recommend an exfoliator, which is oil free, but not too harsh to destroy the skin's mantle. When you destroy the mantle, it can take up to 14 days for it to repair itself and to get the skin's pH back down to normal. Repeated damage  and irritation, can permanently damage the skin's mantle and leave the skin's pH up above 6. A mildly abrasive exfoliator will take off the dry layers of skin on the very top layers, to give you the perfect tan, without over stripping or over irritation. Using a cleanser with oils or moisturizers can form a barrier which can block out DHA absorption, leading to an uneven spray tan.

There are also different skin conditions which lead to an off-set in the pH: dry skin, dermatitis, and eczema. There are also systemic diseases which can do the same: diabetes, renal failure, and lupus are a few. I hope all this information is helpful. Please keep it in mind when scheduling your next session!!

Don't forget the other crucial step.....MOISTURIZE!!!

So, we've covered the most crucial pre-sunless step of exfoliation, now we cover the most crucial post-sunless step - MOISTURIZING!! You've got to do it! This is essential to how well your tan will look throughout it's life. It may be a very short life, 7-12 days, but it can be a great one as long as the proper steps are taken. When your skin is dry, it is shedding itself and flaking off. This is what causes your tan to fade and disappear quickly.

Now there are many different kinds of moisturizers to choose from. Everyone will have their preference of what they want to use. I'm going to start by saying that after you get a sunless tan, you should be using a tan enhancing lotion to help maximize and extend the life of your tan. There are quite a few out on the market, but I can suggest Mystic Tan's Prestige line, Boost. This is currently what we carry. It is super hydrating and contains many "good-for-your-skin" ingredients. It also is very lightly fragranced, which adds a nice touch. One tube retails for $26; we offer a discount to our clients, and you will get about 3-4 tans worth out of one tube. When I say 3-4 tans, I mean if you use the lotion as suggested by us, it will last through 3-4 sessions with us.

We will be carrying a brand new line, beginning in about 3 weeks. The brand is Evolv by Sunless Inc., who are the creators of Mystic Tan, and will go hand in hand with the new Evolv Sidekick by Sunless Inc. airbrush machine. The moisturizer contains aloe vera and tea tree oil, to name a few, as well as being a tan enhancing moisturizer. It is also lightly fragranced and will last you just as long, 3-4 tans worth.

After you tan, when you should be moisturizing double time, the tan extending moisturizer can be used once a day and supplemented in the evening with another super hydrating lotion. Or vice versa - use a lotion with SPF during the day, like Vaseline Aloe Vera and SPF 15 and the tan extending lotion in the evening before bed. The combination of the two, will ensure you get the lasting results you are looking for in a sunless tan. Choosing not to moisturize, is what will cause your tan to fade out a lot quicker. Just keep that in mind; the drier your skin, the quicker it flakes and therefore the quicker you lose your amazing color.