Airbrush tanning - develop a great tan in seconds

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The airbrush tanning system in its simplest form, is the distributing of a tan colour to the skin utilising air compressors and an airbrush delivery system. The compressor forces air out through the end of an airbrush which holds the solution in a separate chamber. As the air rushes past it collects small quantities of the solution which are then deposited onto the skin. Some airbrush tanning systems take this process a step further and have developed technology that polarizes the tanning solutions used - this in effect turns the fine spray into tiny little magnets. Our body's natural magnetic fields then draw these fine particles to the skin creating an evenly distributed colour.

The active ingredient is dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and most airbrushing solutions also contain a further external bronzer which begins to show immediately as soon as they have been sprayed. This aids the application as the areas that have already been treated are visible. Therefore the initial colour of the skin is determined by the formulation of the bronzer used. A poor bronzer formulation can result in those unflattering shades of orange.

Pay attention because here comes the science bit...

The skin is split into two layers: on the outside is what is known as the epidermis and then we have the dermis on the inside.

After a session all the action and reactions occur at the epidermis level, specifically at the stratum corneum layer - the skin cells here are dead buy the way. DHA once applied reacts with the amino acids contained in the dead skin cells to give rise to a brown pigment called melanoidin which is linked by lysine chains to the proteins contained in the skin. It should be noted that DHA does not infiltrate any further than the stratum corneum. The down side to this reaction is that dead skin cells are lost everyday and more sessions are needed.

Solutions used in these systems very rarely contain any sunscreens to protect the skin from UV exposure and do not help in the production of vitamin D. So remember to apply a sunscreen when you decide to go out.

What are the Pros and Cons of Airbrush Tanning?

Let us look at the pros:

• The skin is not exposed to the sun, so there is no risk of damage from ultra-violet light i.e sun burn, skin cancer or premature aging

• People very rarely have the time to juggle themselves between work, travel and family. With an session only taking on average 25-30mins people can finally work "looking good" in to their already crammed lifestyle.

• Self tan products more often than not have to be applied by hand. No matter how careful we are though there always seems to be that inevitable streak or "missed bit." - this is not the case with this type of applcation.

• This sunless option is the only one open to those who fall under the Skin Type 1 category. Use of commercial self tanners is often too obvious on this skin type, while tanning beds have been deemed unsafe for use with that skin type.

• Airbrushing goes on well over an existing tan and has the added benefit of eliminating any unsightly tan lines.

• Our knees and elbows and certain skin blemishes are parts of our body where the skin is thicker and therefore absorb more of the DHA leading to blotchiness. The precision of this method allows for the amount of solution applied to these areas to be controlled.

• Although they are based on similar technology - professional airbrushing surpasses the use of booths. Users of booths are required to perform a set of contortions within the booth during the tanning processes to ensure an even application. Other areas where booths fall short is that the hair needs to be covered which can lead to the tanning solutions collecting around the hairline and neck.

• From regular airbrush sessions we get ourselves into the habit of exfoliating and moisturizing to prolong our golden tan. At the same time we do not realise that often the general condition of our skin also begins to improve from this extra care and attention

The cons:

• There are a lot of places where not everyone is fortunate enough to have a salon near them, let alone one that carries this tanning technology.

• It has been know to hear of people fainting during airbrushing. This can occur when the knees are locked while standing for extended periods of time.

• As you know the airbrush system utilises compressed air which is dangerous around the eyes.

• Due to the need for a large element of human contact when administering the tan there is the concern of liability issues.

• Tanning solutions contain the active ingredient dihydroxyacetone which can rub off and stain clothing - silk, nylon and even leather. The other material to watch out for is wool - its scratchy texture can wear away at your new tan.

• There have been cases of allergic reactions to dihydroxyacetone. A possible alternative ingredient to DHA is eythrulose.

• And then there is the one we cannot predict.the possibility that the person on the other end of the airbrush lacking experience. Look for reviews on salons in your area and keep your ears open.

Question sent to pinkfridge.co.uk - please contact us if you have specific questions regarding the information we provide on this site.

Q - (Based in San Francisco) I have a question more than a comment. But I am sure there are other women out there who are also wondering the same thing. So I would like to start tanning using the Airbrush method. But do that I have to stand in a booth and have the cream sprayed on me. I can't select the different areas I want to be tanned with means my face will also be sprayed with the cream.

Now the complicated part.

I have acne, adult acne, not severe but enough to have applying acne medication and avoiding all cosmetics with Oil in them. Would spray tanning increase my risk of breaking out. Will it interact with the bleaching ingredients which might be found in my acne medication?

A - Finding the answer to this question has been interesting and tricky, but this the advice I have received:

From medical specialists, I have been told that most tanning products will not help your skin condition so it is best not to use it on your face.  They could not be more specific than that because they do not know what acne treatment you are using.

On the positive side, I have found a product that, according to the manufacturers of the product, will be safe to use on your face regardless of what medication you are using for your acne. 

The product is called MagicTan (MagicTan is not affiliated in any way with pinkfridge.co.uk).  It is produced in New Zealand but is widely available in the United States the United Kingdom and many parts of the world see http://www.magictancorp.com/consumer/find_international_salon.asp.  If you do want to have the airbrush tan done, I would suggest that you have it done at a professional salon and one that uses MagicTan. I would also suggest that you let them know upfront that you have acne and tell them about the medication you are using.

This is the website you can use to find the closest MagicTan Salon to you in San Francisco: http://www.magictancorp.com/. You can find the LOCATION button on the left hand side of the first page and then from there find the closest salon to you. Or go directly to this page - http://www.magictancorp.com/consumer/find_salon_spa.asp

The advice we got from the manufacturers in New Zealand is that the product is safe and the only effect your acne medication may have (if you are using a tablet) is that the tan can sometimes come out a little patchy (but that also depends on the person). This obviously means that it will not effect acne medication applied externally.

I hope this helps.  Please let us know if you want us to do more research for you.

NOTE - Please understand on completing this reseach we were only able to get a precise answer to the question from MagicTan at the time of the enquiries. This does not mean that MagicTan is the only product that is the solution to the question raised.

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