The skin on most areas of your legs is thicker and harder than the rest of your body and ultraviolet (UV) rays can't easily penetrate it. The skin here is also dryer, resulting in quicker exfoliation of the outer layers. On top of that, dry skin deflects UV light, making the whole tanning process less effective.
Compared to the rest of the body, skin on the legs does not produce the same amount of melanin, which results in legs getting less tan. Skin on the legs is thicker and harder and the UV light from the sun or sunbeds cannot easily penetrate it.
The skin on your legs has a different depth and texture than the rest of your body so it might not take as well to tanner.
Notoriously awkward places to tan include the face, knees, elbows and back. For a professional looking fake tan it is essential that you don't miss out these places when applying your sunless tanning product. Applying fake tan to your face is easy when you know how!
Your face and upper body are more likely to receive direct sun - that is, sun that hits your skin at a 90 degree angle. Your legs, on the other hand, get sunlight at a shallow angle for most of the day, and only get direct sunlight at dawn and dusk when it's less intense.
Previous research by Rees has confirmed what sun worshippers already knew: that the upper back is much more likely to tan than the legs, and that the outsides of the arms go brown far quicker than the insides.
The skin on your legs is thicker and has less melanin than other body parts, meaning it takes more time and effort to achieve the desired tan. Blood circulation in your legs can be less efficient, resulting in slower tanning.
“Darker-skinned people tan more deeply when compared to those who have lighter skin. People having lighter skin tones cannot create enough amount of melanin pigment,” Dr Kapoor added.
Type IV – Brown skin color, brown hair, and brown eyes, tans more than average, rarely burns, and rarely freckles. Common ethnic background: the Mediterranean, Southern European, Hispanic.
Asians in general have more melanin and more numerous melanocytes in the skin compared to Caucasian skin. Even fair-skinned Asians have more melanocytes than most Caucasians. These pigment-producing cells or melanocytes in Asians tend to be more sensitive to ultraviolet light (UV), such as the sun and tanning booths.
The skin on most areas of your legs is thicker and harder than the rest of your body and ultraviolet (UV) rays can't easily penetrate it. The skin here is also dryer, resulting in quicker exfoliation of the outer layers. On top of that, dry skin deflects UV light, making the whole tanning process less effective.
The glow provided by a tan can make a face look more vibrant and therefore youthful. A tan can also help make muscles look more toned and more well defined. Today, having a tan is associated with people that have an active, outdoor lifestyle. A tan therefore makes people look healthier and fit.
Currently, no safe or proven method exists to increase melanin – the pigment, or color, in a person's skin, hair, and eyes. A person's genetics determine their natural melanin levels and skin color. In general, people who have darker skin tones have more melanin than those with lighter skin tones.
Spray tanning with hairy legs is absolutely your personal choice. However, bear in mind, excessive hair can hinder an even tan. It's recommended to remove unwanted body hair before the session for better results.
Golden skin tones are medium skin tones. This skin tone is usually seen in people of Asian and Southern European ethnic descent.
Pale or white skin burns easily and tans slowly and poorly: it needs more protection against sun exposure. Darker skin burns less and tans more easily. It is also more prone to develop postinflammatory pigmentation after injury (brown marks).
Fair Skin Is Capable of Tanning, Too. As the summer sun starts to heat up, people flock to the beach to work on their summer tan. For the longest time it was believed that people with fair skin and red hair were only capable of turning tomato red under sun.
According to a study called “Shades of beauty,” light brown skin tones are often the most physically attractive skin color (Frisby et al., 2006). They used four models for that study. They did not change the skin tone, but they imaged each model to three different skin tones: light, medium, and dark.
Individuals with fair skin have a low production of melanin, which increases their sensitivity to the sun's rays. This skin type is particularly prone to sunburn and often struggles to tan. However, it's not impossible for fair skin to achieve a slight tan.
Accordingly, ratings were elicited for both the "untanned" (n = 6,228) and tanned (n = 8,988) versions of the photos. The authors analyzed the data in one of three ways, all of which yielded the same conclusion: tanned individuals were perceived as more attractive than their untanned versions.
Get Bronzed
For good reason. Spray tans make you and your gorgeous legs instantly slimmer - we think at least 5 kilograms lighter!). Spray tans are so fantastic they hide lumps and bumps (see you later cellulite!) making your legs appear lean and toned.