Mood-Enhancing Endorphins Sun exposure triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that promote feelings of happiness and reduce stress.
UV ray exposure releases endorphins in your body, which promotes a sense of well-being, a “feel good” emotion. Along with that, you get a healthy dose of vitamin D, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system. It makes sense why tanning makes us feel good!
In addition to just feeling better about yourself because you are pleased with your appearance, having a tan may actually make you feel better physically, because exposure to ultraviolet light stimulates vitamin D production.
The allure lies in the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals triggered by exposure to UV rays. When you're basking under those warm lights, your brain gets a surge of these mood-enhancing chemicals, creating a euphoric sensation.
Emotional effects such as relaxation, enhanced mood, stress relief, and improved energy are other commonly cited reasons for indoor tanning (Feldman et al., 2004; Kourosh, Harrington, & Adinoff, 2010; Stapleton, Turrisi, Hillhouse, Robinson, Abar, 2010).
The researchers theorize that UV exposure leads to the release of chemicals in the brain called endorphins that are linked to both pain relief and euphoric feelings. "A more relaxed and less tense mood was reported after UV exposure compared to after non-UV exposure," said Feldman.
Getting enough vitamin D from tanning beds isn't possible.
The bulbs used in tanning beds emit mostly UVA light; however, your body needs UVB light to make vitamin D. To get vitamin D safely, board-certified dermatologists recommend that healthy adults get vitamin D from their diet.
The professional indoor tanning industry promotes and teaches what we refer to as The Golden Rule of Smart Tanning: Don't ever sunburn. The indoor tanning industry has been more effective at teaching sunburn prevention than those who promote complete sun avoidance.
Similarly to how dark clothes can help you look slim, a tan can bring definition to the body, helping you look and feel thinner. Areas of the body that you tend to worry over and feel self-conscious of can become more defined with a spray tan and help you to look your very best.
Health Benefits
Several health benefit claims such as improved appearance, enhanced mood, and increased vitamin D levels have been attributed to tanning. Furthermore, the Indoor Tanning Association claims that “catching some rays may lengthen your life” [5].
In Japan, Spain, and Brazil, the majority of individuals featured in “beautiful woman” images had type I skin – the lightest tone of all. In the U.S. images, the most common skin tone was type II. Meanwhile, type III was the most common tone for “beautiful woman” images in France and Russia.
It makes you look slimmer
A bronzed tan helps to define muscles, creating a slimmer, more toned silhouette without stepping foot in the gym. For extra definition, contour your tan in key areas such as around cheek bones, under your triceps and on your abs to look more defined.
Tanning releases endorphins that make you feel good (similar to when you work out). These endorphins are released naturally when your body is exposed to the rays. Additionally, while you're in the process of getting tan, the warm, soothing experience feels amazing.
People may feel that a tan makes them look good and that a tan looks "healthy." But being exposed to the light from tanning beds isn't safe. The light from a tanning device can cause skin cancer. Tanning devices are linked to basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and the most serious type of cancer, melanoma.
Soaking up some rays can brighten your day — literally and figuratively. This is because exposure to sunlight triggers a boost in serotonin, one of your brain's "feel-good" chemicals.
Sunbeds are great for stress relief
Responsible use of sunbeds may increase the production of endorphins, a group of “happy hormones” manufactured in the brain and released in the body elevating your mood. The temporary feeling of calm and relaxed could help to relieve stress levels.
Tanning Sessions Can Reduce Weight
Being exposed to sources of UV-light ensures that the metabolism in a person's body is increasing. This is done so by nudging the thyroid gland for being even more active. This increase in the metabolism more often than not reflects in a substantial weight loss for you.
A tan can certainly help to camouflage cellulite if you have fair skin, but we don't recommend using sun exposure to darken your skin, since too much exposure to UV rays can weaken the fibers of the skin, making the cellulite look worse and causing other skin problems.
Essentially, tanning brings out character in the muscle groups, and by doing so, highlights the muscle definition. Basically the darker your skin the more defined your muscles look, giving the impression you are distinctly toned.
Opt for Gentle, Moisturizing Products: Avoid harsh soaps and scrubs right after tanning. Instead, use a mild, hydrating body wash to prevent dryness and peeling, which can dull your tan. Pat Dry, Don't Rub: Vigorous towel drying can be too abrasive. Patting your skin dry is gentler and helps avoid exfoliating too much.
If you want to tan in the least harmful way, we recommend you to get in the sun for 20 minutes every 3 hours. Use the morning sun before 10 o'clock, and afternoon sun, after 4 o'clock. This way you will get a perfect and healthy tan!
There is also strong evidence suggesting that exposure to UV rays, both UVA and UVB, can cause skin cancer. UV radiation may promote skin cancer in two different ways: By damaging the DNA in skin cells, causing the skin to grow abnormally and develop benign or malignant growths.
Tanning, whether through natural sunlight or tanning studios, has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of SAD by providing a much-needed dose of sunlight and boosting mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. This underscores the therapeutic potential of controlled tanning for individuals affected by seasonal mood variations.
A lack or scarcity of sunlight exposure leads to vitamin D deficiency (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). Adults who use tanning beds that emit vitamin D3–producing UVB radiation (17, 19, 21) should be able to make vitamin D3 in their skin and increase the circulating 25(OH)D concentrations.
Indoor tanning speeds up skin aging
Indoor tanning is known to cause wrinkles, brown spots and thick leathery skin. Indoor tanning ages your skin 3 times faster than sunlight: indoor tanning can emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than sunlight.