Today, having a tan is associated with people that have an active, outdoor lifestyle. A tan therefore makes people look healthier and fit. Pale skin is often associated with sickness (e.g. anaemia) which is another, indirect reason why a tan makes people seem healthier.
A tan skin tone is often considered attractive because it is associated with an active lifestyle, health, and vitality. Cultural influences, including media representation and advertising, contribute to this perception. Moreover, tanned skin can enhance contrast with lighter features, making it visually appealing.
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.
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.
Tans became popular when Coco Chanel went on a Mediterranean cruise in 1923. She accidentally got too much sun, but the French fashion press assumed that she was making a strong fashion statement. Because of her influential status in the fashion industry, others accepted her accident as the new in vogue fashion.
From a historical perspective, tanning as a fashion trend is a relatively new phenomenon, first noted in the 20th century. Earlier, pale skin was often perceived as a mark of beauty, wealth, and refinement, whereas tanned skin was considered to be typical of manual laborers.
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.
In the Western world (for the past century or so), acquiring a tan has often appealed to those with the palest skin, who may have been teased for looking “pasty” and wanted to appear healthier and wealthier. (Ironically, this is the skin type most at risk for developing skin cancer.)
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.
Natalie Portman is known for her perfectly clear and radiant complexion, her skin seems to glow so naturally. The star insists on the importance of drinking a lot of water every day to keep the skin moisturized and fresh.
“Work in our lab has shown that darkly pigmented skin has far better function, including a better barrier to water loss, stronger cohesion, and better antimicrobial defense, and we began to ponder the possible evolutionary significance of that,” said Peter Elias, MD, professor of dermatology.
A new study by Missouri School of Journalism researcher Cynthia Frisby found that people perceive a light brown skin tone to be more physically attractive than a pale or dark skin tone.
So how does a tan make you look thinner? Not only does it cover any signs of cellulite or skin creases, but it also gives definition to areas that usually look slightly less defined.
In Japan, 44.30% of those questioned said tanned skin was attractive (p < 0.001); for Europeans and North Americans the proportions were 81.1% and 77.6%, respectively. Only a quarter (25.80%) thought it essential to return from vacation with a 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.
The tangent rule, also known as the tangent-secant theorem, states that the tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius at the point of contact.
Everyone has a limit. Your body can only create a certain amount of Melanin at a time which means that your tanning will only go so dark within a day. It also means that if you exceed this time frame then you could put your skin at risk.
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.
Asians naturally produce more of the pigment melanin, which serves as a built-in SPF to prevent sun damage, premature aging and the development of skin cancer. Melanin absorbs the sun's ultraviolet rays, which is why you may notice that you are less prone to getting sunburn and have an easier time tanning.
There are old proverbs in the region regarding white and fair skin; Japanese: “white skin covers the seven flaws” and Chinese: “white skin can help conceal 100 flaws in your appearance.” A more recent popular saying in China: “white, rich, and beautiful” and “A pretty face is a star's bread and butter.”
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.
In conclusion, Koreans, who live at a higher latitude and in an environment of relatively low sun exposure, have lighter skin color than the Cantonese and burn easily upon UV exposure. Korean and Cantonese belong to the same Asian ethnic group, but have differ- ent skin color characteristics.
Types 1 and 2
People with Fitzpatrick skin type 1 or 2 often have fair skin, freckles, and light hair, which the American Cancer Society (ACS) list as risk factors for melanoma skin cancer. There is a high risk of sun damage, which can lead to: burning.