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This is the only safe way to get an even brown tan without the harmful effects of UVA / UVB rays. Our patients sometimes believe that tanning booths are safer ways to get a tan. How ever over time the skin will continue to age rapidly and the risk for skin cancer is exceedingly high.
A Parisian tan is a brown staining of the skin produced by dihydroxyacetone (DHA) that is sprayed on the body, usually in a tanning salon. This tan needs to be distinguished from a tan that is created by UVA light exposure, also in a tanning salon. A Parisian tan is completely safe and usually lasts about two weeks until the stratum corneum desquamates and the brown color is shed.
The tan is created by using a liquid solution of DHA, which is a white, crystalline powder, chemically characterized as a three-carbon sugar. DHA interacts with the free amino acids present in sweat and keratin. The reaction result is a brown substance, mimicking a suntan, referred to as melanoidins. Melanoidins create the orange-brown color characteristic of the Parisian tan. The liquid DHA is sprayed on with the aid of a nozzle and an air compressor, usually in a booth that mimics a shower with a shower curtain. |
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Our technicians take care to spray the body evenly or certain areas of the skin will appear darker than others, since the darkness of the tan is, in part, dependent on the amount of DHA applied. Areas that contain abundant keratin, such as seborrheic keratosis on the arms or ichthyosis vulgaris on the anterior shins, will also turn a darker brown color. It is even possible to spray the palms and soles, areas that do not normally tan, to create an unnatural brown color. Folds around the ankles, knees and elbows also tend to achieve a darker color.
Patients who chooses to undergo this procedure still need sunscreen to be worn for sun protection. The sun protection provided by DHA is minimal, yielding an SPF of 2. The brown color should be viewed simply as a cosmetic and nothing more.
The Parisian tan is the only safe tan that can be administered in a tanning salon. For the patient who insists on a professionally applied brown body color, the Parisian tan is a good alternative. |
