• Question: why does our skin tann

    Asked by ben6930 to Asif, Laura, Lena, Sean, Viv on 13 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by jannynishy11.
    • Photo: Asif Naseer

      Asif Naseer answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      The tanning process actually is a protective mechanism that our body uses to guard itself against the harmful effects of Ultra violet radiations present in the sun light. For this purpose, our skin has special type of cells known as Melanocytes. When exposed to light , these cells get stimulated to produce the tanning material (Melanin) in our skin. Thats how we get tanned

    • Photo: Laura Waters

      Laura Waters answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      Did you know that scientists have proven that eating a lot of tomatoes can protect your skin from burning? They gave some volunteers tomato puree each day for a few weeks and then tested how easily they burnt in the sun and weirdly it helped protect them. Of course, you should still use protection when you go out as the tomatoes only helped a bit.

    • Photo: Lena Ciric

      Lena Ciric answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      I have some fake tan facts for you. The active ingredient of fake tans is dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which is derived from the fermentation of sugar beet or sugar cane. DHA reacts with the top dead layer of your skin to produce the brown colour. This then fades over 3-7 days. DHA is also used in winemaking to produce a certain falvour in the wine.

    • Photo: Sean Murphy

      Sean Murphy answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      As Asif said, the result of exposing skin cells to the sun is that melanocytes produce melanin, resulting in the skin darkening, which protects the body by absorbing some of this radiation. However, excessive exposure to the sun has detrimental health effects, including sunburn and even skin cancer as well as depressed immune system function and increased risk of accelerated aging. To avoid these effects, use a good sunscreen, and avoid excessive sun exposure between the hottest hours of the day.

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