Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Why does a tan fade?
 

Answer: Skin cells are constantly reproducing and renewing themselves, as they do this, the push the old cells to the top of the skin and the old cells fall off. The old cells were the ones you tanned-- so you must now tan the new cells to keep the dark color.

Question: What is SPF?
 

Answer: SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. An SPF of 4 means you can stay out in the sun 4 times longerwith thesunscreen on than you could without any protection.

Question: When is the sun the strongest?
 

Answer: 10:00am to 2:00pm.

Question: How come I'm tanning, but my legs aren't getting as dark as the rest of me?
 

Answer: A couple of things are happening. First the skin on your legs are thicker than other parts of your body,making it more difficult for the light to penetrate. There is not as much fatty tissue (especially on the shins), therefore there is not as much blood flowing around as places like your stomach and buttocks. Also women-- whenever you shave your legs, you take some of the top layers of your skin off. Those top layers were your tan.

Question: Why does blood flow matter?
 

Answer: Blood is essential to the oxidation of the melanin, and it is very important to the whole tanning process. This is why areas like your stomach & buttocks, areas with lots of fatty tissue, organs & strong blood flow, show so much more color faster.

Question: What can I do to keep my tan?
 

Answer: MOISTURIZE! MOISTURIZE! Your skin is constantly renewing itself. The dryer your skin is, the faster it wants to shed it's top layers and bring new skin to the surface. You loose the top layers, you loose your tan. Also, the healthier your skin is, the better it tans. Dry layers on the surface of your skin will block the UV rays from getting to the other layers to tan them. Even if you moisturize you still need to maintain a tanning schedule of every 4 to 5 days, or at least once a week, to keep your tan, because your skin is reproducing new cells all the time.