Can I still get a tan with sun screen on?

Question

I'm going to Vegas for a week and I want to get a nice golden tan. But I don't want to get burnt under the 105 degree rays. I'm black, but I'm about the same complexion as Rihanna, which isn't that dark at all, and I'm afraid if I use sun screen all over my body I won't tan. I currently have spf 15 which I usually use for my nose and shoulders only because they burn easily. When I tan I usually use a tanning oil that's spf 2 (don't laugh). This works fine when I'm in NY, but should I apply more in Vegas?

Answer 1

Yes, you can still get a tan, the sun screen just protects against burns.

Answer 2

Yeah, it works because I use SPF 50 sunscreen and I can still tan.

Answer 3

i think you will tan, sunscreen just protects your skin from getting sunburnt.

Answer 4

Hope you have more luck than I have.  I use a dark tanning sunscreen and I don't tan a bit.  Then when I ride around in the car, the sun burns my left arm brown.  Go figure.

Answer 5

you can get tan with any spf ive gone tanning with spf 45 and i got about 3 or 4 shades darker in one day at the beach (im white), so dont pick an spf thats low because youll tan anyway, just get an spf that wont let you burn

good luckk :)  

Answer 6

yes. 15 or below

Answer 7

you are supposed to use sunscreen with at least an spf of 30 for your skin tone, and reapply every half hour. sunscreen protects you from getting burnt, but does not prevent you from tanning.

yes, continuing your current routine should allow you to get tanned without getting burnt.

Answer 8

What would you rather have... A "Tan" now or skin cancer and horrible wrinkles later in life?

At least you are intelligent enough to realize that a darker skin tone doesn't mean you don't need sunscreen at all... I know MANY Latino and black people that think that because nature gave them more melanin, they never need to use sunscreen... And that is just retarded...

USE SUNSCREEN!

If you want your skin tone to be darker, use a subtle artificial tan cream…

A REAL tan means DAMAGE TO YOUR SKIN CELLS.

Nothing more, nothing less…

It means RADIATION DAMAGE!

Don’t be stupid… Use real sun screen in the day and a tan cream for darker complexions at night after your shower!

AND REMEMBER TO USE ENOUGH SUNSCREEN! DO NOT SKIMP!

Sunscreen Can Damage Skin if Applied Infrequently

http://www.livescience.com/health/060829...

When used properly, sunscreens are proven to prevent skin damage. But if not applied often enough, a sunscreen can actually enhance skin damage, according to a new study.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is absorbed by skin molecules and generates reactive oxygen species, or ROS molecules, which cause visible signs of aging by damaging cell walls and the DNA inside them. Too much sun, especially in childhood, increases the risk of skin cancer.

Sunscreens contain UV filters that block radiation from penetrating below the outer skin later, called the epidermis.

But over time, the filters themselves penetrate deeper into the skin, allowing more UV radiation in.

Then things get worse.

In the new study, scientists found that three widely used, FDA-approved UV filters (octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 and octocrylene) actually generate ROS in skin when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. So the sun's damaging effect is multiplied when the sunscreen has been on too long. [Graphic]

"Sunscreens do an excellent job protecting against sunburn when used correctly," said chemist Kerry Hanson of the University of California, Riverside. "This means using a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor [SPF] and applying it uniformly on the skin. Our data show, however, that if coverage at the skin surface is low, the UV filters in sunscreens that have penetrated into the epidermis can potentially do more harm than good."

Hanson and colleagues applied sunscreen to model skin tissue and imaged its travels into deeper layers and the effects.

"More advanced sunscreens that ensure that the UV-filters stay on the skin surface are needed," Hanson said.

Also, the researchers note that while most sunscreens block one wavelength-band of ultraviolet radiation, called UVB, few block the deeper-penetrating UVA. The federal government just approved in July a UVA blocker for use in the United States.

Meanwhile, the scientists have passed along the advice of the Skin Cancer Foundation, which recommends reapplying sunscreen every two hours, and especially after sweating or swimming.

The study, announced today and funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, will be detailed in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine.

Answer 9

Yup!

Answer 10

yea use a higher one! you will get a tan with sunscreen trust me! i was really pale (ireland) and i got a really nice deep golden tan using spf 30 for a week in spain! i would recommend P20 suntan lotion cause you get an even dark tan without burning it really good!

sunscreen doesnt make you not get tan its just to protect your skin from the harmful uv rays that cause skin cancer!

Answer 11

Yesss you will.