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Alligator Skin from Spray Tanning??
If you are starting to notice a look of alligator skin on yourself or your clients, not to worry, this is normal! Let me explain why...
The main ingredient in every sunless tanning product is DHA, Dihydroxyacetone, which is simply a form of sugar. The way DHA works is by attaching itself to your outer most layer of skin and mixing with the proteins and amino acids within you to create a color change in those skin cells. Our skin is many layers deep and when we obtain a tan from the actual sun, it actually tans our skin several layers deep...which is the reason you can get 2nd and 3rd degree burns from the sun. The deeper it goes, the more layers it is effecting. DHA is much different than the sun in that it can't go any further than the very top layer of skin. DHA also tends to have a drying effect on the skin cells, almost causing them to shrink and dry out more quickly than they normally would. This is why it is so important to moisturize your skin every time you get out of the shower or bath. In the winter and spring, our skin hasn't been exposed to several months of warm weather and thus we have no color on our skin. When you spray tan, you are coloring the top layer, but everything underneath is still very pale. As the skin cells shrink from their normal drying pattern, you start to see the fresh layers of skin underneath...which are very light compared to your spray tanned skin. In the summer and fall, we still have a nice base tan from the sun and the layers underneath our top layer have some color. You will not typically notice the alligator look during the summer, just because the skin underneath is darker.
So...how do we fix this?? Our skin naturally regenerates every 7 to 10 days and when you've obtained a sun tan or a sunless tan; your skin may even dry out faster and shed more quickly. When you start to notice the alligator look, it is time to exfoliate and get that dead skin off. Even if you can't get all of it to come off, getting the majority will help your next sunless tan look more natural. This is a great time to sell your clients an exfoliate and some moisturizing lotion! I suggest using an exfoliate as well as a cotton washcloth. You can suggest to your clients to either take a long shower or bath and wait until the end of the shower or bath to exfoliate. This allows the skin to become very soft and the tanned skin will be removed more easily. I personally like to use a white washcloth so I can actually see what is being removed from my skin.
The most important thing your clients can do before they get spray tanned is exfoliate! Even if they don't want to use a product, just a simple cotton washcloth works. I would recommend this over a loofah, it just works better. By exfoliating first, their sunless tan will look more natural and will fade more naturally.
