The Base Tan is a Lie

There's no such thing as a "safe tan."

We’ve all heard it before.

Maybe we’ve said it before.

"I'm just trying to get a little base tan before summer."

The idea being: if you ease your skin into sun exposure, you’re less likely to burn later.
Except…it’s completely false.

There’s no such thing as a protective base tan. You’re still exposing your skin to damage. You’re still increasing your risk of skin cancer. You’re still accelerating signs of aging (hi, fine lines and sun spots). And you’re still going to end up burning when the sun gets strong enough.

My sister is a board-certified dermatologist, and she once explained something that completely changed the way I think about tanning. She told me that a tan isn’t a sign of health, it’s actually your skin going into fight mode. When UV rays hit your skin, your body scrambles to protect itself by producing melanin, which rises to the surface in an attempt to shield your DNA from further damage. That “bronzed glow” we’ve been taught to envy? It’s literally your skin sounding the a…