How Long Will A Tan From A Sunbed Last? (Longer If You Follow Some Tips)

After completing the process of having sunbed sessions and finally getting the ideal tan, there is always the question of how long it will last.

This is something that is not made clear when you attend a salon and really depends on a number of variables.

The uncertainty of how long a sunbed tan may last has made people more likely to use less natural-looking products, but uncertainty shouldn’t be an issue, here is what you can really expect from a sunbed tan in terms of lasting.

A sunbed tan is quite similar to a naturally caught tan in terms of longevity. You can expect the tan to last around 1-2 weeks after you stop exposure.

This is how long it takes your body to complete a natural skin cycle and it is not likely that your tan will be completely gone, but it will lose the majority of its pigment, so you will need to top it up again.

The longevity of the tan also depends on how dark your initial tan was. If you have a darker tan, then naturally your tan will last a lot longer. This is because your body has built up more melanin that needs to break down.

If you do have quite a dark tan, you can expect an extra week or so out of your tan, so you should keep this in mind during the initial tanning process.

The length of your tan also depends on the steps you take before and after tanning. Before you hit the sunbeds you should do a number of preparation steps. This includes a full exfoliation.

This will prolong your tan as it will get rid of any excess dead skin cells that would naturally fall off during the days following your tanning session.

Doing this process the day of or before you have a tanning session will leave you with a nice fresh base to work on, it will also prolong how long it takes for your skin to go through any of the natural cycles.

Not only will this make your tan last longer, but it will also improve the appearance of any tan that you do get. Doing this should mean that your tan lasts more at the two-week mark instead of a week.

Caring for your skin after you have had your tanning session also helps your tan last a lot longer. The first thing you need to focus on is rehydrating your skin.

Exposure to UV rays can be drying on the skin and so you should drink plenty of water and use a strong moisturiser.

This will prevent any peeling or premature skin cycles that your body naturally does in order to re-establish any oils to your skin. As we know, the completion of natural skin cycles can lower the length of time that your tan lasts for.

You should also moisturise before using the sunbed as this will help with any drying effects that tanning will have.

A little trick that a lot of people don’t know when it comes to extending how long your tan lasts is avoiding regular hot showers. Once again, this will dry out your skin and cause it to go through cycles that lessen the melanin concentration that makes you appear darker.

When you can, replace a few of your hot showers for cold showers as this will help keep your skin moisturised, which is key for keeping your tan looking good.

Overall, you shouldn’t really expect a tan to last longer than three weeks at a push. If you want to maintain a tan it is recommended that you top it up when you start to notice that it fades.

This is recommended at around a week and a half after the initial tanning session and bypasses the recommended 48 hours that you should wait after your first tanning session.

You can continue reading about sunbeds here haieurope.org/category/sunbeds.

Disclaimer: It is best to not use sunbeds at all as they are proven to cause damage to your skin and health.