The Trues of Tanning Pills

Tanning pills are probably the biggest myth in the history of sunless skincare

products. They have proliferated on a market that supports and promotes their use as supplements by all means possible, from magazines, ads and Internet sites to promotions in drug stores. Tanning pills are sold as dietary supplements but they are not FDA approved and they all include the disclaimer that they don’t treat, cure or prevent any health issue whatsoever. It was more than once that the tanning pills safety became subject for virulent debates, but no conclusive measures have been taken to discourage their use. Are tanning pills effective? Do they have a 99% safety level?

Knowing the main factors that influence tan formation could prove helpful for the understanding of the mechanism behind tanning pills and their efficiency or lack of efficiency. This means that genetic predisposition and the level of exposure to ultraviolets are the two main elements that influence tanning. As for nutrition, diet has a very light word to say in the matter of getting tanned. Take the example of a fair-skinned Caucasian person; regardless of how many tanning pills she/he will use, tanning will still be difficult given the low melanin concentration in the skin cells.

Some tanning pills contain canthaxanthin which is also used as a color additive in the manufacturing of food products. Though the Food and Drug Agency has approved this use, not the same thing can be said about the safety of cantharxanthin as a tanning agent. The difference results from the fact that in food, only a small quantity of chemical is necessary, whereas in tanning pills, very large concentrations are required. The effect of the chemical consists in the depositing of the substance below the skin giving it the brown orange-brown color; unfortunately, serious side effects are related to the administration of this kind of tanning pills.

Hepatitis cases have been related to the use of canthaxanthin tanning pills; FDA banished these products and issued warnings in relation to their use. Another kind of tanning pills that are currently tested in Australia rely on a hormonal compound to stimulate the secretion of melanin; it appears that this drug is more effective when combined with UV exposure too. Besides these two drug variants, there are all sorts of herbal supplements labeled tanning pills. Yet, nutrition does not seem to play such an important role in the quality of the tan, and their efficiency level of tanning pills is pretty low.

12 December 2008 | Beaty | Comments