Self-tan sensitivity: could you have a fake tan allergy?
Posted: 18th April 2019 | Posted by Costa
Self-tan sensitivity: could you have a fake tan allergy?
With summer rapidly approaching, most of us Brits who don’t see much of the sun in our own gardens are dreaming of a bronzed tan. A quick and easy way to get that golden glow is through lathering on a bottle of self-tan, but for those with sensitive skin, this may not always be the best option.
What are the symptoms?
A sign that you may be having a reaction to self-tan is your skin feeling extremely irritated or itchy after application. This can occur instantly or a few hours after you apply it when your skin has adjusted. You may also notice that your skin is drier than usual, resulting in you itching more.
Contact dermatitis and eczema are two things you need to consider when choosing your fake tan. These two skin conditions, in particular, will have a big impact on not only how your fake tan applies, but also how it makes your skin look and feel physically.
What’s causing my reaction?
There are various reasons why your skin may react to different products. It can depend on your skin type, the chemicals in the product, or even just the condition of your skin on that given day. However, it’s always important to consider what our skin is coming into contact with and the effects that this may have on its health both short and long-term.
Although it’s a fairly low statistic, about two in every 100,000 people are allergic to DHA. But we can’t rule it out as one of the contributing factors to your skin reaction as, unfortunately, it’s in most fake tan products you’ll come into contact with in the shops.
How to avoid a reaction
Look how high on the ingredients list different chemicals are. The higher up it is on the list the more of it the product contains. DHA is usually second on the list (after water), so if you’re trying to avoid this, look for more natural products that come before it or instead of it.
It’s also extremely important to conduct a patch test before applying self-tan to the rest of your body to ensure that you don’t have a serious allergy or reaction. Apply a small amount to your skin and leave it overnight to see how your skin reacts to it.
If your skin is still reacting to the product, you should seek professional medical help. Going to an allergy specialist will help you narrow down what’s causing you to react and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
We’re here to help you with all of your allergy questions and concerns. If you think you may have an allergy to fake tan or anything else, you can find out more by calling us on +44 (0)2 031 433 449.