Achieving a Natural Tan Safely

A Guide to Sun-Kissed Skin Without Sunburn

Having a beautifully bronzed complexion is aesthetically pleasing and can give you a healthy, radiant look. The good news is that regardless of your skin type, it's possible to achieve a natural tan without putting yourself at risk of sunburn or skin cancer. Just like strength training, progressive overload is important in tanning. You wouldn't start lifting heavy weights without building up your strength gradually, and similarly, you don't want to jump into intense sun exposure without preparing your skin. By following a responsible approach, you can develop a sun-kissed glow and minimize the risks associated with excessive sun exposure.

Understand Your Skin

What is Your Fitzpatrick Type?

The Fitzpatrick scale is a classification system that categorizes different skin types based on their response to sunlight and their propensity to tan or burn. Understanding your skin type according to the Fitzpatrick scale can help you determine your tanning potential and develop a safe approach to achieving a natural tan. Here is a brief summary of the Fitzpatrick skin types and how to identify which type you are:

Type I: Very fair skin that always burns and never tans. People with Type I skin typically have light-colored or red hair, freckles, and blue or green eyes. They are highly susceptible to sunburn and should take extra precautions when exposed to sunlight.

Type II: Fair skin that burns easily but can eventually develop a light tan. Individuals with Type II skin usually have light hair, blue or green eyes, and may have freckles. They should gradually build up their exposure to develop a tan.

Type III: Light to medium skin that burns initially but can eventually develop a moderate tan. People with Type III skin usually have brown hair and hazel or brown eyes. Lower risk of sunburn compared to Types I and II.

Type IV: Medium skin that rarely burns and can develop a tan easily. Individuals with Type IV skin generally have dark brown hair and brown eyes. Can tolerate longer sun exposure and develop a tan more readily.

Type V: Dark skin that rarely burns and tans easily. People with Type V skin typically have dark hair and brown eyes. Can enjoy longer periods of sun exposure.

Type VI: Deeply pigmented dark brown to black skin that rarely burns and tans easily. Individuals with Type VI skin usually have dark hair and brown eyes.

To identify your Fitzpatrick skin type, consider your natural skin color, hair color, eye color, and how your skin reacts to sunlight. It's important to note that this is a general classification system, and individual variations exist. If you're unsure about your skin type or have specific concerns, consult a dermatologist or healthcare professional for personalized guidance.

Depending on where you are on the spectrum, the more importance you would give certain factors in working your way up to a nice natural tan. All skin types, with some exceptions, can safely increase their UV light exposure to develop a tan they didn’t believe was possible. Understanding your baseline is important to safely progress.

The Build Up

Your skin type will determine how long it will take you to develop your solar callus, in addition to your latitude, elevation, diet and supplementation intake, and time spent outside in multiple wavelengths of light.

The spring months are important to deliberately expose your skin to UV light so you are prepared to handle the big UV #’s to come in the summer. 

Exposing yourself to the UV light in the 3-7 range in the spring months will make it much easier to handle higher levels later in the year. Consider that being at higher elevations and being out in the snow on a sunny day are sneaky higher UV environments. In fact, snow can reflect up to 90% of UV radiation. Explains why Native Americans living in high northern latitudes are so tan!

Obviously, cloud cover also substantially impacts the amount of UV that reaches your skin. Completely overcast skies is about 31% of a normal sunny day. 

Working with the Sun

It is necessary to know the spectrum of light that is present at your location. You can use the dminder app (https://dminder.ontometrics.com/) to show you how much of which wavelengths of light is present, or get a rough idea from your basic weather app (but only UV).

Put away your sunglasses :) For your body to stimulate melanin production, your body needs to be able to “see” light. Wearing sunglasses blocks your most photoreceptor-dense part of your body from seeing the full spectrum of light. This will prevent the signal to your body to produce melanin which protects your body from the UV light. Your eyes are the most important part of this production process, do not shield them.

At sunrise and in the early hours of the day, light is rich in Red and Near Infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Exposure to these wavelengths of light primes the body for midday UV exposure. Through photoprevention aka photobiomodulation preconditioning, the body readies itself for the subsequent UV rays. If you fail to get this spectrum of light early in the day, you are more susceptible to burning later in the day. 

Photobiomodulation Repair is the term used to describe the benefits that can be obtained from the same Red/NIR light that is present later in the day and at sunset. This light can help heal and restore any UV damage that was done during the day.

I always talk about the benefits of these wavelengths of light but it’s wild to see how they also are so critical to preparing for and repairing from any detrimental effects that strong UV exposure can have.

To ensure you are getting this preconditioning and repair effect, make a point to be outside as close to the sunrise and sunset as possible. It’s best to actually watch these events but at the very least expose your eyes to the spectrum of light present at these times.

The midday is when the UVA and UVB is present, the waves so often feared by pale kings and queens around the world. The waves that dermatologists equate to the devil. The waves than sunscreen manufacturers have made billions on. The waves followed by the dreaded term “radiation”. 

Rarely do you hear the other side of the argument, that exposure to UV light improves Vitamin D synthesis, improves mood, reduces risk of chronic disease, improves mitochondrial function, improves circadian rhythms, improves skin conditions, and reduces blood pressure.

If you’re Fitzpatrick Type I, II, or III and haven’t let your skin receive any sunlight until June, rolling up to the beach without your shirt off and sans sunscreen is a recipe for disaster. This is why I stress the importance of slowly building up. If you fail to do so then all the normal advice for extreme caution in intense UV is absolutely warranted. 

This article is not for those people. This is for people who agree and understand that your “light diet” is a foundational pillar of health and that the benefits of all-spectrum sun exposure is health-promoting with a dessert course of being bronzed. 

It is a personal decision on how much UV light you allow your skin to be exposed to based on your solar callus, your skin type, your overall light diet, and your latitude. There are people who tout this message that can remain outside all day without their shirt on and never burn. For health benefits, it’s best if you can work up to a minimum of 30 minutes of maximum body coverage, midday sun exposure. For the tan of your dreams, you’re going to need more than that :)

Nutritional Considerations

Research has shown that increasing the amount of certain nutrients in your diet can improve the resilience to UV light exposure and yield skin health benefits. 

Vitamin A (Retinol), found in high quality animal fats, whole milk (preferably raw or grass-fed), and liver are some good sources. 

Cholesterol (which has been debunked as a leading indicator of heart disease), is needed to convert UV light into Vitamin D. Egg yolks, full fat dairy, organ meats, and shellfish are some healthy foods high in cholesterol. 

Adequate collagen is needed to strengthen the skin to handle the intensity of the sun. Bone broth is the easiest way to increase your dietary intake, and you easily supplement with collagen powder.

Stay hydrated. Drink more water. Not tap water, of course ;)

Copper, found in high concentrations in live and oysters, is extremely beneficial for skin health and has been used for millennia for skin health. Being deficient could inhibit melanin and eumelanin production. I use a cheap, homemade copper sulfate solution daily in my morning cup of coffee. 

Dietary consumption of astaxanthin has been shown to mitigate UV damage by being a strong oxygen scavenger and supporter of endogenous antioxidant pathways. Found naturally in seafood, you can supplement if you don’t get adequate servings of fish. 

Avoiding seed oils is all the rage in the natural health community, and endless debates continue on this topic. These oils, high in polyunsaturated fats, oxidize directly inside your skin, which can lead to red and rashy skin. This oxidative stress can increase inflammation in the body. This topic deserves additional attention but as a general piece of advice for getting that money tan, avoid seed oils to the best of your ability. You may need to detox seed oils to get them out of your system if you’re eating a diet high in them. Taking Vitamin E, regular saunas, and reaching a healthy body composition will help with this.

In Summary

To maximize your ability to get a natural tan and avoid the dreaded sunburn:

-Understand your unique skin type

-Slowly build up your exposure to UV light over time

-Get early morning and afternoon sun (near and far infrared light)

-Ditch the sunglasses

-Be aware of your location’s UV strength

-Ensure proper nutrition assists your ability to reach the end goal

-Drop your fear of the sun!