UV tanning
What to wear
Entirely your choice — the room is private and lockable. But the choice has consequences for how even the result looks, and one rule matters far more than the rest.
The rule that actually matters: be consistent
Wear the same thing every session. Not a particular thing — the same thing. Changing what you cover between sessions is the single most common reason colour looks patchy, and it is entirely avoidable. Skin that was covered last week and exposed this week is starting from a different place from the skin around it, and the join shows.
If you do change, change once and then stay changed, and expect a few sessions before the difference evens out.
Where tan lines come from
A line is simply an edge that did not move. Anything with a firm edge — a waistband, a strap, a watch — produces one. Softer, looser edges blur. If you care about avoiding lines, the answer is fewer hard edges rather than less fabric, and shifting straps a few millimetres partway through helps at the margins.
Take off, or think about
- Jewellery. Metal warms up, and rings and watches leave the crispest lines of anything.
- Hair ties and clips. A hairline is one of the more obvious places to end up with a mark.
- Contact lenses. Fine to leave in under goggles, but the warmth dries some people's eyes — see eye protection.
- Anything you applied that is not a tanning product. Make-up, perfume, deodorant and aftershave should all be off before you start.
Areas worth covering deliberately
Some skin is thinner, more exposed year-round, or simply more prone to reacting. Plenty of people cover the face or turn the facial lamps down, and there is nothing odd about it — facial skin is not body skin. Lips do not tan and do burn, so a lip balm with SPF is a sensible habit.
Tattoos. UV fades ink over time. Covering a tattoo, or using a balm intended for the purpose, is worth doing if you care how it looks in five years. New work should be fully healed, and follow whatever your artist told you.
The bits everybody forgets
Backs of knees, elbows, ankles and the tops of the feet are drier than the skin around them, take colour badly, and are the first places a tan looks uneven. They are also the easiest to fix: moisturise them specifically, not just generally. How evenly anyone takes colour varies between individuals.
General information, not medical advice.
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