Summer Skin Care @ Girl-Doll Fashion Gossip

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Unless you live south of the Equator, summer is all about the sun. Outside sports and lying by the pool beckon to us as soon as the weather warms up, and it is very tempting to forget the sun block in favor of a "healthy tan." Resist the temptation though. There is no such thing as a healthy tan – at least from the sun. Summer is the most critical time to take care of your skin.

Sun Myths

There are some old myths about the sun and tanning flying around the refuse to die. Unfortunately, they are just not true and can actually hurt you if you happen to believe them. Get the truth about staying healthy in the sun and protect your skin now and well into the future.

Summer Dolls

Tanning is good for you.

This is wrong on so many levels. The sunlight may feel great on your skin, but if you let it tan you – even a little bit, you've just damaged your skin. A tan right now might not seem like a big deal because you don't see any damage, unless you burned instead of tanned, but believe me, it's there. The sun is incredibly aging.

The more time you spend with a tan (or a burn) the more likely you are to get wrinkles and spots. You also run a greater risk of skin cancer with every bronze glow. Of course, I know how tempting it is to not worry about it since you don't see anything except a great tan now, but believe me, it will show up sooner than you think and it won't be pretty.

You need a tan to be healthy

There is some truth to this, but it has almost nothing to do with the actual tanning. You DO need exposure to the sun for your skin to create Vitamin D, but there is no rule saying you need to tan to get that vitamin. In fact, ten to fifteen minutes in the sun twice a week is all you really need. If you're just dying to get your Vitamin D, go without sunscreen for ten minutes, and then lather it on. Of course, you also realize that ten minutes is probably how long it takes you to walk from your car to the mall and back, so there is really no excuse to not wear sunscreen.

Tanning in a booth is better for you.

Nope. Tanning in a booth is much, much worse than tanning in the sun. When you're in the sun, there is at least a vitamin that comes along with the skin damage, and occasional cloud cover or partial shade can help block some of the rays. Tanning in a booth is truly a "fake bake." You are baking your skin and hitting it with more UVA and UVB rays than you ever could just sitting in the sun. It's like skin damage in a can.

Tanning makes you prettier

You are pretty regardless of your skin color. The large variety of dolls here at The Doll Palace can show you that easily enough. You don't need a bit of extra color on you to stand out, but if you're just dying to look like you've been tanning, stick with a bronzing power or self tanner. That is the only way you can ever achieve a "healthy" tan.