The situation could be a scene from a bad teen movie. The main character shows up at the prom, ready to dance the night away with his friends, when he realizes that there are streaks running across his face. Since this prom is not animal-themed, and the main character is not attempting to dress up as a tiger, this can only mean one thing.
His spray tan is melting off.
For Wyatt Torosian, a recently graduated UCLA alumnus, this scene became a reality when he used a self-tanner before a high school dance.
“We were sweating and sweating and afterwards I realized that there were streaks running down my face. It was so embarrassing,” Torosian said.
Despite this off-color experience, Torosian purchased a package from the Tanning Club in Westwood that included both spray tanning and tanning bed components.
With its potential to turn one’s face multicolored and UCLA’s close proximity to the beach, spray-tanning products could potentially be seen as an unnecessary expense. Yet, many UCLA students use these products regularly.
Third-year psychology student Morgan Martin said she experimented with tanning products and first tried a L’Oréal self-tanning lotion before her senior year spring break trip to Mexico.
“I didn’t want to blind everyone with my glowing white skin, so I decided to buy the tan-building lotion. It worked really well, but I didn’t know the lotion had to be washed off. I ended up with orange hands,” Martin said.
After a few more trials, Martin said she discovered that having base color on the skin is the best way to avoid the stereotypical orange of fake tanning. She only uses these products before big events for which she wants to look her best, but also feels as though there is a cultural expectation to maintain a tan.
“Although I’m Mexican, I don’t achieve that (bronzed) color most people with my background do. There’s an exotic expectation for Hispanic people. Plus, coming from a beach town ““ San Diego ““ everyone is tan. Or at least, that’s the stereotype,” Martin said.
Martin said the media’s portrayal of the perpetually tanned celebrity also has some influence over her decision to use a self-tanner.
“Aside from high fashion, there aren’t that many high-profile celebrities with fair skin. There are so many products being thrown at you to help achieve that standard of “˜tan’ that it’s hard to avoid thinking that they aren’t necessary for beauty,” Martin said.
According to Martin, her final reason for using self-tanners is one of safety.
“When I think of the sun I’ve already accumulated, as well as my future sun exposure, it’s scary. This is just another way to protect myself,” Martin said.
According to Dr. Scott Worswick of the UCLA Division of Dermatology, spray tanning is the safest form of fake tans.
“There are many chemicals present in these sprays that can sometimes trigger an allergic reaction,” Worswick said.
According to Worswick, however, these reactions are not very common, and he has never seen any side effects personally.
“Any adverse reactions are based more on people’s individual sensitivities, rather than one bad chemical in particular,” Worswick said.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the most effective sunless tanning products contain dihydroxyacetone as the main ingredient. DHA is a colorless chemical that works with the amino acids in dead skin cells to create a brown color change. This explains why spray tans last for approximately a week, as dead skin cells tend to shed from the body every five to seven days.
Torosian said that spray-tanning technology has improved in the past five years.
“The way it used to be, you were basically putting orange paint on your face, but they have gotten a lot better,” Torosian said.
According to Torosian, spray tanning was just something he had always wanted to experiment with. He also said he has found that bed tanning produces better results for him, but that he attributes this to his naturally darker skin.
Torosian said he only frequents these tanning parlors in the cooler seasons, because once summer starts he is outside constantly.
“Of course going to the beach is the best because you get to go to the beach and get tan, so you win.” Torosian said.