Sunless tanning is a tan achieved by special chemical substances. These substances act one of two ways – they either force the skin to produce more melanin pigment or they saturate the dead skin cells of the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) and color its proteins brown.

Nowadays sunless tanning means are divided into 2 main categories – external and internal means. External means (lotions etc.) use Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as their active ingredient. In the 1970s Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was added by the FDA to its list of safe cosmetic ingredients, and it is still on that list. The internal means (tanning pills etc.) contain beta carotene or canthaxanthin – the ingredients which were banned by the FDA many years ago due to being unsafe.

The main advantages of sunless tanning include:
- You can achieve the tan in several hours after applying sunless tanner onto your skin. This eliminates the need of taking weeks or even months to achieve a nice tan.
- Modern sunless tanners give you a completely naturally looking tan. You just want to make sure (by reading what other users say) that the tan will be of a brown, and not orange-shade brown color.
- Sunless tanning will not give you tan lines – you can apply them in private all over your body.
- You will achieve a nice tan even if you are a person with fair skin due to which your skin does not produce much melanin (pigment that gives skin the pink, brown or black color)
- Sunless tan is a temporary tan – it will disappear in about a 5-7 day course of time.

There are people that are actually obsessed with their tan. They can not picture themselves without having a tan. If those people want to keep their skin looking younger for years to come they should opt to use sunless tanning instead of tanning in the sun.

What about people with psoriasis? Will they benefit or not from the use of sunless tanners?

There is no information about the sunless tanning helping to treat psoriasis. But there is information that some people with psoriasis say sunless tanning helps them to feel better about their skin and they started wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts in the summer. This happens due to that sunless tanning makes your skin brown which makes the red psoriatic lesions much less noticeable than if they were on a pale skin.

It is probably more comfortable to apply sunless tanning means with the use of special tanning towels saturated with the tanning lotion. After you wipe your body with such towels and rub the tanning lotion into your skin, the tan will start appearing in about 1 hour. First it may look red or orange. But within a few more hours the orange nuance should disappear and the tan will turn brown.

Scaly psoriatic lesions may also first appear orange but after you shower (in about 24 hours of the achieving of the tan) these scales will be gone.

You may want to shower right before you apply the tanning lotion because after applying of the lotion it is not recommended to take a shower or even to sweat (like with exercises) for about a 24 hour period.

Sunless tan will usually last for about 5-7 days and then disappear. Tiny remainders may stay for up to 2 weeks.

Most people with psoriasis that have tried sunless tanning did not experience any inflammation nor blocked or clogged pores. However, some people with psoriasis noticed that a sunless tanning lotion can block skin pores and dry up psoriatic scales, making them look flakier.

More on Psoriasis and Sunless Tanning: http://www.psoriasis-aid.com/psoriasis_and_the_sun/sunless_tanning.html

More on Psoriasis and the Sun: http://www.psoriasis-aid.com/psoriasis_and_the_sun/index.php

I have been fighting psoriasis for 14 years – since my teenage years. On my website you will find loads of unique information on psoriasis.

Coal tar CT has been used for many years as a topical preparation in the treatment of psoriasis. However, in recent years the use of CT has been discouraged because it contains possible carcinogens. I will look at the evidence and consider whether CT is as an effective psoriasis cure and whether it’s a safe treatment option.

Firstly, let’s look at what CT is and how it is derived. CT is a by-product of the coal industry and is a thick brown or black liquid that is used to tarmac roads. However, the chemicals contained in CT were found to be effective in treating psoriasis over 150 years ago, both on its own and mixed with other ingredients. Even though it is not fully understood how it works as a therapeutic treatment, it’s thought to reduce inflammation and the turn-over of skin cells.

CT preparations are found in many over-the-counter and prescription-only creams, lotions, ointments, bath oils and shampoos and are usually not harmful. However, some people have experienced minor skin irritations and more seriously an allergic reaction such as hives, swelling, stinging and burning. CT can also discolor fair skin and hair as well stain clothes and other fabrics. It’s always wise to wear your oldest clothes and use old bedding when you first start using these products in case they stain. Very few people seem to experience any serious side effects.

At first crude CT was used in a 1 to 10% concentration in soft paraffin to treat psoriasis. However, it is less commonly used these days because it is extremely smelly and messy to use and few people can put up with it. These days, however, the creams containing between 0.4 – 2% concentrations are more pleasant and easier to use at home. However, two studies have shown that a 1% concentration used twice daily has significantly less therapeutic effect than a 5% concentration. The studies concluded that there were no benefits in exceeding a 5% CT concentration.

Preparations like Psorin ointment which contains dithranol, salicyclic acid and 1% CT are commonly prescribed for treating psoriasis because the active ingredients slow down the process of skin cell production and shedding old skin cells. They also reduce inflammation.

A recent study compared the efficacy of a new CT preparation called exorex (containing 1% concentration) with calcipotriol cream (containing Vitamin D), and found that even though exorex was as effective as calcipotriol, people could tolerate calcipotriol better. However, the study concluded that CT preparations are considerably less expensive than taking calcipotriol and are a useful and effective topical medication for chronic psoriasis.

Even though it has been found that using 5% CT concentration is more effective than a 1% concentration, the World Health Organization’s International Cancer Research Agency has classified 5% or greater concentration as a carcinogen. Some studies have shown that using very high concentrations may cause cancer and, consequently, doctors and dermatologists are concerned about any use of coal tar products. Californian law regards even a 0.5% concentration dangerous, whilst the FDA still maintains that using 0.5% to 5% preparations is safe.

So, with this confusing information, the question that remains is whether coal tar products cause cancer? In the 1950s 280 patients were treated with crude coal tar and UV lights (known as the Goeckerman regimen). Following up 25 years later, they found that the incidence of skin cancer had not increased above the expected incidence of the general population. They concluded that there was a minimal risk for skin cancer using coal tar preparations.

Despite the cautiousness of the medical profession, there is no firm evidence that using over-the-counter coal tar preparations causes skin cancer or other cancers. In the end, it seems that it is still an effective and safe psoriasis cure.

If you are still concerned about using coal tar products, there are other methods of psoriasis cure You can read about the best psoriasis cream at my Clear Skin Guide website.

Vicky Massey has a wide experience of alternative health and healing. She has a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and qualifications in massage, nutrition, healing and yoga.