Why Getting a 'Base Tan' Is Harmful to Your Health

Summer is in full swing, which means many people might be working hard to achieve a sun-kissed look before spending the day at the pool or beach.

Not only will acquiring a “base tan” by soaking in rays or using a tanning bed provide a healthy glow, the thinking goes, but it could also prevent future sun damage.

Case in point: A recent survey of over a thousand adults found that 7% of respondents agreed that having a base tan prevents skin cancer, and 35% didn’t disagree with the statement. 

But while a tan might appear like the antithesis of sickly paleness, dermatologists agree that it’s quite the opposite of an indication of good health. In fact, there’s no such thing as a safe tan.

“We know that tanning—although people like the way it looks—is actually a sign of sun damage,” Corey L. Hartman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and medical director of Skin Wellness Dermatology, told Health.

Here’s why—as well as what you can do to prevent a tan while still enjoying the outdoors.

A “base tan” is the concept of developing a tan before spending prolonged periods in the sun, like during a beach vacation. The idea that having a tan can protect against a sunburn has been around for years.

Tanned skin does result from the body's desire to protect itself.

When skin is exposed to sunshine, the body stimulates melanin production to darken it and prevent it from burning. “Melanocytes, or melanin cells, are scattered throughout the skin and are responsible for the pigment that makes up a skin color,” Anna Chacon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Miami, Florida, told Health. “When you're a darker skin type, you're more protected from the sun.'

Two types of ultraviolet rays cause this boost in melanin. One is UVA, which penetrates deep into the skin and contributes significantly to skin aging. The other, UVB, affects the outer layers and can cause sunburn. While exposure to both types of UV rays can contribute to skin cancer, UVB rays play a more significant role by directly damaging DNA and leading to cancer-causing mutations.

Sunlight contains both UV rays, but tanning beds—which Hartman said 'speeds up' the tanning process—primarily use UVA radiation.

'A tan can take several hours or days to become visible after UV exposure,' Chacon added.

While tanned skin is the body's attempt to prevent more sun damage, Hartman said that getting a base tan will not in fact offer protection from sunburn and skin damage. Though naturally darker skin contains more melanin and doesn’t burn as quickly as lighter skin, a tan only provides about SPF 3 protection. That is far below the American Academy of Dermatology’s minimum recommended amount of SPF 30.

 A 2013 study found that participants exposed to artificial UV exposure in the ten weeks before spring break had an increased, not decreased, likelihood of sunburn.

Regardless of your natural skin color, down the line, frequent tans can contribute to an uneven skin tone, dark spots, and wrinkles.

It can also increase the chances of developing skin cancer through exposure to UV rays and by providing a false sense of protection from the sun, which can lead to sunburn. A history of both suntans and sunburns can increase the risk of skin cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But does this mean that if you get some color on your next hike or pool day, you should be worried?

“Even with sunscreen, you’re going to get a certain amount of a tan. You can’t really stop that,” Hartman said. “If you get that over time, that’s better than getting it all at once.”

In other words, he said, don't intentionally seek out a tan by lying out in the sun or going to a tanning salon.

'There's no way to prevent 100% of the damage from UV,' Hartman said, and some experts don't advise staying out of the sun completely.

That's because sun exposure has health benefits: It's the primary natural source of vitamin D, may boost mood, and more.

However, 15 minutes of unprotected exposure a few days a week may be enough for many light-skinned people to reap these benefits, with people with darker skin only requiring up to 30 minutes more. And vitamin D supplements are readily available, so sun exposure isn’t essential for promoting vitamin D synthesis.

But 'we should do the best we can” to protect ourselves from sun exposure, Hartman said.

Public health agencies and dermatologists recommend that people wear sunscreen daily and reapply it every two hours if you’re out in the sun. Hartman recommends choosing a sunscreen with SPF 30 to 50. “In this range, you’re protecting 95 to 97 percent of damage,” he said. Higher SPFs offer diminishing returns.