Tanning tricks Shaping Up...

Press, 26 December 1985, Page 11

Tanning tricks

Shaping Up...

Bodywork

By

Porter Shimer

Q.* I’ve seen tanning pills advertised that tan you from the inside out. Are they safe?

A: No-one knows for sure because they haven’t been adequately tested. So, they are now considered illegal in the United States by the United States Food and Drug'Administration. The pills work by giving you a whopping dose of beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that tends to

turn the skin a yellowishorange, and a substance called canthaxanthin, which turns the skin reddish. Between the two, you’re supposed to arrive at bronze, but reports from some people who’ve tried tanning pills indicate that the resulting hue is far from natural looking. Unnatural, too, are the amounts of beta-carotene and canthaxanthin supplied by tanning pills, which is at the heart of the present problem the E.D.A. has with them: Beta-carotene and can-

thaxanthin have been shown safe in small amounts, but in the quantities required to change skin colour, the F.D.A. isn’t sure yet. Another problem with tanning pills, reports “Prevention” magazine, is the false sense of security they can give. Because people look tanned, they feel they really are tanned, with the result that they get burned to a crisp when they take on the sun in amounts fit for seasoned beachcombers only. If you want a tan without the abusive effects of

the sun, the way to get it, “Prevention” reports, is with a topically applied artificial tanning lotion. These products have been declared safe by the F.D.A. and some (check the label) even include sunblocks to protect you in the event you do wander outside. Two drawbacks to these lotions, however: the “tan” they give tends to wear off on clothing (around the collar especially), and applications need to be made every few days. Copyright 1985 Universal Press Syndicate.