SUMMER’S TAN

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17984, 1 April 1930, Page 5

SUMMER’S TAN

IS WINTER’S GRIEF. Debutantes and flappers who, suntanned to a rich brown in summer, should let nature restore that lilywhite complexion for the indoor winter season, according to Dr. Charles F. Pabst, the noted dermatologist. Says •he New York American, reporting an interview with Dr. Pabst:— lie sounded a warning against the use of various sun-tan removing chemicals' as injurious. “Skin peelers,’’ he called them. He said that the woman who, following the fashion, tanned to the shade of a South Sea islander in the summer, is now in a quandary. He explained: “To remove the tan quickly she is apt to try chemical preparations which are extremely harmful.” A pigment known as lemanin causes tan, Dr. Pabst explained. It lies in the deepest cell layers of the epidermis, and that is why it cannot be rubbed or scrubbed off. He went on: “In order to remove tan, these skin cells must be removed, sun-tan removers may contain bi-chloride of mercury designed io destroy the skin ceils. It peels off the skin and destroys the pigment. Result, the user may suffer from dermatitis and eczema. The skin is cracked, and germs can cause serious trouble.

“Iu other words, if the sun-tan remover is effective, it is apt io be harmful. If it is harmless, it probably is not effective.” Dr. Pabst said many cases of injury to the skin caused by powerful acids used to remove sun-tan have been called to his attention.