Sunless tanning: self-tanners

The article that I chose to blog about this week was on sunless tanning. I chose this topic because I tanned religiously in high school during the winter, and then during the summer, I worked at a pool so I was constantly outside catching rays. I have heard many people talk about how bad UV rays are from the sun and from the tanning beds. I knew that the UV exposure could cause premature aging and skin cancer; however I loved being tan so I didn’t want to give it up. Then I started hearing about sunless tanning and figured I would give it a try since there were no UV rays involved.

Sunless tanning products, aka self-tanners, can be purchased at most convenient or beauty stores and some come in sprays, creams, lotions, and gels. Depending on the brand, some of the tanners go on clear while others go on tinted so you can apply evenly without missing any spots or having streak marks. If you don’t want to do it yourself because you are worried about streaking, you can get it professionally done at most tanning salons or sometimes in regular salons. It will be more expensive to go with this route, but the quality will be better. I have also heard of tanning pills that are supposed to make your skin tan, however, these pills are not safe for your body…they can cause liver damage and ruin to retina of the eye. You are better off using the self-tanner lotions or sprays.

The way that the self-tanners work is kind of gross. The active ingredient that helps to give your skin color, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), reacts with your dead skin cells which gives you the darker color. When your dead skin cells start to fall off, your tan is going to fade because the tan is attached to the outer layer of your dead skin cells. This differs from UV tanning because with UV tanning, the rays are penetrating into the deep layers of your skin and the melanin is affected, not your outer layer dead skin cells. With sunless self-tanners, the affects usually won’t be noticeable for 8-24 hours after you apply it.

If you do decide to use self-tanners, I have found that there are a few tips that will help you to get the best results. I always exfoliate first. Since DHA reacts with your dead skin cells, it is important to scrub off excess cells in order to get the best results. I always shave my legs beforehand so that the product will last longer with even application. Less is more when it comes to applying the product. You want to make sure you reach all parts of your body. For some reason, dry/thick skin like your ankles, knees, and elbows always react differently to the tanner so make sure you use a very tiny amount over these areas. Your face is important to apply to as well, just make sure it doesn’t get near your eyes or nose. When you have everything done on your body, apply the tanner to the tops of your hands. The self tanner will react and most likely turn the palms of your hands darker (this just looks weird), so it is a good idea to wash your hands before you apply it and use a cotton ball to apply rather than your palms. When finished, make sure you allow yourself enough time to dry before you decide to put your clothes on or else some of the products could stain your clothes. Like I mentioned before, you generally won’t see results for up to 24 hours, so be patient and wait to take a shower to let the self-tanner soak into your skin.

Some potential problems with self-tanners include:

·         If you apply it unevenly, you may look streaky

·         If you get your face spray tanned, you may get the chemicals in your eyes or up your nose

·         It is unknown what DHA can do to your body if inhaled

If you are like me and really enjoy being tan, then I suggest you try out self-tanners. They do fade quicker than using a tanning bed or being out in the sun to get color, however they are less harmful to your skin. The way I look at it, if I want to be all wrinkly and have alligator skin, then I should keep tanning in a tanning bed. But if I want to have young looking skin, then it is probably a good idea to make the switch to self-tanners. The good news about self-tanners is that they are generally inexpensive to buy and there is enough product in the bottle to be able to use many times.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sunless-tanning/SN00037

ß Some of the different brands of self-tanners

 ßA woman being spray tanned

ß Before and after with a spray tan

Fad diets

Annie Cairo

“Detox” Diets

The fad diet that I chose was “detox diets”. Detox is short for detoxification, which basically means that you are trying to remove toxic substances or poisons from your body by altering your diet. The main reason that people do a detox diet is to cleanse the body and to aid the function of your organs, mainly your liver, but also to lose weight. Because there are so many different types of detox diets, I decided to choose and talk about one that I personally have tried, the Lemonade diet.

There are no advertisements in magazines or television ads. If you go to Google and type in “detox diets” many different ones will show including the Lemonade diet which is how I heard about it. I read that you can lose lots of weight in a short period of time by drinking a delicious tasting drink. They advertised it as inexpensive and something you could do anytime anywhere and make it yourself instead of ordering a product offline. I thought, why not? And so I gave it a shot. The diet was originally called the Master Cleanse, created by Stanley Burroughs and to lose weight, you completely disregard food for 10-20 days.

There were no real clinical trials done to test this diet, however there are many testimonials of users who all seem to say the say the same thing, that it works but once you stop it you gain weight again. (This seems to be true about any diet that you try whether it be detoxing or taking some sort of supplement that will help you to lost weight.) Expert opinions and doctors say that there really is no need to do a detox diet because your organs are strong enough to detox your body on its own, not with a diet or supplements. Experts say that they have many concerns with the diet because it is not that healthy to not eat and only drink your way into weight loss.

When I did the Lemonade diet, it worked for the time frame that I did it but stopped working the second I was off of it. I noticed that it made me have to frequently use the bathroom and that I was not sufficed with the “lemonade” that I was drinking. I still wanted to eat food and during the diet, I craved the most random things. This happened until the end of my diet when my body just was use to not eating. The diet leads to weight loss because instead of eating food, you sub it out for a liquid concoction composed of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. To cleanse your body, you are supposed to drink 6-12 glasses a day. The way that the diet works is that it goes through you very quickly. The hot peppers in it make you have to go to the bathroom very often. This helps eliminate the toxins in your body as well as help to lose weight.

Detox diets can be very controversial especially because sometimes the side effects can really take a toll on your body. Most detox diets are unhealthy because you lose a significant amount of weight rather quickly (mostly without exercise). because you are eliminating the nutrients from the everyday foods that you would normally consumer and replacing them with specific foods and liquids, your body becomes deprived of vitamins and minerals which prevents the immune system from functioning normally and ultimately hinders the body’s ability to fight disease and infection. Although the lemonade diet is a liquid diet therefore you are consuming liquid, your body often times will experience fluid loss especially in your muscles. If there is a large loss, you can become dehydrated, irritable, cranky, tired, etc. Another risk to be concerned about is the aftermath of the diet. Anytime you skip a meal or limit your caloric intake, the body can’t perform to its best ability. When you aren’t consuming the sufficient amount of calories or carbohydrates, your body will resort to muscle for energy, which slows your metabolism. When your metabolism slows, you gain weight. So once you are off the diet, you will regain the weight you lost or even more than what you lost to begin with.

I would agree that the Lemonade Cleanse initially works and helps you lose weight (I lost 7 lbs. in one week); however the second you go back to your normal diet, you gain the weight back. If you are looking for a quick fix, yes it works, but if you are looking for this to be a long term solution, then no it does not work. I think that the best way to lose weight is to exercise and work out along with healthy eating habits (fruits and vegetables).

Organic Foods

The article that I chose to do was called Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

This article basically talked about the differences between organic foods and conventional foods and how they are grown. Organic foods are generally grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, often rotate the crops in order to manage the weeds, and feed the animals organic diets so they are healthy. Conventional foods are grown with the use of chemicals and fertilizers in order to help the crops grow bigger. There are insecticides and herbicides to prevent the crops from being harmed by weeds and pests, and the animals usually are given some sort of antibiotic or grown hormones to increase their size for more profit.

In order for a food to be considered “organic”, it must meet the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA says that in order to use the organic seal, (the picture I have included below) products must be 100% organic (fruits, vegetables, etc.) or those products that are at least 95% organic. If a product is less than that, the seal is not allowed on it. However, the product can say something along the lines of “made with organic ingredients” and can mention organic items throughout the labeling. I feel like this can be misleading though. I know that when I go to the grocery store, if I see the word organic, I assume that it is 100% organic and that it is healthier for me because it isn’t made the same way that conventional products are. I think that it is easy for any company to say that their product is organic, but you have to really read the ingredients or look for the seal to be sure. (I also didn’t realize that there was a seal that had to be clearly shown in order for the product to actually be organic.)

This article also talked about whether or not organic food is more nutritious than conventional food. Many studies have been conducted to try and prove that this theory is correct, however, most studies have shown that in nutrient value, both conventional and organic food are on a similar level. There really is no proof that organic food is better for you. Yes, they are produced in a healthier environment; however, the contents that you are eating are similar in health benefits.

This article also talked about whether organic and natural meant the same thing. This is not true. Natural simply means that the way that the food was processed and grown is either “hormone free” or “free range”, but it doesn’t mean that they are organic. The article specifically states that in order for a food to be labeled organic.... “Only foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic.”

Why do people choose organic food then? For one, I know that I choose organic because I like that the animals aren’t fed unhealthy steroids and antibiotics that will be going into my body once I eat them. I have heard many horrible stories about pesticides and the effects that they can have on a person’s body. I like to know that my food isn’t being sprayed with random chemicals when I choose organic. I have never really been concerned about the environment, but recently have been more aware of the harmful effects that some types of farming can have on it. With organic farming, the environment is being less polluted, the soil quality is raising, and we are conserving water.

There are a few down sides to organic foods as well. For one, they can be very expensive. On a college budget, it is hard to pass up more inexpensive boxed goods for expensive organic foods. Another down side is that not every place that I shop even carries the organic foods that I am looking for. I would have to drive a far distance to go to a place like Whole Foods or Trader Joes to make these purchases. The fact that not everyone has the time or a car to drive far distances makes it hard to get. I am lucky because my boyfriend lives in the city of Milwaukee and there happens to be a Whole Foods two blocks away.

I have learned that whether I buy organic foods or conventional foods, it is important to have a variety in my diet. I don’t want to just purchase products from a single location…I like the idea of going to a few different types of stores to mix up my diet. I also learned that it is key to purchase items when they are in season. I love summer because that is the best time to purchase fruits and vegetables. If I am going to buy conventional fruits and vegetables, it is important to wash them to help eliminate any possible chemicals that are on them. I will also make sure to read the labels when I see the word “organic” on a product.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255/METHOD=print