Did a bad-tanning experience leave you feeling more like a Fuzzy Navel than a Cosmopolitan? Not to worry, all tans fade, although time and patience is required. Here are a few ways to speed up the process courtesy of board certified surgeon Dr.Vish Banthia, founder of ZendyBeauty, an innovative money saving online beauty resource. So if the unfortunate pic of LoLo above isn't incentive enough, follow these tips to ensure your tan is more va-va voom and less oompa loompa.
Natural Sun Tans
Shed what does not serve you. Exfoliate, only do this if you do not have sunburn. If you do, wait until the burn is gone. When you tan, the top layer of your skin changes color due to sun damage. Mix up store bought sea salt with lemon juice and rub the mixture onto your unwanted tan with a loofah. Or consider microdermabrasion a simple, quick, effective way to remove the outer layer of dead skin cells while stimulating new important cell growth.
Get Your Glow on. Apply a mixture of honey and tomato juice; this at home concoction has skin lightening properties that can help fade the tan. Or if you prefer fruit to veggies, pulp 5 - 7 strawberries with a fork, and spread on clean skin. Leave this tasty mask on for 10 - 15 minutes to help neutralize and rejuvenate skin.
Erase the Past. Help fade sunspots with this simple remedy. Take one teaspoon of yogurt, squeeze a lemon into it, and then add a pinch of turmeric and blend. Spread this mixture and apply to face for 10 minutes a day until spots diminish. A slightly less messy option is getting IPL (intense pulsed light) sessions that minimize the spots by breaking apart-pigmented areas and also minimizes pores.
Spray & Self Tans
Banish Self-Inflicted Damage. Removing an odd streak of tanner is easy to do with a slice of lemon. Simply massage the lemon wedge quickly over the area in question. This will usually lift the unwanted color.
Brush off the Past. Exfoliation is a common and effective method for removing artificial tans. Body brushes are ideal for full-body exfoliation. They are one of the best all around beauty treatments for maintaining gorgeous skin. Body brushes are also soft, yet surprisingly stimulating. Utilizing a dry brush encourages dead skin cell removal, increased lymph circulation and skin detoxification.
How do you get rid of a bad tan? Tell us in the comments below!
