There are different methods of skin tanning such as direct and intense sunlight from the sun for long periods, tanning beds, strong chemicals being used in various "sunless tanning" methods tanning booths, tanning lotions, cremes, gels, sprays, airbrush tanning, and tanning mousse.

Many consider skin tanning and the use of selfless tanners as "safe" in comparison to skin lightening and that there is no similarity between these two methods. I beg to differ, as there are safe and unsafe mehods for skin lightening an applaud the cosmetic chemists who continue to test and research additonal various methods of effective and yet safe skin lightening.

Dangers of Skin Tanning:
What Are the Dangers of Sunless Tanning?


Canthaxanthin: A chemical commonly used in tanning pills in order to "darken" the appearance of the skin and can "cause eye damage and liver injury. “Safe” sugar-based sunless tanning creams are still chock full of parabens, propylene glycol.
Extracted From The Big List of Things That Suck: EcoStiletto : The Big List of Things That Suck
Sunless Tanners and Bronzers

Canthaxanthin is the classic tanning pill ingredient.
It's completely illegal to make or sell tanning pills based on Canthaxanthin.
Canthaxanthin was one of the ingredients in the tanning pills. I sent her the list of possible side effects: liver damage, jaundice.
- "I was shocked to get an email back from her informing me they weren't her pills, but the pills of a friend who was in the hospital with what the doctors had diagnosed as hepatitis. She had been asked to go through his medication, where she found the illegal tanning pills, and was worried that they may have contributed to his illness.
Sunless Tanning: Facts And Myths - Page Two



A Few Of The Safe Skin Lightening Agents:

1. Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, etc)
2. Alpha Arbutin (4-Hydroxyphenyl-D-lucopyranoside)
3. DeoxyArbutin
4. Kojic Acid
5. Mulberry Root (Morus Alba)
6. Beta Arbutin (Bearberry Extract; aka Arbutin)
7 Mequinol (used properly along w/ a retinol; aka 4-Methoxyphenol)
8. Glutathione (intravenouslyin proper & not orally; aka GSH & γ-L-Glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine)
9. Emblica (Phyllanthus Emblica)

10. Licorice Root (Glabridin)
11. Papaya (Papain)
12. Sepiwhite (Undecylenoyl phenylalanine)
13. Vitamin A (Retinol)
14. AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acid; ex. lactic and glycolic)
15. Hydroquinone (used properly & not abused & use alng w/ a retinol; aka Benzene-1,4-diol)
16. Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)
17. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine)
18. Bearberry (Arctostaphylose Uva-ursi)
19. Tyrostat
20. MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane; aka Sufulr)
21. Allantoin (gentle exfoliant)
22. Sodium Lactate (Increases & accelerates the action of Vitamin C and its derivatives)
23. Lemon extract (Citrus Medica Limonum)
24. Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract
25. Paeonia suffruticosa

Extracted from the following:
Wiley InterScience :: Skin Lightening Agents
Enzymatic Synthesis of the Skin-lightening Agent, Melatonin, in Amphibians
Sodium Lactate

Hi, Golden_Girl!

By the way that you've worded your title, do you mean to imply that skin lightening, in one way or another, does cause skin cancer?

I'm just curious, because that's what your title would seem to imply.

Thanks!

I vote for a 5th option:

"I'm happy with the way I am, but I don't applaud those who decide to tan"

There are safe ways to tan and there are unsafe ways.
One is in the form of tanning beds, a very unsafe way to do it, the other in the form of a spray on or liquid tan which wash off after a week or so.

I know this is in 'retaliation' to Cloughs poll but this one seems a bit biased. Why mention the safe skin lightening agents in a tanning poll then neglect to mention the unsafe lightening agents?

I think all people,tanning or lightening can do it in a safe way or method. This one lady had to go to her matric dance,what you americans would call a prom,and well she wanted to get really tanned and she used tanning beds so one afternoon she made several appointments at several tanning salons across the city,and in one afternoon she went to tanning salon after tanning salon,she then went home to get ready for dance,when she got home her mom noticed a "smell" that came from her she went to go take a shower and collapesed on the floor her mom called the paramedics and well she had died by the time she got to the hospital.

Cause of death,she had actually cooked herself from the inside out. Because she abused the use of tanning beds,its UV so she was cooked.
But then again I heard a story of a lady from Kenya who started taking pills to lighten her skin,and hours after taking then her skin started to drop off like ice cream.

So moral of the story,never abuse anything and do it properly.

Thanks GG, I voted the last one as I know a lot feel the same but will not admit it, I thought to do it for them.

It is simple White skin have higher risk of skin cancer, because they have less brownies lol Since melanin protects the skin from UV radiation, now if people chose to lighten their skin, they reduce their melanin so their risk increase with that BUT skin tanning will defiantly damage the skin and could cause cancer.

True. The importance of a good sunblock high in spf!

The truth is, there are no absolutely 100% safe products out there. There's always a risk, be it skin cancer, reaction, allergies, and worse.

I don't tan. I use a 50spf sunblock. I'd love a bit of color because I'm so pale that I'm transparent, but it's not worth the risk, especially since cancer runs in my family.

I just don't understand why some people would risk their health, their lives, just to look a certain way. So I agree with Shaz. I'd like to vote number 5. :)

@ Altenweg - Good for you.. Have fun being safe ;)