Can you fake tan over an existing natural tan?

Deepen your holiday glow with a touch of tanner

Don’t use fake tan over sunburnt skin

There’s no reason why you can’t apply sunless tanner over a suntan – you’ll deepen your existing colour, creating a richer, layered hue that balances out an uneven complexion. But remember that this won’t make your tan last any longer;¬†it will simply make it darker.

The Sienna X Deep Self Tan lotion and Q10 Self Tan Tinted Mousse are perfect if you’re looking for a deeper, sunkissed look.

This is because self-tanner is ‘grabbed’ by only the top layer of skin cells on your body that flake off and are replaced by new ones every 7-10 days. Your suntan and your fake tan will therefore fade away in unison as the uppermost layer of skin cells are sloughed off over the course of a week or so. It won’t be the case that your suntan will fade first followed later by your fake tan.

If you want to use self-tanner on skin that has started to peel following a touch of sunburn there are a few points to remember. Don’t be tempted to apply fake tan over your¬†skin during the peeling stage because the end result will look patchy as your old skin cells are shed and new ones formed in their place. It’s best to wait a week until the top layer of skin cells on your body have sloughed off to reveal the fresh skin beneath. This will ensure that¬†your tan lasts as long as possible.

Of course you can prevent your skin from peeling from the very beginning by choosing a fake tan over a tan in the sun. A tan that comes from a bottle lasts just as long and produces the same caramel-coloured results without any of the nasty effects like sunburn, skin cancers and premature ageing. Plus you can top-up your colour as often as you like even when the skies are grey and cloudy.