Why have my underarms gone green after my spray tan?

You’re not turning into the Incredible Hulk — you’ve just left deodorant on your underarms and it’s reacted with the tanning solution, turning the guide colour a lovely shade of green instead of golden.

So how can you fix it?

The good news is that the green bits will wash off in the shower after your tan has fully developed and you’ll be left with a gorgeous glow beneath. Just don’t try to wipe your armpits clean beforehand or you’ll be left with a patchy finish at the end.

The best way to stop it happening again is to avoid all deodorants, antiperspirants and perfumes on the day of your spray tan. The chemical ingredients in these products can create a barrier on the surface of the skin that stops tanner from working properly and hampers the tanning process. Therefore bare skin, free from make-up and cosmetics (that’s preferably been exfoliated a day before to remove dead skin cells), is ideally what you want to begin with.

However, your therapist will be happy to provide you with a cleansing wipe to remove any make-up or deodorant if you haven’t had the chance to do it yourself.

If you’re confident that you’ve eliminated all traces of deodorant and moisturiser and your underarms still go green, your skin may be undergoing some hormonal changes. For example, hormonal fluctuations during the first trimester of pregnancy can affect the way that tanning solution reacts with the skin. So if you’re a mum-to-be, we’d advise waiting until the first three months of pregnancy are over before you try tanning again, preferably with a patch test first.