Type I
"Always burns; never tans."
Your skin only reddens and freckles. If you are trying to get a tan by merging your freckles, please stop. You aren't fooling anyone.
A dark sunless tan will look as natural on you as a third eye. Even standard light formulas could be too much. Fortunately, your options soared with the boom in "glow" products, daily moisturizers with a DHA boost, now available from all major skincare labels [Olay, Jergens, and Neutrogena]. Hawaiian Tropic's Island Glow has the mildest scent and the most natural color.
You can make your own glow product by mixing a sunless tanner with regular skin lotion. Start with small quantities of each, a couple of ounces, to make sure blending is successful, before you commit an entire bottle.
An important tip from a natural redhead: never try to go too dark on your face! Supermodel Maggie Rizer demonstrates at left just how much you can get away with. [Intrigued? See The transformation of Maggie Rizer].
Recommended products: Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Extender Lotion, California North Titanium Self Tanner, Hawaiian Tropic Island Glow Light or Medium, SUN Laboratories Self Tanning Lotion Medium.
Type II
"Burns easily; tans minimally."
I'm in this group, so I can assure you sunless tanners will give you a better tan than you could ever achieve in the sun. In a single night, I can get a fantastic sunless tan; it took me weeks, even months, to get the same amount of color when I used to lie out in the sun as a teenager.
All sunless tanners should work for you, except for those labeled extra dark, which may turn orange.
Or, like Drew, forget the tan and go the red lipstick route. Screw the pastels! What have they ever done for you?
Recommended products: Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Mousse, Au Courant Platinum Sunless Face Gel, Bain de Soleil Mega Tan SPF 4, Paula's Choice Almost the Real Thing Self-Tanning Gel, Peter Thomas Roth Natural Looking Self Tanner.
Type III
"Burns moderately; tans gradually to light brown."
Sometimes I get cranky. Hence these photos of Brigitte Bardot, your average Type III.
"So what?," you might think.
Please note that in the second picture Ms. Bardot is only 52.
Sadly, she started to sunbathe back in the 1960s, long before the relationship between ultraviolet radiation and premature aging of the skin was completely understood.
In contrast, the photo of Antonio Banderas at age 37 shows how great a person can look when they shun the sun. Is that a touch of bronzer I see on his cheeks?!
Sunless tanners work extremely well for Type III folks, but, if you formerly tanned in the sun or in tanning beds, you must set your sights a little lower. You will not be able to achieve as dark a color with sunless tanners. Once you adjust your expectations, you will discover you are blessed with the ability to get great results from almost any sunless tanner.
Recommended products: Au Courant Platinum Sunless Face Gel, Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Mousse, Beach Sunless Tanning Lotion by Strong Products, Estee Lauder SuperTan for the Face [dark], SUN Laboratories Self Tanning Lotion Dark, SUN Strictly Faces in Dark.
Type IV
"Burns minimally; always tans well to moderately brown."
It's tempting for you to tan naturally because you can get a dark tan fast with little or no burning. Just a couple of hours in the sun will give you a warm glow.
But don't give in! As this photo of Lucy Liu shows [almost invisible under the makeup], in the short term sun exposure will cause skin discoloration, or "sun spots.".
Instead, try dark or very dark sunless tanning lotions, especially in the winter for a touch of color on your face. Ms. Liu is a sunless tanning convert [is Drew Barrymore responsible?], and showed off a beautiful fake tan while promoting Charlie's Angels Full Throttle.
Recommended products: Clinique Self-Sun Self-Tanning Lotion Dark, Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam in Deep, SUN Laboratories Self Tanning Lotion Very Dark, SUN Strictly Faces Extra Dark.
Type V
"Rarely burns; tans profusely to dark brown."
You don't need to waste money on sunless tanners. But you can if you want to!
Sunless tanning products will effectively darken paler legs at the beginning of shorts season. Be warned, though, that a fading sunless tan may make your skin look dull and lifeless. Weekly exfoliation will prevent this.
And wear sun screen! Type V Tyra Banks used to sunbathe without protection until she got a bad burn. Now she wears sun screen every day.
Recommended products: Clinique Self-Sun Self-Tanning Lotion Dark, Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam in Extra Deep, SUN Strictly Faces Extra Dark.
Type VI
"Never burns; deeply pigmented; insensitive."
Insensitive? Um, no. While your skin might not visibly redden, long sun exposure will leave your skin painful, taut, and peeling.
As my former boss learned after tossing his shirt and driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles in his convertible on a fine summer day. [For those of you who don't know the distance, that's six hours of broiling sun]. He spent the night in a bathtub of cold water.
Skin pigmentation provides protection against burning UVB rays, but it's not adequate protection against UVA, which causes aging and discoloration of the skin. Please pass the sun screen.
If you are this skin type and looking for a sunless tanner, you are probably suffering from pigment loss, or vitiligo. Unfortunately, sunless tanning products will look rusty next to the subtle tones of your natural skin color. If most or all pigmentation is gone, the products recommended for Type V are a good choice.
For small unpigmented areas, products such as Dermablend can provide temporary coverage. Be sure to ask your doctor if you are a candidate for PUVA treatment.
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