3 types of tans and what they mean
Find out what type of tan you have
A tan does more than make you pretty and sun-kissed
There are 3 kinds of tans, and they each mean different things.
In today’s post, you can learn what each of the 3 different kinds of tans are, what they mean, how tans are made by the body, how to use tans as landmarks of health, and tips for optimizing safe solar exposure for yourself and your family.
First tan type: Unchanging skin tone (and hair color)
The first kind of tan doesn’t vary based on lifestyle.
This “tan” is made from the pigment melanin.
Human’s surface-level melanin comes in two primary types you can see in the skin and hair.
eumelanin: brown/black
pheomelanin: red/yellow
In humans, there are 120 genes that have been identified as affecting skin and hair pigmentation (so far).
This shows how skin and hair color can have such a huge amount of subtlety from person to person.
This variety of melanin genes plus lifestyle gives each of us our unique balance of the stereotypic white/black/yellow/red skin tones, as well as what in the cosmetic industry is referred to as undertone.
Your natural hair color shows your melanin status
The pigmentation information in skin and hair tells us a lot about each other—not just about our race and ancestry, but also our health.
Our hair, far from being “dead matter,” as I remember being taught, is actually an active part of our body’s tanning/melanation processes.
Hair keeps a record of your melanin status over time, and has the ability to send melanin back into your body when it needs it1.
Thus, hair color is not just pretty, but a storage center for valuable melanin.
Grey hair shows the body has been pulling melanin in from the hair to use deeper in the body.
With regard to hair, we (and especially babies) also have lots of fuzzy white hair over most of the body.
This hair doesn’t have much pigment and is very soft, but it still may relate to your tannability.
It’s called vellus hair, and recent research suggests vellus hair is specially designed to absorb UV light2, possibly as much as 250x as much as normal hair3.
Isn’t it interesting that babies, then, are covered in vellus hair?
This means we seem to be born designed to absorb UV light at an extremely rapid rate—maybe because babies can’t be outside as long due to being more vulnerable to heat and dehydration and need to meet their UV needs quickly.
I also wonder how the modern hair-removal obsession affects health, given it removes both the melanin storage/release capabilities in the pigmented hair and the UV antennae-like abilities of the unpigmented vellus hair.
We also know in the animal kingdom, for example songbirds, melanin relates to physical qualities associated with reproductive ability and that are also used in mate selection4.
Thus, fake hair color likely confuses the accurate transmission of biological messages about of health and genetics carried by melanin in humans.
Not only that, but frequent use of hair dyes may reduce natural melanin production in hair follicles5, which definitely sounds like a vicious cycle for someone trying to cover up or reverse greying hair.
How your skin’s undertone affects your solar callus:
In scientific terms, people’s skin tone is one of three:
darkly pigmented
depigmented
facultatively pigmented (ie, tannable, which is especially useful for living between 23-46 degrees latitude)
But in cosmetics, we know there is more to it. As there are so many genes involved, we also have an undertone to our skin that can be described as cool, warm, and neutral.
When we are correlating these scientific/cosmetic qualities to exposure to sunlight, the Fitzpatrick scale can be useful.
It is simply based on individual subjective experiences of how one’s skin responds to sunlight:
Type I: doesn’t tan, always burns (depigmented)
Type II: tans poorly (tannable)
Type III: tans after initial burn (tannable)
Type IV: tans easily (tannable)
Type V: always tans, never burns (darkly pigmented)
The Fitzpatrick scale is what the Dminder app for estimating UV exposure & Vitamin D production by location, time, and skin type uses.
Parenting tip for using Dminder app: set the skin type a shade or two lighter when your baby is young so your timers go off earlier, especially if baby is born later in the sun season and everyone else has already been tanning earlier in the year
While we think of only fair-skinned people as being able to sunburn, due to many factors in the modern lifestyle, even darkly-pigmented skin can get a painful burn if sunlight exposure suddenly increases (such as a winter vacation to a tropical location).
As one reader shared:
Interesting write ups you're doing on circadian rhythms and the effect of sunlight on our overall wellbeing. Your last post especially on sunbathing is quite a read. The level of detail regarding skin types and the awareness of the intensity of the sun, for example, is something I never had to think about. Growing up in Nigeria, sunscreen just wasn't/isn't a thing. I joked that "black people don't burn", until I went cycling for 2 hours in Panama last fall and was horrified when I got into the shower - the horrors of the clear demarcation in skin tones. I stand corrected. I could go on about all those topics. I've become more aware of my body, sensations and sensitivities to blue light, my sleep patterns, foods etc and their effects on my mood and overall balance and well-being.
~Brighter Days, Darker Nights reader
Second tan type: Inflammation tan 🥵
The second type of tan is what most sun-avoidant “experts” probably think of as all tans.
When someone gets much more sun than they have been getting in the recent past, their skin gets an immediate darkening.
This inflammation tan comes on immediately and lasts for a few days.
This kind of tan is what you see if you go out for sunbathing and see a kind of greyish looking line between the skin that was under your clothes and the skin that was out in the sun.
This king of tan also can peel off after a while, leaving an uneven, patchy look behind.
It is caused by the oxidation of melanin.
Oxidation is when too many negatively charged electrons are stolen, leaving an excessive positive charge in a molecule.
This type of tan is not a particularly valuable kind of tan, even though it does protect you in the short term.
An inflammation tan doesn’t have the same benefits as a more carefully nurtured tan.
Third tan type: Long-lasting tan 🤩
When you consistently get out in the sunlight, if you have the ability based on your heritage, your body will respond by creating a long-lasting tan.
This last type of tan is called a facultative tan, and is useful for anyone living between 23-46 degrees latitude.
This type of tan builds up healthy, un-oxidized melanin with a variety of health-promoting properties.
For example, it regulates copper and iron status, sequesters heavy metals, and harvests raw electrons from solar energy.
Indeed, melanin is even more efficient than chlorophyll at harvesting raw energy from sunlight.
Though not yet widely integrated to ecology, this new knowledge will completely re-work the way we understand the food chain.
Chlorophyll splits the water molecule once with quantum-efficiency to harvest electrons.
Melanin splits the water molecule to harvest electrons, AND re-combines it to further gather energy.
Melanin is actually so efficient, engineers are working with melanin to serve as the next generation of solar energy storage6.
One of the benefits melanin has over materials currently used is it has electrical properties, as well as thermoelectric properties.
This is a fancy way of saying melanin still works when it gets hot.
This is good for you when you are carefully sunbathing.
And if engineers can successfully harness melanin outside of a living body, it could also make solar energy much more efficient since melanin can work at more extreme temperatures than current materials.
Melanin for research and engineering is mainly sourced from cephalopods.
How is melanin made in humans?
Melanin is produced through the melanocortin pathway under the direction of light inputs from the essential amino acid phenylalanine.
Phenylalanine is not only the precursor to melanin, but also to dopamine, noradrenalin, norepinephine, and thyroxine.
As you’ll learn, anything affecting melanin also affects things happening all throughout the body.
This process of creating melanin is called melanogenesis.
The melanocortin pathway “is responsible for a dizzying array of functions, from melanogenesis and adrenal development, to energy homeostasis and sexual behaviour” (Yeo, et al 2021, Introduction).
Thus, any visible change in melanin (ie, tanning) is done through a process that co-regulates all those other systems.
Just as problems in the melanin system such as hyper- or hypo- pigmentation are not isolated occurrences, but part of a larger and more complicated health situation.
A tan is part of a solar callus, but a solar callus is about more than just the tanning process
All this new information coming out about melanin makes “experts” like Ramzi Saad, MD sound either malicious or ignorant when they broadcast beliefs such as this:
“First, there is no such thing as a “solar callus” or “sun callus.” These are made-up terms not recognized in the medical field. You cannot build up a tolerance for sun exposure. Further, there is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan.”
Source: Skin Cancer Foundation, whose operations are largely funded by more than 100 international corporations, listed here.
In the quantum health community, we use the term “solar callus” as a placeholder for the positive effects of sunlight exposure—and to differentiate between those and the unhealthy effects of unsafe solar exposure.
Knowing only a few mainstream scientists have explored the latest research about things like…
light, circadian rhythms, and melanin
… explains why so much research trying to influence the melanocortin pathway get shoddy results:
“The melanocortin action is well perceived for its ability to regulate body weight bidirectionally with its gain of function reducing body weight and loss of function promoting obesity. However, this notion cannot explain the difficulty in identifying effective therapeutics toward treating general obesity via activation of the melanocortin action. Here, we provide evidence that altered melanocortin action is only able to cause one-directional obesity development. We demonstrate that chronic inhibition of arcuate neurons expressing proopiomelanocortin (POMC) or paraventricular hypothalamic neurons expressing melanocortin receptor 4 (MC4R) causes massive obesity. However, chronic activation of these neuronal populations failed to reduce body weight. Furthermore, gain of function of the melanocortin action through overexpression of MC4R, POMC or its derived peptides had little effect on obesity prevention or reversal. These results reveal a bias of the melanocortin action towards protection of weight loss and provide a neural basis behind the well-known, but mechanistically ill-defined, predisposition to obesity development” (Li et al, 2023, Abstract).
To give benefit of the doubt, it is very possible terminology isn’t crossing paths between the different fields of inquiry and it’s just a matter of time until we start seeing better, more interdisciplinary research come out.
This is part of my exciting new role as Director of Research at the Institute of Quantum Biology where we are launching a whole arm of the organization that will be dedicated to funding and supporting quality circadian and quantum health research.
Learn more here, and also, we are going to be enrolling a new cohort this fall (I will be teaching my Research Methods class again, as well as hosting several of the live Q&As that come with the program to talk about research and quantum perinatal health).
Please let them know I sent you 😉
Is sunlight dangerous?
Acute unsafe solar exposure would be amounts that cause dehydration, heat burns, heat fatigue, and eventually have the possibility to lead up to sun stroke and even death.
Additionally, since light has a more powerful effect on chronobiology than any known drug, those with diagnosed mental health issues (particularly bipolar, schizophrenia, or major depressive disorder), would be prudent to work out a specific chronotherapy plan with their health care providers.
In both the physical and mental problems that can come about from solar exposure, these effects are seen in people who suddenly and excessively change their solar exposure.
Sudden increases in intense sunlight exposure are explicitly NOT recommended within the solar callus community.
Instead, we are all very interested not only in the benefits of intense UV light, but also in the healing and rejuvenating effects of infrared light.
Nurturing a solar callus is not the same as going for sunlight exposure willy-nilly
I shared recently about the comment I got from someone who told me they “weren’t into the whole excessive sunlight thing.”
We as humans have always known the sun has the ability to heal as well as harm and no one talking about a sun callus or solar callus positively is talking about staying out to the point of having negative effects.
Long-term, many of the negative effects are primarily observed in people living in a much sunnier climate than their ancestors7, and may also be related to other habits such as using sunscreen and sunglasses to extend their time in the sun beyond what their body would happily tolerate.
If the sun feels scorching and excessively bright, it’s a bad idea to use sunscreen and sunglasses to make yourself more comfortable in that environment!
Instead, you should seek shade cover, cool down, and wait for the sun to get less intense.
Please always listen to your body.
Also, know that many over-the-counter as well as doctor-prescribed medications also increase sensitivity to sunlight.
This may help explain why there isn’t a lot of interest in studying sunlight with regard to conditions for which medications have already been patented and/or brought to market.
These conditions where sunlight research may be dis-incentivized from the pharmaceutical perspective could include infectious conditions, allergic conditions, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, chronic pain/inflammation and others.
Check your medications before sun tanning
According to the FDA, medications that increase sensitivity to the sun include:
Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, tetracycline, trimethoprim)
Antifungals (flucytosine, griseofulvin, voricanozole)
Antihistamines (cetirizine, diphenhydramine, loratadine, promethazine, cyproheptadine)
Cholesterol-lowering drugs (simvastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin)
Diuretics (thiazide diuretics: hydrochlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, chlorothiazide.; other diuretics: furosemide and triamterene)
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, piroxicam, ketoprofen)
Oral contraceptives and estrogens
Phenothiazines (tranquilizers, anti-emetics: examples, chlorpromazine, fluphenazine, promethazine, thioridazine, prochloroperazine)
Psoralens (methoxsalen, trioxsalen)
Retinoids (acitretin, isotretinoin)
Sulfonamides (acetazolamide, sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine, sulfasalazine, sulfasoxazole)
Sulfonylureas for type 2 diabetes (glipizide, glyburide)
Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) in cosmetics
Check the labels of anything you take internally or put on your skin to see if there is a warning about increased photosensitivity.
Many topical products that may cause photosensitivity are sold over the counter, including certain essential oils and many cosmetic ingredients are not labeled as such, so you may want to do your own research with regard to any unfamiliar ingredients.
These reasons all factor into why if you ask a doctor, they will tell you tanning is dangerous and if you want to do it, you must consult with a physician first before starting any kind of tanning routine.
When you insist on tanning, you are handicapping mainstream physicians, dermatologists and cosmeticians from using many of the tools in their toolbox on you.
Solar callus and sun callus tips:
Avoid photosensitizes
Build a solar callus over time
Precondition with the infrared light of sunrise on as much of your body as possible to build up to SPF 15 naturally
Respect time under overhead sun based on your heritage and recent exposure
Wear protective clothing instead of chemical sunscreens (many actually contain photosensitizing chemicals while also blocking Vitamin D production, and while not having a biological pathway out of the body so they can build up across days and weeks)
Seek shade and coolness when you need it
Post-condition with infrared light of sunset on as much of your body as possible to build your collagen and regenerate your skin
Have a healthy gut biome full of pre- and pro- biotics, because this is known to positively impact skin health and sunlight tolerance
Generate healing nights for yourself with plenty of darkness so you can convert your serotonin into free-radicle scavenging melatonin
Eat seafood and/or a DHA supplement on a regular basis because under sunlight, the DHA stored in your cellular membranes will become endocannabinoids that make you feel really, really good :)
What type of tan do you have?
If you are tanning you may have one, two, or all three of the types of tans depending on your heritage and lifestyle!
Your natural skin tone, which is what you were born with
Inflammation tan, if you have been suddenly getting more sun than your skin was prepared to handle
Facultative tan, if your heritage and long-term solar exposure has signaled your melanocortin pathway to create and store extra melanin
Want more research? I meticulously gather full-text PDFs, categorized and searcheable, in a private Google Drive folder system for my Practitioner tier subscribers. I’d love to support your efforts to learn, implement, and teach this fascinating niche of health, too! Click the button below to learn more:
Slominski, A., Wortsman, J., Plonka, P. M., Schallreuter, K. U., Paus, R., & Tobin, D. J. (2005). Hair follicle pigmentation. The Journal of investigative dermatology, 124(1), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-202X.2004.23528.x
Huang, X., Protheroe, M. D., Al-Jumaily, A. M., Paul, S. P., Chalmers, A. N., Wang, S., Diwu, J., & Liu, W. (2019). Contribution of Human Hair in Solar UV Transmission in Skin: Implications for Melanoma Development. Annals of biomedical engineering, 47(12), 2372–2383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-019-02315-z
Huang, X., Protheroe, M. D., Al-Jumaily, A. M., Chalmers, A. N., Paul, S. P., & Fu, X. (2019). Simulation of UV power absorbed by follicular stem cells during sun exposure and possible implications for melanoma development. Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision, 36(4), 628–635. https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAA.36.000628
de Zwaan, D., Barnes, S., Martin, K. (2019). Plumage melanism is linked to male quality, female parental investment and assortative mating in an alpine songbird. Animal Behaviour; Volume 156, Pages 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.034.
Lee, S. M., Chen, Y. S., Lin, C. C., & Chen, K. H. (2015). Hair dyes resorcinol and lawsone reduce production of melanin in melanoma cells by tyrosinase activity inhibition and decreasing tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression. International journal of molecular sciences, 16(1), 1495–1508. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms16011495
Xu, R., Gouda, A., Caso, M. F., Soavi, F., & Santato, C. (2019). Melanin: A Greener Route To Enhance Energy Storage under Solar Light. ACS omega, 4(7), 12244–12251. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.9b01039
Jablonski, N. G., & Chaplin, G. (2010). Colloquium paper: human skin pigmentation as an adaptation to UV radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), 8962–8968. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0914628107
This was so helpful! Would you recommend the D Minder app as the best way to ensure safe sun exposure for baby? I’m trying to figure out how much indirect sunlight is the right amount for a newborn…we also live at the 27th latitude. Thank you!
You are such a WELL OF WISDOM, WOMAN! I INjoyed every last drop of thIS! Thank you, thank you, thank you Nikko!