How to Remove Tan from Face?

Tanning is the process in which you see a change in your skin after exposure to the sun that means you will notice 2 shades of variation in your skin tone and uneven skin tone. These dual shades seen due to excess production of melanin in sun-exposed areas. 

When skin cells exposed to the UV rays from the sun, they kick into protection mode. They distribute darker pigment cells (melanocytes) to those cells on the surface. As a protective mechanism, the pigment blocks UV radiation from further cell damage. The pigment gets piled on top of the cell’s nucleus, like an umbrella. Therefore, tanning is visible over the exposed part of the body. 

People with lighter skin tones typically cannot create an adequate amount of melanin pigment, the amount that gets created isn’t as efficient, and therefore the exposed areas get skin burn.

Many do not wish for tanned skin, we are more comfortable with our natural skin tone. Photo pigmentation is more common in people with darker skin types as the amount of melanin pigment in their skin is more. Whereas pale or fair complexion doesn’t tan more easily, due to less melanin in the skin. 

Many have the question in mind, how to remove tan from face? Whether male or female, both have the query of how to remove tan, especially from face? I will be guiding you a few home remedies and medical treatments to get rid of hyperpigmentation of skin due to tanning.

Moisturizing the skin or hydrating your skin plays an important role as it protects, moisturizes, and lubricates your skin. It helps replenish and retain the normal moisture content of the skin layers, keeping the skin soft and supple.

Electroporation treatment is advised, which helps easy penetration of a drug or serum to help reduce tanning. This penetration of drugs or serum done by passing a slight current. A microbiology technique in which an electrical field is applied to cells to increase the permeability of the cell membrane, thus allowing the serums to enter the cell. 

Chemical peels help in the exfoliation and regeneration of skin cells by removing tanned skin layers. Thus it helps in reducing pigmentation and parallelly the formation of new skin. Peels with different concentration strengths help treat dark and tanned skin. The chemicals peels available to remove sun tan are glycolic peel, lactic peel, azelaic acid etc. After the chemical peel procedure, ensure the application of sunscreen before you step out in the sun for photoprotection thus preventing further damage to the skin.

Microdermabrasion is a technique which helps in exfoliating dead skin cells which contain the excess melanin pigment. It promotes the regeneration of new cells more quickly than normal. The skin exfoliated by contact with an applicator that has a rough tip- probe along with vacuum. It allows dead skin cells to exfoliate gently, resulting in smoother lighter skin.

Melanin, produced by melanocytes, lies in the basal layer of the epidermis, which gives natural colour to the skin. The Q switch Nd: Yag laser beam of light helps to target the excess melanin on a deeper level. The pigment absorbs the laser energy which is released by Q switch Nd: Yag laser and then this pigment gets broken into particles within the skin’s tissues. Q switch laser reaches harder to reach deeper areas of skin where the products or peels are difficult to reach adequately. The procedure does not have a downtime and you may return to work immediately after. In a few cases, a mild redness is visible for a few hours.

In Co2 treatment, the uppermost layer of the skin is ablated by creating a microscopic injury. It helps even out the skin tone and thereby, improves skin complexion. Use of the fractional CO2 laser may be considered to treat sun-damaged skin as well as for laser skin resurfacing and skin rejuvenation. 

De-tan face packs help in removal of tanned skin cells accumulated in the skin after sun’s UV rays exposure. Face Packs with natural ingredients like papaya, lemon, and tomato or chemical ingredients like lactic acid lighten the upper layers of the skin and help reach a more even skin tone.

If the query in your mind is “how to remove tan from face immediately?” then I would like to inform you that the medical line of treatment has promising results. You will be able to notice visible results in less time. Depending on a person’s individual need and the extent of sun damage, a series of customized treatments can be planned, to help clear the tan and maintain a clearer even-toned radiant complexion.

Melanocytes, located in the lower layer of the epidermis and produce melanin, get charged when exposed to UVB rays releasing additional melanin pigment. This causes the skin to darken on the exposed areas and is responsible for tanning.

UVA rays penetrate deeper into the dermal layer of skin. They slow down the action of collagen and elastin fibres. These collagen and elastin fibres in the skin are responsible for the normal, youthful appearance of skin. Exposure to UVA rays often leads to ageing signs like wrinkling, skin sagging, age spots, liver spots & photoaging. In brief, UVA rays can age us and UVB rays can tan us. 

Longer sun exposure without photoprotection leads to further damage to the skin in terms of fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation etc. To avoid these complications, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed areas of skin daily, throughout the year, even when indoors. Look out for ‘broad spectrum’ on the label, which means it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. 

To protect the lips, apply a lip balm or lipstick that contains sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. When outdoors, reapply sunscreen on exposed areas more often, especially after swimming and heavy perspiration. Always remember the two hours reapply rule for adequate skin protection during the daytime.

Sunscreen works by blocking UV rays with a combination of physical and chemical sunscreen particles. Physical particles, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, reflect UV radiation from the skin. Chemical sunscreen gets absorbed into the skin, needs to be applied 30 minutes before going outdoors to let the contents be fully bonded to the skin.