Does spray tan get into your bloodstream?

If you’re anything like me, the third Monday in February is about the time you start to look terminally pale. Months of short days and long sleeves have banished any trace of color from my skin.

An assistant paints the body of a competitor with fake tan in the backstage area of the Arnold... [+] Classic Europe bodybuilding event in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

So it’s no wonder that some of us turn to a tan in a tube to recapture that sun-kissed look. And we have one molecule—and one reaction—to thank for the miracle of fake tanning.

The molecule is called dihydroxyacetone or DHA. It’s a simple sugar that shows up as an intermediate in the process plant and animal cells use to break down glucose for energy. Yes, your cells might have some fake tanner in them right now.

It’s usefulness as a sun substitute was discovered by accident. In the 1950s a researcher named Eva Wittgenstein was giving DHA to children with glycogen storage disease, a disorder that affects their ability to break down a form of glucose. She noticed the chemical was staining their skin when it spilled from their mouths.

Intrigued, Wittgenstein looked into it. She explained how DHA worked in a 1960 paper in Science.

The molecule reacts with nitrogen-containing amino acids in our skin. These are the building blocks of proteins. The reaction of a sugar like DHA with an amino acid (there are 20 that our bodies use regularly) produces melanoidin molecules, relatives of the skin pigment melanin that range in color from yellowish to brown. Some amino acids, like arginine, make for darker melanoidins than others.

If you’re into food chemistry, that reaction of sugar and amino acids might sound familiar. It’s known as the Maillard reaction, and it’s responsible for browning on everything from bread to steak. In addition to adding color, the Maillard reaction produces flavor compounds that make those foods so good.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has labelled DHA safe to apply to skin, but health concerns still exist. Since Wittgenstein, most researchers believed DHA didn’t penetrate beyond the dead cells that make up our outer layer of skin. Then a 1999 FDA report found that small amounts actually do make it into living cells and could get into the bloodstream, though it’s not clear if that’s anything to worry about.

More concerning, though, is the rise of spray tanning. When the FDA approved DHA, they did not anticipate aerosol versions. In a spray booth, DHA could be getting into your lungs. A 2012 ABC News investigation quotes several doctors who express concerns about the safety of spray tanning.

The other thing to worry about is sunburn. That darker tone might give you some protection against UV rays, but it won’t stop a burn. In fact, one study found that tanning agents can actually increase the number of damaging free radicals that form during sun exposure.

All that said, doctors and others agree that DHA is safer than spending hours in the sun or a tanning bed crisping in that UV light. And if it gives you an ego boost, too, well that’s all the better in these dark days.

Which, for some of us, means it’s time for certain body parts like our legs and arms to come out and play.

But how to create the ~illusion~ that they have been kissed by the sun despite hiding under a lovely, warming layer of hair all winter (and as much of spring as we could push for?).

Sun in a bottle – otherwise known as fake tan – of course.

Self tanners can save us from pastiness in desperate times of need… but while the risk of overdoing it to Oompa Loompa level was once our only fear of self-tanning, it turns out there might be some other risks to be aware of.

Well, for some of us…

When chatting with some girlfriends recently about fake tan, one made a startling revelation.

“I can’t fake tan, it gives me diarrhoea,” she said casually, sipping on her almond milk latte.

Excuse me… what?

Yes – as it turns out, this friend – who is lactose intolerant, may be experiencing an allergic reaction to the chemicals found in some tanning products, and she’s not alone.

Others have described a “gurgly stomach” feeling when they use certain tanning products, as well as nausea and flu-like symptoms.

They’ve often thought it could be the smell of some products that makes them feel ill. You know – that biscuit-y smell that no amount of deodorant and perfume seems to be able to mask?

To find out if there is actually a link between stomach symptoms and fake tan, I consulted nutritionist Jennifer May, owner of Sydney City Nutritionist and founder of Food Intolerance Australia, who has conducted extensive research on the chemicals in beauty products and how they can affect our bodies.

She said she has treated patients who have presented with similar symptoms to my friend, and that it’s often people who suffer from food intolerance, suggesting that there could actually be a connection.

But how?

According to Jennifer, it could be down to a few reasons:

“This could be due to them having weaker digestive function,” she said.

“It could be due to the increased toxic load from the food reactions, leading to poor ability to detox, or of course, this could be a reaction to the DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) itself – which is a three-carbon sugar food extract,” she added.

DHA is also what gives fake tan its “yeasty” smell, she added.

“Many people with food intolerances have issues absorbing and processing sugars such as lactose and fructose. It is possible that the reaction is from the DHA being poorly processed by the liver and then reacting in the digestive system.”

So how, if we are applying fake tan to our skin, does it react with our digestive system?

“Our skin is a very effective organ for both absorption and excretion, and we have known for some time now that what goes on the skin does produce a systemic effect,” Jennifer explained.

“Consider products such as Voltaren Gel or magnesium oil – either of those can produce an immediate relief from muscular aches and pains, Vicks ointment can open up airways when rubbed on the feet,” she added.

She went on to explain that while many dermatology sites swear the primary tanning ingredient DHA has “minimal absorption”, other chemicals in some products can also lead to symptoms – including parabens, alcohol, preservatives, formaldehyde releasing chemicals and “fragrances”.

"Of course, when our bowel function is not good, if our liver detox capability is poor, if we have previously had our gall bladder removed, or if our bile contains man-made chemicals that our body does not recognise, there is always the chance that these chemicals will be reabsorbed via the lining of the digestive tract - right back into the bloodstream.

"This now recirculates and we may attempt elimination via the skin or lungs - leading to uncomfortable symptoms.

"The urinary urgency is generally from unknown/unrecognised man-made chemicals irritating the bladder causing a need for urgent elimination," she added.

Sydney naturopath Victoria O'Sullivan concurred with some of Jennifer's findings, particularly how the skin absorbs chemicals that can then make their way to our digestive system.

"Your skin is the largest organ of your body and since it is porous, it absorbs whatever you put on it," she said.

"A study published in the American Journal of Public Health looked into the skin's absorption rates of chemicals found in drinking water. It showed that the skin absorbed an average of 64 per cent of total contaminant dosage."

While, like Jennifer, she said there has been little research surrounding the use of fake tan and the potential damage chemicals within some products can have on certain people, Victoria noted it could be down to the "fat soluble" chemicals, including DHA, building up in the body.

She added that if people using fake tan already have "liver filtering issues", this could be the reason for the negative reaction.

"Where your body processes these chemicals is in your liver, and your liver's role is to transport these fat soluble compounds into water soluble so that you can then safely eliminate them from your body. Your organs of elimination are your bowels (digestion), your kidneys, your lungs (breath), and your skin," she explained.

"There are two phases to this detox pathway: phase 1 and phase 2, and where people run into issues is that they may have too much phase 1 (which actually makes the compounds more toxic as part of its process), and not enough phase 2 (which is where it gets transferred into the safe water soluble form)."

Some symptoms of liver filtering issues along these pathways include constipation or diarrhoea, nausea, headaches, and aches and pains, among others, Victoria added.

So why do people have issues with liver detoxification?

Victoria said it could be from a number of causes attributed to diet, smoking, pollution, certain skincare products, drug use, emotional stress or gene variations such as COMT/MTHFR, which some medical professionals have linked to anxiety, and which can lead to issues within the liver, according to Victoria.

But before you throw all your fake tanning products away - Jennifer said there is hope, adding that those who experience these reactions are usually just in need of "a really good detox".

"In my experience, removing food intolerances (also known as food allergy type three - which are detected by blood testing) and following a gut healing protocol, along with the use of a high quality probiotic, can significantly improve ability to tolerate these sugars (in the chemical DHA).

"[When food tolerances are removed] some patients then also experience improved tolerance of the chemical personal care items," she said.

Does self tanner go into your bloodstream?

How toxic is spray tan?

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Does fake tan absorb into your skin?