The penny has finally dropped, the future isn’t orange. And while some areas of Britain are finally coming around to the idea that sun beds are a bad thing and looking deeply tanned isn’t the secret portal to beauty, other areas are carrying on regardless and opening up a Great British tanning divide.
According to research by Kantar Worldpanel, in Scotland, the number of grooming treatments bought by men has risen by three quarters, the biggest increase anywhere in Britain and a fifth of these were sessions on the sunbed. Meanwhile Welsh men combined a fondness for tanning and waxing with hair removal accounting for nearly half of all male treatments while in London men favoured massages and skin treatments over other pampering. Tanning was out of fashion in the capital, accounting for just 6% of all treatments.
Another example of London leading the way and waiting for the others to catch up? Or is this a disparity between regions that will continue to grow? Watching programmes like Geordie Shore or TOWIE and you see guys who are very much into a tanning regime. The dark, permanently tanned look goes hand-in-hand with over blown muscles, heavage revealing T-shirts and over zealous manscaping.
Charlotte Fionda, Development Director, of the The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity (Skcin) & Skin Cancer UK says “With regard to trends in tanning and it potentially becoming more provincial, it is a difficult one as there are so many variables, but what we would say is that there have been a lot more awareness campaigns focussed on London (e.g. Our spoof campaign Computertan, targeting those desperate for a tan – fooling over 2m people into thinking they could get a tan from their computer screen, was advertised on the London underground and in London cabs, more so that anywhere else, event though it was a viral campaign! http://www.computertan.com). Also, there is a more cosmopolitan community in London and traditionally Brits in the north are perhaps seen as more pasty white and thus have more desire/social pressure to change the colour of their skin?? There is of course the potential that with the Eurotunnel, etc sunnier climes can be more frequently accessible to Londoners, where 'Northerners' may choose to top up their tans at the tanning salon when not able to get away??”
This new gulf isn’t simply a choice between tanned and pale. This isn’t saying everybody should be pale or try to be pale, it’s about maximising your natural colour. The colour of your skin is one of your main characteristics, along with eye and hair colour, it creates your aesthetic balance. Change one of these factors and you start to alter nature’s balance.
A survey by OnePoll for Confused.com in May 2012 found that 10% of men surveyed from London say Botox treatment is a vital part of looking good. Meanwhile, 22% of men in the West Midlands believe a fake tan is a crucial part of sprucing themselves up - the highest of any region.
Tanning expert James Read of www.thetantalist.com says “London is now all about the natural looking tan, it's about looking healthy with golden glowing skin but no one can guess what you have had done. This is called the Miami Tan , tanning inspiration from the TV show Miami Vice, where the skin was golden as if you had been away but it looked real and in keeping with your skintone, think Don Johnson and you are on the right track. Liverpool and Manchester still lead when it comes to dark tans.”
Men in London are finally realising that you need to lighten the dark areas instead of darkening everything to have great looking skin. One of the main problems skin suffers from is hyperpigmentation, the darkening of an area of skin usually caused by sun damage, inflammation or scarring from acne. Excess production of melanin causes these darker areas but there are products, ‘skin brightening’, proven to lighten these areas to give your skin a more uniform colouration.
Dr. Michael Ingrassia,Group Leader, Research and Development Worldwide, Lab Series Skincare for Men says “Men natural have more melanin in their skin, they undergo a more intense tanning process after sun exposure and retain it for a longer time than women.” Which makes skin brightening products even more important for men to combat the over exposure to sun and UV rays.
The deep, fake looking tan has become dated. It’s finding itself along with too much hair product and tattoos in the box marked ‘bad taste’. If you want to continue to look like a contestant on Take Me Out then read no further, otherwise try the products below and always use SPF:
Clinique’s Even Better range has introduced Skin Tone Correcting Lotion SPF20. Developed for combination and oily skin types, this new lightweight and oil-free formula improve skin’s tone and uniformity. Designed to combat dark spots and discolouration while also providing protection from the number one cause of hyperpigmentation.
Clinique - Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Lotion SPF20 - £35
An instant revitalizing and energising serum, enriched with youth-boosting nutrients and peptides that visibly brighten skin after only one application. OSKIA’s unique dual approach actively illuminates and firms, evens skin tone, smoothes the appearance of fine lines and protects against everyday environmental, seasonal and lifestyle damage, while also providing essential cell nutrients
Oskia - Get Up and Glow - £64.50
Lab Series Power Brightening helps to reduce current skin discolouration by brightening the skin, corrects skin by working to stop barely visible dark spots that have already formed under the skin surface from becoming more visible and helps to prevent future discolouration by helping stop dark spots from forming.
Power Brightening Water Lotion - £29
Power Brightening Serum - £46
Power Brightening Eye Balm - £28
A light day lotion that diminishes the appearance of dark spots while helping protect skin against environmental aggressors.
Aveda - Enbrightenment Brightening Correcting Lotion - £45