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Getting a tan to give your skin a healthy glow can also give you something else... skin cancer.
Dr. Mulvihill shows us the latest way to get that beautiful color without hurting yourself.
Welcome to the latest in sunless, safe tanning techniques. It's called fantasy tan.
Instead of rubbing on creams or lotions to tan your hide, you are sprayed with bronzing lotion from an airbrush.
Pamela Farrell/ Clinical Aesthetician: "FANTASY TAN CONTAINS FDA APPROVED DHA, WHICH HAS BEEN AROUND FOR AROUND 30 YEARS. SO IT'S VERY SAFE. IT'S A FOOD COLORING."
The color of the tan can be varied to match individual skin tones, or even to accentuate individual body parts.
"BODY BUILDERS LIKE THIER MUSCLES TO BE DONE DARKER, TO SHOW THEIR MUSCLE DEFINITION MORE."
It takes about ten minutes to dry. And in the first 24 hours it can rub off on clothes. However it washes out easily.
But the real advantage is that it gives you a look of having been out in the sun without going out in the sun.
PAM FARRELL/ LASER SKIN CARE: "WE HAVE THOSE WHO ARE GOING ON VACATION AND JUST WANT TO GIVE THEMSELVES A SPLASH OF COLOR TO LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN ON THE BEACH ALREADY."
While it may seem purely cosmetic, it does have some real benefits. More than one million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year. It's the most common and most easily prevented form of cancer.
And the biggest risk factor is over-exposure to the sun. So anything that can help keep people out of the sun could ultimately save lives.
The spray on suntan is so lifelike it even leaves tan lines.
The fantasy tan costs $75 for 45 minute, enough to cover the whole body. It costs less if you only want specific parts done.
It lasts about 7 to 10 days. But if you go out in the sun you still need to wear sunscreen because the fake tan does not protect you against the sun.
