Please Don't Get a Spray Tan When You're Sunburnt

It's May, the lake is open, the pools are open, and my DMs have officially entered sunburn season. Every year around this time, I start getting the same text: "I got a little pink at the lake yesterday but I have an event Friday, can I still come in?" I love that you trust me enough to ask, but the honest answer, almost every single time, is please wait.

Your Sunburn Is Going to Peel. Yes, Even Yours.

This is the big one. When you get a sunburn, the top layer of your skin is damaged, and your body is already getting ready to shed it. Sometimes that peel is dramatic and obvious, sometimes it's subtle, and sometimes (if you're one of those people who tans easily) you swear you "never peel."

Here's what I've learned after years of doing this: when you spray tan over a sunburn, you peel anyway. Almost every time. Even my clients who genuinely don't peel from their burns end up shedding when the solution goes on. Whatever the science, the result is the same. Your beautiful, just-paid-for spray tan starts flaking off in patches a few days later, and the tan comes off with the skin.

It's Not Just the Peeling

Even before any peeling starts, sunburnt skin is just not a good canvas for spray tan.

• The color goes on uneven. Burnt skin is dehydrated and reacts to DHA differently than the healthy skin around it, so you can end up patchy or splotchy from day one.
• Sunburnt areas hold less hydration, and hydration is the single biggest factor in how long a tan lasts. Even if your burn somehow doesn't peel, it'll fade fast and unevenly.

But My Event Is in 3 Days...

I get this text constantly, and I promise I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news. If you have a burn and an event coming up, here's how I'd think through it.

• If your skin is still pink, warm, or tender to the touch: don't tan. The peel hasn't happened yet.
• If you've already started peeling: definitely don't tan. Wait until it's fully finished and your skin feels smooth again.
• If the burn was a week or more ago, the redness is gone, you haven't peeled, and your skin feels normal: you're probably good. Text me a photo first and I'll take a look.

I would so much rather postpone or come up with a plan B than send you into your event watching your tan fall off in the bathroom mirror. A no-tan event with healthy skin will always look better than a peeling spray tan. Always.

Prevention Is the Real Move

I know I'm a spray tan artist saying this, but the best version of summer skin is sun-protected skin. Wear SPF, reapply, and remember that you can absolutely still have that golden glow without spending a minute frying at the lake. That's literally what I'm here for. If you do mess up and get a burn, just text me. We'll figure out the timing together.