Does a Sun Tan Really Get Rid of Acne?

I have moderate acne on my face and back since I was a teenager, and my mother has always told me that I should go tanning or lay out to get rid of it. It seems to help sometimes, but once the tan goes away my acne tends to get worse. Does sun exposure or tanning really help treat acne? I could see that UV light might do something, but I'm worried about sun damage, too. Thanks.

Tags:

acne tanning

Comment on this

4 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon

Doctor Answers (4)
Community Comments (0)

Sun exposure - Worst thing you could do

Over the years, those people who maintain the best skin elasticity are those who avoid UV exposure. There is NO skin care program that is better than sun avoidance. The problem you have is that acne also harms skin elasticity so it would make matters much worse in the long run to add the elastic damage of UV on top of what damage is associated with the acne alone. Go to an excellent Dermatologist for the most up to date management options!

Unprotected Sun Exposure Worsens Acne, Causes Wrinkling and Skin Cancer

It seems like sun exposure clears your skin in the short-term because the skin dries out and the tan (or sunburn) you develop helps camouflage the acne. In addition, the sunlight can act as an anti-inflammatory and improve your acne temporarily. However, unprotected time in the sun or the tanning salon is one of the worst things you can do for your skin in general. This leads to even more dead skin for your body to shed, leaving you with a greater chance for pore-clogging skin cells to... more

Ultraviolet light causes acne FLARES 2-3 weeks later

Well, in this case mother certainly does NOT know best. The temporary improvement is the result of the damaged first layer of skin sloughing off. The acne always flares 2-3 weeks later due to the cells in the pore not being shed properly, and likely due to the delayed inflammation of the skin from the damaging UV rays. And that is not even discussing the delayed risk of skin cancers, brown blotches and premature wrinkling. There are now so many healthy options to treat acne (check out... more

Don't use tanning as your acne treatment

Although some patients' acne gets better in the summer, I am not a fan of tanning beds or tanning outside to treat acne. Many of the medicines that are beneficial for acne, such as doxycyline pills and tretinoin do not interact well with the sun. I have patients who develop pigmentation where their acne papules and cysts were with sun exposure. Not to mention tanning lead to damage to the collagen and premature aging. So wear your sunscreen and use the acne medicines prescribed by your... more