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"You already know to avoid tanning booths that blast you with UV rays, but what about booths that spray on your tan? They&amp;#x27;ve been around for years, but are they really safe ... Have you ever gotten a spray tan? I&amp;#x27;m not talking about the fancy spa versions, where someone sprays you, but rather, the cheapie booths you stand in and get sprayed down by a machine. Honestly, my first experience with one years ago was less than ideal. First, the thing smelled terrible, and looked like it was in desperate need of a cleaning. But here&amp;#x27;s my big concern: They tell you not to breathe in the tanning mist in the air or get it on your lips, but honestly, how can you not? You&amp;#x27;re in there for a minute or two, and you have to breathe! The experience made me wonder ... is spray tanning really safe? FitSugar recently took a look at the safety of spray tanning booths: &amp;quot;The active ingredient in most sunless tanning products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a chemical derived from glycerin. When applied to your body, the DHA reacts with the amino acids in the dead skin cells on the outer layers of your skin, temporarily producing a brown color that gradually fades within a week. The FDA regards DHA as safe for your skin because this chemical isn&amp;#x27;t absorbed by your skin, and it has no known toxicity. You just need to make sure that DHA doesn&amp;#x27;t get on your lips, in your eyes or nose, or that it&amp;#x27;s not inhaled.&amp;quot; Other sites warn about the dangers of spray tanning, which range from eye irritation, side effects for people with asthma, and unknown health risks from breathing in the tanning particles. LiveStrong.com notes that &amp;quot;when in a spray tan booth, you inhale the DHA. The FDA has never approved DHA for inhalation and notes that unless the nose and mouth are protected through the procedure, the spray tan is being applied in an unapproved manner by the operator.&amp;quot; My take? Honestly, I wouldn&amp;#x27;t step foot in a spray-tan booth again. I&amp;#x27;d rather go au naturale or--gulp--pay a bit more to have someone apply the tan professionally (on special occasions--it&amp;#x27;s pricey!), rather than be in a confined space where I&amp;#x27;m breathing in chemicals. How about you? More reading: *Want to know how stars get the perfect tans? We have the scoop ... *Petra&amp;#x27;s spray tan experience ... *So surprising! Experts say eat these foods for bronze, glowing skin ... More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage FREE Beauty Stuff! Enter for your Chance to Win a New Prize Every Day! Photo: Getty"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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