Can you get a spray tan on mature skin?

A good number of our regulars are in their fifties, sixties and seventies. Some have been coming to us for the best part of sixteen years. So this is not a theoretical answer.

Go lighter than you think

This is the single most useful thing on the page.

Mature skin looks best with a lighter, warmer tan than most people first ask for. A very dark tan on skin with more texture tends to settle into fine lines and emphasise them, which is the opposite of what anyone wants.

A lighter shade evens everything out, warms the tone, and stops short of looking like a tan at all. People will tell you that you look well rather than that you look tanned, and that is exactly the right outcome.

If you are usually a Bondi Sands Dark, we would very often put you in Medium instead and you would be happier with it. Our own BeautyRokz Tan is also a lovely natural option here.

Moisturising matters more than it used to

Skin gets drier with age. That is just what happens, and it is the main thing that changes how a tan behaves.

Dry skin grips colour unevenly, especially on forearms, shins, elbows, knees and the backs of hands. It is why a tan that looked lovely on day one can go patchy by day four.

Moisturise daily for the week before, not just the night before. Then nothing on the day itself. Then daily again from after your first shower. That one habit makes more difference than which product we use.

Hands, and why we take our time there

Hands are the giveaway at any age and more so on mature skin, where they tend to be drier and thinner.

We go very light on the backs of hands, blend carefully into the wrist, and buff back if there is any doubt. If you have prominent veins or age spots, a tan tones down the contrast, which most people are pleased about.

Same approach on feet and ankles.

Face and neck

We go lighter on the face than the body and blend carefully down the neck and into the chest.

The décolletage is worth mentioning. Years of sun leave their mark there more than anywhere, and an even tone genuinely helps how it looks. Plenty of our clients book specifically before a wedding or a big occasion for that reason.

If you have had any facial treatments, fillers, peels or laser, leave a good gap and tell us what you have had done.

What a tan will and will not do

It will even out tone, warm up pale skin, soften the look of age spots and broken veins by reducing contrast, and make legs look better than bare.

It will not hide wrinkles or change skin texture. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling you something. Going darker to try will make lines more obvious, not less.

A couple of practical things

Standing for twenty minutes is fine for most people, but if standing is difficult, tell us. We can work around it and we would far rather know beforehand.

If you are on any medication that affects your skin, or having any treatment, it is worth a word with your GP first. There is more in our piece on sensitive skin, eczema and psoriasis.

The bit that actually matters

Nobody gets too old for this and nobody should feel daft asking. We have tanned women in their eighties for family weddings and they have loved it.

If you are nervous, or it has been a long time, just say so when you message. We will talk it through properly and start conservative.