What about those "special" areas? The skin on your lips and nipples is nearly unaffected by sunless tanners. Go right over them when you apply sunless tanners. Trying to avoid those areas can lead to an unattractive build-up along their borders. What about the bikini area? Forget about it. Sunless tanners don't absorb well there and can look like dirt. And exfoliation is out of the question! Your freckles and moles will darken along with the rest of your skin. In fact, some colourless moles may become significantly darker. This is a sad fact of sunless tanning. You can apply sunless tanners to your armpits. Most people don't have tanned armpits, but avoiding the area with realistic results takes skill. You can lightly wipe the area five minutes later with a damp washcloth to lighten.

Scars are a bit unpredictable. Mostly, they darken very little or not at all. The more recent the scar, the less sunless tanner it will absorb. Please note that stretch marks are scars. Stretch marks that are a few years old will be disguised by sunless tanners; new ones will not absorb the lotion and may look more prominent. Your belly button could darken too much. Rub it with a cotton swab dipped in lotion after you apply the sunless tanning lotion. If you notice it is too dark the next day, rub it with a cotton swab dipped in liquid eye make up remover. To alleviate the sunless tanner smell problem, apply a lightly scented or non-scented sunless tanner, then spray on [lightly, please!] your favorite perfume one hour later. If the sunless tanning lotion has left you feeling sticky, apply baby powder or bath powder to your skin thirty minutes to an hour after applying the sunless tanner. If your sunless tanner does not contain sun screen and you will need sun protection, don't kid yourself. There aren't any sunless tanners with adequate sun protection. Sun screens must be applied liberally and frequently; you can't do this with a sunless tanner. Apply sunless tanners in the evening before you go to bed and use sun screen during the day. Once you've applied your tan, you need to allow it to completely dry. Some spray tans dry in just a few minutes, while lotions may take 30 minutes or more. You need to wait at least an hour before swimming, sweating, or wearing tight clothing. Any of the above can streak and ruin a new tan. If you want to go darker, you can repeat the process the day after you tan. Most bottled tans begin to fade after a few days. You'll need to reapply once or twice a week to keep your color.

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