How Long Do Tan Lines Last?

woman with tan lines

If you have recently been tanning and ended up with tan lines you might be wondering how long do they last?

Typically, tan lines last around 5-10 days and can start to fade as early as a few days. This is the case when tanning in the sun or even tanning beds.

Below we will cover more about what you should know about tan lines and how to help hide them or even get them to fade more quickly.

How Long Do Tan Lines Last?

As we already mentioned tan lines last around 5-10 days’ time. This is quite typical because the tan lines only begin to fade once your tan around them fades. This is when the old skin cells start to fall off and are replaced with new ones. This is what causes the tan lines to fade over time.

Of course, this can vary quite a lot depending on certain factors. Which we will cover more below –

Continuing to Spend Time in the Sun

Probably the biggest factor on your tan lines lasting longer is if you are still spending any time in the sun. If you continue to spend time in the sun and are especially if you are wearing the same clothing that caused the tan lines, then of course this will only prolong how long the tan lines last for.

Of course, if the tan lines are now exposed to the sun this may help balance the tan lines and make them less noticeable.

The point here is if you want the tan lines to appear less noticeable you’ll need to be limiting time spent in the sun. Even a little time in the sun can make them last a lot longer.

Moisturizing

Moisturizing will make your tan last longer. This in turn will made your tan lines last longer. This is because when your skin is more dry it sheds and renews more often. This means your tan will fade even more quickly and then also your tan lines when you skin is more dry. Moisturizing helps stop this.

The secret here is you want your tan lines to last longer you can moisturize your skin which in turn should prolong your tan.

Showering

Showering more often and for longer will make your tan lines fade more quickly. This is because showering helps wash of the surface level of skin which also makes the skin renew more quickly too.

This leads to your tan diminishing and tan lines fading more quickly.

Exfoliating

Of course, exfoliating will make your tan lines disappear more quickly. Because exfoliation helps remove your surface level skin.

If you want to remove your tan lines this is a good idea.

Do Tan Lines Go Away?

Tan lines should always go away but if you are noticing your tan lines lasting longer it could be a few different reasons.

The main reason here is continuing to expose your skin to the sun. Even a little sun can maintain your tan and tan lines especially if your skin takes well to the sun.

Keep in mind for some people with certain skin types a tan might last longer and can even take a few weeks before it starts to fade. This also has to do with how quickly your skin renews itself which is different for everyone.

How to Fade Tan Lines?

There is a selection of ways to help remove and fade tan lines.

To mention a couple, you can exfoliate the skin, apply a self-tanner to the tan lines area to help hide them or even cover them with body makeup again to mask them.

For more on how to remove tan lines check our article – 10 Simply Ways to Get Rid of Tan Lines.

Interesting Related Questions

Can Tan Lines Be Permanent?

Tan lines can not be permanent. But for certain people their tan lines might last a lot longer than the average person.

This can be partly due to their skin taking more to the sun and how quickly their skin renews. This contributes to how long their tan and tan lines last for.

How Long Does It Take for Tan Lines to Disappear?

Tan lines typically take around 5-10 days to start to fade and disappear. Though for certain people this might take even more than a few weeks’ time.

How Do You Hide Tan Lines?

A great way to hide tan lines is to apply a self-tanner to the tan lines area.

This will help mask and hide the tan lines once applied. For more ideas on how to hide tan lines read here.

Do Tan Lines Go Away Naturally?

Yes tan lines do go away naturally. Typically for most people tan lines fade between 5-10 days’ time though for certain people it may take them longer to go away naturally.  

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