Can you tan with fake tan on?

PUTTING on a fake tan before going on holiday can protect the skin.

But can you still get a tan?

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Can you tan with fake tan on?

The short answer to this is, yes, you can still get a natural tan through fake tan.

Fake tan will not stop you getting a natural tan, it will simply act as an extra layer between your skin and the sun.

The reason for this is that having fake tan on doesn't stop UV rays from penetrating your skin.

But, it is important for you to know that applying fake tan is not an alternative to sun protection and you still need to wear extra protection.

Fake tan doesn't offer any protection from UV rays so if you are in the sun you still need to apply sun cream regularly.

Will my real tan show up under a fake tan?

Yes, you will notice that you are catching a natural tan under a fake one.

If you make sure you skin is hydrated and you keep on top of your sun cream, you can still end up building up a natural base colour underneath.

Once your remove your fake tan or it has faded, you will notice the results of your new real tan.

However, you still need to be careful not to burn.

To avoid this, use a high factor SPF cream, which will keep you protected for longer.

Do you have to wear sunscreen if you're wearing fake tan?

Yes, you definitely need to still wear sun protection in the sun, even if you have already applied fake tan.

Tanning brand Sienna X said: "Sunless tan is not a barrier to UV rays emitted by the sun and sunbeds. Use sunscreen with a high SPF to protect your skin from sun damage."

They added: "Even if your preferred self-tanner has an SPF in it, it’ll wear off like your regular sunscreen so while the tan may last a week that doesn’t mean you're protected by the factor in it for that long."

This means the usual rules still apply and that you should still apply suncream every half an hour as usual when you're soaking up the rays.

Our Dying For A Tan campaign

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Instead of waiting for the sun to come out, around one in ten young Brits, including children as young as eight, visit one of the UK's 7,000 tanning salons to use sunbeds.

But using sunbeds before you’re 35 increases your chance of developing melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - by a horrifying 87 per cent.

That's why the Sun's Fabulous launched the Dying For A Tan campaign to raise awareness of the dangers associated with the use of sunbeds.

Sunbeds pelt skin with ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are often stronger than the midday Mediterranean sun - 20 minutes on a sunbed is equivalent to four hours in the sun.

The UV radiation causes melanin to be released in the body, which gives skin a tan, but also causes skin cancer.

Cancer Research has revealed that rates of melanoma have soared by 45 per cent since 2004, with skin cancer being the fifth most common cancer in the UK.

Every year, 2,500 Britons die from the disease and 100,000 people are diagnosed with it.

During the campaign, we'll be telling stories of women who have lost an eye to cancer, had huge holes gauged out of their skin, and been left looking decades older than their age, all because of sunbeds.