Hot or Not-Evaluating the Effect of Artificial Tanning on the Public's Perception of Attractiveness

BACKGROUND Despite strong evidence that sun exposure causes skin cancer, a significant proportion of the population continues to purposefully tan. Many individuals deliberately tan because they believe a tanned complexion makes them appear more attractive. OBJECTIVE To measure the effect that a tanned complexion has on the public's perception of attractiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-five women aged 21 to 35 were recruited. A digital photograph was taken of each subject. Each image was uploaded onto a public website until it had been rated at least 100 times on a scale from 1 to 10. An average baseline, or untanned, rating of the image was calculated. The image was then given an artificial tan using a skin tanning protocol available for Adobe Photoshop. The tanned image was then re-uploaded onto the website and another average rating was calculated using the same criteria. RESULTS The mean score +/- standard deviation was 6.3 +/- 2.3 for the untanned images and 6.5 +/- 2.3 for the tanned images (p <.001). CONCLUSIONS The population who logged onto the website considers tanned people to be more attractive. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.