Does Tanning Help Acne? What You Need to Know
Jan 30, 2026@samanthaschneidermd Replying to @Taylor Mun Thinking of using tanning to ‘clear’ your acne? ☀️🚫 Think again! Tanning beds and sun exposure might temporarily dry out pimples and camouflage redness, but in the long run, they worsen acne by increasing oil production and clogging pores. Plus, UV damage = wrinkles, dark spots, and skin cancer risks. Let’s stick to acne treatments that actually work! 💡✨ Have you heard this myth before? Drop a 🙋♀️ in the comments! #AcneMyths #TanningWontFixIt #skincarefactsandtips #SPFAlways ♬ original sound - Samantha Schneider, MD
It’s a common question: “Does tanning help clear up acne?” The short answer is no—tanning does not treat or cure acne. Let’s break down why it might look like it’s helping at first, but actually makes things worse over time.
Why Tanning Seems to “Help” Acne
- Camouflage Effect
Tanning can make acne bumps and discoloration—like the red or brown marks left behind—look less noticeable. But this is just camouflage, not real healing. - Drying Effect
UV light from tanning beds dries out your skin, which may temporarily shrink acne bumps. But here’s the problem: when your skin gets too dry, it fights back by producing more oil (sebum). Extra oil often means more clogged pores and, eventually, more breakouts. - Slower Skin Turnover
Tanning beds actually slow down your skin’s natural cell turnover. Dead skin cells don’t shed as easily, which means they stick around to clog pores—and worsen acne.
The Bigger Risks of Tanning
Beyond making acne worse, UV exposure from tanning beds carries serious risks:
- Increased risk of skin cancer
- Premature aging and wrinkles (photoaging)
- Long-term skin damage
What About Red Light Therapy?
You also may have heard about using light for acne. Here’s the difference:
- Tanning beds = UV light → harmful and damaging
- Red or blue light therapy = LED visible light → in some cases, this can actually help calm acne and reduce inflammation
The Bottom Line
Tanning does not cure acne—in fact, it can make things worse and put your skin at risk. If you’re struggling with breakouts, talk with your dermatologist about safer, proven treatments.
Do you have more questions about acne or skin health? Let us know—I’d love to help.
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Want the transcript for this video instead?
So this is a great question about tanning and acne. Let's talk about why tanning does not treat or cure acne. So first of all, it may look like tanning is helping, and the reason is because it is camouflaging your acne bumps and any dispigmentation, meaning red or brown left behind. The second thing is tanning dries out your skin.
So yes, it kind of is drying up those acne bumps, but here's the. Thing, your skin responds to being dry by creating more oil, creating more sebum, so that is actually gonna make your acne worse. The last piece is that the tanning beds, the UV light from the tanning beds slows down your cell turnover, so the dead skin is not gonna exfoliate as well, and that is gonna clog your pores.
Tanning does not. Treat or cure your acne. And aside from that, the UV from the tanning beds. Increase your risk of skin cancer, increase your risk of photoaging and wrinkles. When you also asked about red light, so that is different. Tanning beds are using UV light, red light is different. That's LED, that is visible light.
And yes, red light and blue light can sometimes help with acne. Do you have more questions about your skin and acne? Let me know. Happy to chat it out.
