This product would be sold as semi self-adhesive, dark line, Swiss cheese like stickers that the avid sunbather would apply before lathering on the sun-screen. When sufficiently lathered, the sunbather would then peel off the sticker leaving the un-lathered areas to bake under the full intensity of the sun and therefore darkening in proportion to the amount of time spent toasting.
By leaving adhered selected areas of the sticker that have varying UV protection factors, some amount of shading could be created in these tantoos.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 22 2007 I must remember only to use my powers for good. https://www.wcnc.co...1-9a53-3e01ea0eb475 [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 29 2019] Cool! A living art exhibit! You describe a kind of do-it-yourself kit but I could see it growing and evolving, perhaps eventually becoming a competitive endeavour.
Create a 'paint-by-numbers' template whereby you would have a companion apply sunscreens of differently-numbered SPF ratings in specific parts of your soon-to-be-exposed skin, preferably your back, where you have the largest surface area.
After a day of lounging under old Sol you'd be able to proudly display, through the miracle of p-Aminobenzoic acid, the ghostly visage of Mona Lisa upon your back, her tender smirk playing on your latissimus dorsi.
Or you could opt for a corporate logo, sports team mascot, and so on. Where's that croissant-shaped template? The mini-con is coming up...-- Canuck, Jun 22 2007 + I've always contemplated getting a tatoo, but could never opt for *permanent*. This could let me have snakes winding around my legs, if only for summer. ...or used with tanning beds, also?-- xandram, Jun 22 2007 <inevitable skin cancer referring disapproval> It is however encouraging people to burn patches of their skin in the sun, which really shouldn't be condoned. If it becomes the next fashion statement you're sure to start seeing a high rise in skin cancer as teenagers attempt to get darker and more contrasting tantoos across their bodies. It's a bad idea, though marginally better than its negative version within which a much larger portion of your skin is exposed to UV light. </iscrd>
You can be much more imaginative and precise getting a needle or henna tattoo. I have one. It's great. And it didn't give me Aids.-- theleopard, Jun 22 2007 y'know....i believe this is already done. I have seen loads of pornstars with un-tanned playboy bunnies on their pelvicies (is that the right word). Also, i remember reading this article in FHM a few years ago about an averagely built guy who stuck black stickers all over his body, then went out in the sun. Upon taking them off, he was left with the illusion that he had a 6-pack/pecs/etc. anyway, yeah. This isn't precisely the same, but still uses a combination of sun and stickers to cause a tatoo like effect.-- shinobi, Jun 23 2007 What's the resolution of a tan? You can't get a pin-sharp edge, but I wonder what determines the actual resolution. Anyone know?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 23 2007 Excellent question. Since a "tan" is "excited melanocytes" (a kind of skin cell that produces the pigment melanin), if you could address individual melanocytes, you'd get about 0.6 to 1.3 million dpi. A new use for UV lasers?-- jutta, Jun 24 2007 Tantooing booths - oh no, now we've got trouble.-- normzone, Jun 24 2007 //if you could address individual melanocytes, you'd get about 0.6 to 1.3 million dpi.// Yes, but in practice I don't think you can, even with a sharp mask. Presumably there are three possible explanations for the blurred edges:
a) Scattering of light within the skin, so that the exposure is not sharp even with a sharp mask.
b) Cell-cell signalling, so that the defensive response is not limited to the exposed cells alone. or
c) Cell movement (many supposedly static cells are surprisingly motile and wander about a bit; but I don't know if this applies to melanocytes).-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 24 2007 um...tans look kinda icky. sorry. cool idea tho!-- abhorsen1983, Jun 25 2007 Following on from the FHM article [shinobi] mentioned, you could create a semi uv protective lycra suit to accentuate the relief shading of your muscles to make them more defined.-- marklar, Jun 26 2007 A good friend of mine, who is a bit of a tattoo snob, has recently inadver-tan-tly created a negative version of this. The top of her thong was obviously aired for quite a while, leaving her with a white, non-tanned version of what's know here as an "Arschgeweih" (arse antlers - that tattoo that all hairdressers have). She's mortified...heehee!-- squeak, Jun 26 2007 Some years back I had a friend with a tanning place and never could get him interested in promoting an idea like this. I thought using different types of lotion would get the desired effect from the "electric beach" and in particular I thought tiger stripes would make an interesting look for shapely women. Glad to see the concept is alive!-- georgiahoosier, Jun 27 2007 I know that some people do air brush spray on tans, and,to some extent. can simulate body definition, like the guy with the black sticker that shinobi mentioned. If airbrush tans are being done, why not do them with stencils?-- -wess, Jun 27 2007 I did the reverse of this once a few years ago. I decided that having an untanned small cross on my chest would be cool. Yes, I was out of work then and extremely bored with life.-- RayfordSteele, Aug 07 2009 Oh my God it's becoming a thing... [link]-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 29 2019 // Doctors warn: 'Sunburn tattoos' could be the worst viral challenge yet //
Worse than the Tide Pod one?-- notexactly, Aug 10 2019 random, halfbakery