Woman applying suntan spray on her legs
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You can obtain a natural tan by either laying out in the sun or absorbing the rays of a tanning bed. However you decide to tan, you want to protect any scars you have on your body. The rays produced by the bed are capable of increasing the appearance of scars, and extended exposure can make the scars permanent. Luckily, there are a few easy tricks you can use to protect the scars from these possible side effects.

Cover up the scar completely, if at all possible. If the scan is on your foot you can easily wear a sock, or you can place an adhesive bandage over the scar in harder to conceal areas. This also helps prevent tattoos from fading quicker than normal.

Keep the scar out of the tanning booth. This might mean keeping the hand, or other body part, with the scar hanging out of the tanning bed. The downside to this approach is you can have awkward tan lines.

Apply a thick layer of sun screen onto the scar. Do this right before you go into the bed. The extra protection, even if not used on other areas of your body, is going to help prevent the scar from becoming darker.