You are put on a regimen that is designed to gradually increase your exposure to sunlight while minimizing the risk of burning. Like I said, the tan is the skin's natural protection against sunburn and building that up gradually gives you great benefit because you are able to still harness the benefits of regular sun exposure while minimizing the risks that are generally associated with sunburn. I would like to describe the tan as similar to the candy coating of an M&M candy, which most people are familiar with. The candy shell protects the inside of the chocolate in an M&M. Similarly, when you tan, a tan is enshrouding the inner cellular material of each skin cell like the candy coating of an M&M. So, it literally is a cell by cell process that protects the inner cellular material from getting too much sunburning level of ultraviolet light. So it is something your body is designed to do. Tanning is a natural process and when you build it up gradually, you do it in a way that minimizes your risk of burning.
