You can get a sunless tan even if you can't get a real tan.

Sunless tanners don't need your melanocytes to be in working order. Dihydroxyacetone [DHA], the active ingredient in sunless tanners, saturates the dead skin cells in the outermost layer of skin, where it turns the protein in the dead cells brown.

Sunless tans are completely safe.

Back in the 1970s, the FDA added DHA to its list of safe cosmetic ingredients, and there it remains. Unfortunately, the belief that sunless tanners are hazardous is not uncommon, possibly due to confusion with tanning pills containing beta carotene or canthaxanthin, which were banned by the FDA many years ago.

Sunless tanners are better now than they have ever been.

DHA is the same ingredient that embarrassed you at that swimming pool party in the 1970s, yet it can now fool dermatologists, not to mention your mom. Since it first appeared in Coppertone QuickTan in 1960, DHA has made many strides due to improvements in the refining process. Think of the difference between molasses and white sugar...

Sunless tans are temporary.

After five to seven days, your sunless tan will be completely gone, although a few small remnants could cling as long as two weeks. A sunless tan is not a long term committment!

Sunless tans take less time than a real tan; you can have a tan tomorrow.

You don't have to start "working on your tan" months in advance. A sunless tan can be a spontaneous decision, like trying a new nail polish.

Sunless tanners help you keep your resolve to use sun screen every day.

Everyone knows they are supposed to use sun screen daily, but few people are fond of the short term effects: pasty white skin. With sunless tanners, you can have the best of both worlds — a golden brown hue, and no skin damage. Ten years from now, everyone will hide behind you when the camera comes out.

You can use a fake tan on specific areas.

A sunless tanner can add a glow to just your face, just your legs, just your...well, you get the picture.

Conversely, you don't have to worry about tan lines — you can get a fake tan all over.

And you won't get arrested for exposing yourself. It can all take place in the privacy of your own bathroom. So if you are contemplating wearing those extra short shorts...

You don't have to spend a lot of money.

Have you been afraid to try inexpensive drugstore brands? You shouldn't be; since all sunless tanners use the same active ingredient, drugstore sunless tanners can be as good as, or even better than, many department store brands. See the Ten Best Drugstore Sunless Tanning Products section for the brands that make the grade.

You don't have to do it alone.

Come hang out with us in the sunless.com message boards. Maybe you can't tell your best friend you use sunless tanners, but you can tell us!