As The Post reported, some are turning to what may be referred to as “carrotmaxxing” and “tomatomaxxing” to add a tanned glow to their skin. Growing up, you might have heard the warning that too many carrots can turn your skin orange — a condition called carotenemia. Lycopenemia is the tomato-lover’s ruddier equivalent. However, the effects of this type of “maxxing” can more easily be achieved by ingesting a pill once a day with food, and women are loving it, perhaps a little too much.
The goal here is to load up on carotenoids — pigments found occurring naturally in foods that are usually yellow, orange, or red. The Post offers the following examples, “Take beta-carotene, an orange pigment found in carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe. Or astaxanthin, a red-orange one that gives shrimp and salmon their signature pink hue. And lycopene, which makes tomatoes red.” That said, consuming too many shrimp in non-supplement form has not been known to affect skin tone.
People Are Eating Carrots to Get Tan, and Dermatologists Have Some Thoughts
As the Cleveland Clinic explains, “When you get too much beta-carotene, the leftovers end up circulating in your blood, collecting in thicker parts of your skin and turning it orange or yellow.” The loveliest part is this: Carotenemia “is most common on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet — but it can turn your nose, forehead and other areas of your body orange, too. It’s also more common among folks who have fair skin.” Hence, dermatologist Viktoryia Kazlouskaya told The Post, “The effect can be uneven, difficult to control, and color may not be appealing with more of an orange hue.”
The Post consults a pair of women who opt for a supplement from a brand called Zephyrian, which combines carotenoid types for an allegedly believable tan, with golden warmth and redness. Granted, there are many other similar brands. However, overdoing the supplements specifically can lead to toxicity.
For those looking to achieve a glow from carrots without supplements, some experts estimate that 10 a day for several weeks will do the trick, others set the bar lower. Dietitian Sophia Deahl, who spoke to The Post, put the number at roughly three to eight large carrots a day, or one to two glasses of carrot juice. While carotenemia is generally harmless, obviously, it’s best to strive for a diet of varied fruits and vegetables. The habit of consuming too many carrots is unlikely to keep your stomach feeling happy.
Opinion: People should just embrace whatever skin color they were born with, and aiming to look like a basketball isn’t exactly a good or natural look for anyone, except maybe Jacques Derrida. In other words, there is nothing wrong with being pale. The general public really needs to stop falling for the propaganda that fair skin is unattractive just because tanning salons want to profit at the cost of having to live with the fact that they increase their clients’ cancer risk and leave them with premature wrinkles. While the use of self-tanners as well as bronzers and other cosmetics might seem like safer alternatives, they still will not earn many (or any) nice words from me.
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