Shelly DeJaynes LaPlant had never tanned in her life. Saddled with fair Type II skin growing up in sunny Colorado, she couldn’t go outside in the summer without breaking out in a rash or getting sunburn.

Her transformation story is a testament to what Smart Tan salons can do when they understand delayed pigment darkening in fair-skinned Type II tanners — a cornerstone of Smart Tan’s UV Tanning Certification.

What she learned at a Smart Tan salon is that her fair Type II skin actually could develop a subtle tan, but wouldn’t until her skin’s melanocytes were stimulated into slowly making melanin. She also learned just how long that can take for someone with fair skin. What her Smart Tan-trained salon knew was how to administer sessions for those with fair Skin Type II.

The ability to serve these clients comes down to understanding the difference between delayed pigment darkening and immediate pigment darkening.

“Being able to tan for the first time has changed my life for the better,” LaPlant says. “I never would have thought gradual acclimation to sunlight would have been the key for me. This would not have been possible for me without going to a Smart Tan salon.”

“Salons following this system are the leaders in our market in teaching sunburn prevention,” says Levy. “This is where the industry is going. This system will bring out success stories in your salon, in your community and in our entire industry.”

For LaPlant the system meant a faint tan and, combined with the proper use of sunscreen, the ability to go outdoors in the daytime in the summer for the first time in her life — and experience that inspired her to create a blog documenting her success story.