Scientists reveal the secret to getting the perfect holiday tan – and that means spending LESS time in the sun

It's a good holiday brand for many people, but getting the perfect tan is not an easy task.

Now scientists have revealed the secret to getting the perfect holiday tan – this means spending less time in the sun.

Researchers at the University of Tel Aviv suggest that tanning every other day could help you tan without damaging your skin.

As part of this study, the team discovered a 48-hour biological clock called "Ultraviolet Protection Timer", which combines two skin defense systems – stress response and pigmentation.

Professor Carmit Levy, who led the study, said, "We have identified a mechanism that spreads like a wave through the skin more than 48 hours after an initial exposure to ultraviolet rays.

"This process synchronizes the natural defense mechanisms of the skin.

"We concluded that sun exposure at a frequency of once every two days provides optimal protection against sun damage."

Our skin is naturally protected from UV rays by two defense systems.

The first recruits the immune system, inflammation and DNA repair to cure any burn or damage caused by UV rays.

The second creates a physical buffer to protect the skin from future exposures, resulting in a tan.

In this study, researchers exposed mouse and mouse skin samples at UV doses at different times to measure restorative protein responses and skin pigmentation.

The measurements revealed that some genes appeared in the skin in a clear and synchronized sequence 48 hours after the initial exposure to UV rays.

Prof. Shai Shen-Orr, co-author of the study, said, "The frequency of the wave is 48 hours.

"Imagine that you threw a stone into a pond and saw the ripples spread, and before they settled you added another stone, interrupting the process."

"Similarly, a process of building and breaking occurs in our skin when it is exposed to the sun.

"Most experts recommend going to the gym every other day, not every day. It's the same to protect our skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

"If you break the protection process by sitting in the sun for two days in a row, you're ruining a mechanism that requires 48 processes to complete its cycle."