Most of us are used to applying positive-sounding words like "healthy" and "glowing" to a tan, but the truth is there's nothing healthy about a tan. Whatever your natural skin colour is, that's the "healthy" version of your skin.
A tan is the skin's last defence against permanent damage. You are literally baking your skin in the sun, and pigment cells in the skin react by stepping up production of melanin and sending melanosomes to the skin's surface to act as a filter to stop it burning.
I'm not telling you not to tan (safely — with a high SPF and frequent reapplication), but don't fall into the trap of believing there's anything "healthy" about it. The moment you lie out in the sun, you put strain on your skin. The only health benefit we get from sun exposure is vitamin D, and there are pills for that if you're deficient!
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sheila Gim