Like many things in life that induce a sense of bliss, tanning is actually disastrous for your health. Well, that’s the party line. But before I get lynched by an angry mob of dermatologists, let me explain my slight reticence. Because I’m detecting a shift, albeit it a microscopic one, in the way the beauty industry perceives tanning and I, for one, am all ears.

Today marks the start of The British Association of Dermatologists' Sun Awareness Week and we’ll all, no doubt, be reminded of the dangers - at best, accelerated ageing, at worse, harmful skin cancers – of unprotected UV exposure. But despite this, results from a survey conducted in 2012 by Be Sun Aware show 54% of us still sunbathe abroad and 35% in the UK. And I am one of those people. Between the months of May and September I can often be seen darting out of the office promptly at 1pm to find a small patch of green in which to roll up my sleeves and trouser legs to just, well, absorb some rays. What can I say? I grew up by the seaside, it’s part of my DNA I guess.

But, what’s piqued my interest lately (because I know in my heart that sunbathing is actually tantamount to climbing inside a giant microwave) is the suggestion of a safer way to tan. The notion that, potentially, there’s a way to make my dirty little habit a soupcon healthier.

Jean-Noël Thorel,  a pharmaceutical doctor, biologist and creator of French skincare line Institut Esthederm, says that ironically, our sometimes over zealous use of total sun block (that is 50+), is actually making us more sun sensitive. ‘Overprotecting the skin by applying maximum sun block causes it to lose its capacity for adaptation. Tanning is the skin’s own natural reaction that protects it against the damage caused by sunlight,’ explains Thorel,  ‘although it may at times result in harmful side effects, the cellular technology we use in our sunscreens helps to re-educate skin to adapt to the sun and neutralise its negative impact, while also stimulating our natural capacity for self-defence, which includes developing a tan.’ 

"Our over zealous use of total sun block (that is 50+) is, ironically, making us more sun sensitive" - Jean-Noël Thorel, Institut Esthederm

And then there’s the elephant in the room, Vitamin D created naturally from UVB exposure, deprivation of which is being linked to a catalogue of illnesses including Dickensian-era conditions like rickets.  ‘The only wave length that will cause your body to synthesise Vitamin D are UVB rays when exposed to skin unprotected by sunscreen,’ says Henrietta Norton, Head of Nutrition at Grace Belgravia and founder of Wild Nutrition. ‘Research has shown that deficiency interferes with certain functions in the body and has been associated with conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the onset of auto-immune conditions such as Lupus. It also plays a key role in the circadian rhythms - the sleep/wake cycle that determines when the hormones melatonin and serotonin are released - so it definitely affects sleep patterns and in some cases, has even been linked to depression.’

While this is no reason to run out naked into the street, lie down on the pavement and start soaking up the UVB (which, incidentally is tricky anyway since it can only occur when the sun is higher than a 50 degree angle from the horizon, which isn’t very often for UK residents), it does somehow make my sunbathing habit seem less scandalous. And, judging by the steady stream of pre-tanning serums, enhancers and supplements landing on my desk that have been designed to increase melatonin production and boost up our body’s own in-built UV defences by flooding the skin with super anti-oxidants, I’m pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Click through the gallery above to see the best products to nurture a tan as safely as possible.