Tanning on Accutane: What You Can and Can't Do

If you take Accutane (isotretinoin) you might be wondering if you can still tan while taking it. Unfortunately, the answer is a clear no, and this article explains why in detail to help prepare you before your next beach vacation. It also looks at tanning in general, for skin health and for your long-term aesthetic goals.

Can You Tan on Accutane?

You cannot safely tan while on Accutane (isotretinoin). The FDA label specifically instructs patients to avoid extended sun or UV exposure, with reported effects including burning more easily in the sun, sun sensitivity, and sun-triggered rash. The same beach day that used to give you color may now burn you.

US Food and Drug Administration (2002). Accutane label

Note: tanning is still not healthy even when you’re not taking isotretinoin. More on that below.

Reports of exaggerated sunburns in patients on isotretinoin go back to the drug’s first years on the market.

McCormack & Turner (1983). Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

This happens because of how isotretinoin changes your skin. In a review of 3,525 patients, dry skin affected 95% of them, with facial redness at 66%. When your skin is dry, thin and actively peeling, you have less of a protective buffer against UV rays than you normally would.

Brzezinski et al. (2017). Dermatologic Therapy

Does Accutane Make You Tan Faster?

Accutane (isotretinoin) does not make you tan faster. In fact, it makes you burn faster, because of the documented increase in sunburn susceptibility. There is no study on tanning speed during a course, so what some people describe as fast tanning on isotretinoin is more likely to be redness from a mild burn on skin that is less protected than usual, rather than real color.

Tanning Beds on Accutane

You should not use tanning beds while on Accutane (isotretinoin). No form of sun damage is recommended while on isotretinoin, and tanning beds are highly concentrated UV environments, exactly what the label wants you to avoid.

The longer-term case against sunbeds has nothing to do with isotretinoin. A meta-analysis of 31 studies, covering nearly 15,000 melanoma cases, found that people who had ever used a tanning bed had 16% higher odds of melanoma than people who never had.

Colantonio et al. (2014). Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Does a Base Tan Protect You?

No. The idea of getting some color before a vacation is a complete myth. According to the FDA, the extra melanin in tanned skin gives a sun protection factor (SPF) of about 2 to 4, far below the minimum recommended amount.

US Food and Drug Administration (2023). The Risks of Tanning

This means a tan won’t protect you against sunburn or skin damage. That is still true on isotretinoin: you risk several sessions of the exact exposure you’re supposed to avoid and receive almost no protection in return.

Does Tanning Help Acne?

This is another huge acne myth with little evidence behind it. A systematic review of acne myths found little evidence for or against sunlight improving acne, so firm claims can’t be made either way.

What may be true is what a 2023 review describes: sun exposure can improve the appearance of the skin for a while, but it comes at the cost of inflammation in the skin and the dark and red marks that linger after a breakout clears. Sunscreen itself can help prevent those marks.

Piquero-Casals et al. (2023). Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology

So a tan hides redness for a week or two and then leaves you with marks that outlast the tan. Not a great trade. If marks are bothering you, there’s more on how they differ from scars, and what helps, in Does Accutane Help With Acne Scars?

Happyglow on Tanning

Isotretinoin aside, tanning is not healthy, and it can actively harm both your short-term and long-term goals for your health and appearance. A tan is a sign that some damage has occurred, because tanning is the body’s response to UV injury.

That doesn’t mean you should stay inside your entire life, but it does mean that staying healthy and attractive over time requires some level of prevention. Luckily, there are options both for safely enjoying the outdoors and for getting the tanned look you want.

Beach, Pool and Vacation on Accutane

If you have an active, outdoors lifestyle or a vacation booked, being on Accutane (isotretinoin) or wanting to avoid the sun shouldn’t stop you from living your life and enjoying those things. You can absolutely enjoy them; the goal is just not to tan while you do.

The American Academy of Dermatology’s standard is a broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) sunscreen at SPF 30 or higher, with water resistance, reapplied around every 2 hours outdoors and after swimming or sweating.

American Academy of Dermatology (2026). Sunscreen FAQs

While on isotretinoin there are some specific precautions worth special attention:

• Lips: Dry lips are one of the most common isotretinoin side effects, and an AAD-recommended SPF 30 lip balm is great for sun protection. One product for both jobs.
• Coverage: Clothing and accessories like hats, sunglasses and rash guards in the water, plus shade, add coverage from the sun that doesn’t wear off.
• Reapplication: When your skin is irritated from isotretinoin, reapplying product needs to be comfortable. It helps to choose a sunscreen you can consistently tolerate.
• Timing: Isotretinoin increases sunburn susceptibility, sensitivity and other uncomfortable effects. You may burn more quickly than your friends or than you’re used to.

Spray Tans and Self-Tanner on Accutane

Products like spray tans and self-tanners are ways to get a sun-kissed look without the damage or the added risks while on Accutane (isotretinoin).

Sunless tanners use dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a color additive that darkens skin by reacting with amino acids on its surface. No UV is involved, so there is no sun damage. The FDA permits DHA for external application.

Use reputable products or providers, and make sure your eyes, lips, nose and lungs are properly protected, especially during spray-based application. Lotion or mousse products are the simpler option, since you apply them yourself with nothing to inhale.

Results can be patchier on isotretinoin skin, because self-tanner clings to dry flakes. Moisturizing well in the days before and exfoliating only very gently tends to help, and it should not go on irritated or broken skin. Note that sunless tanners do not protect you from the sun; you still need sunscreen.

Laferté et al. (2026). Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery

How Long After Accutane Can You Tan?

There is no studied waiting period for tanning after Accutane. The medication itself leaves your blood within around a week of the last dose, but the dryness and skin fragility take longer to settle, and that varies by person. Ask your prescriber before any deliberate sun exposure, and ease back in with full protection rather than treating the last capsule as a green light.

Bear in mind that tanning is UV damage whether or not you are on medication, so many providers suggest keeping healthy, proactive habits around sun exposure and protection.

It’s worth keeping up the sunscreen habit even after your isotretinoin course.

If You Burn Anyway

If you get a sunburn while on Accutane (isotretinoin), treat it quickly and let your medical provider know what happened, especially if the sunburn blisters. If the burn looks beyond normal, with red, blistered areas of skin alongside a headache, fever or chills, see a doctor immediately.

The AAD recommends getting out of the sun, taking a cool bath or shower, and moisturizing while the skin is still damp, with something like aloe vera or soy. Ibuprofen or aspirin may be used for discomfort. Stay hydrated and don’t pick at or touch the sunburn.

How to Get Prescribed Isotretinoin (Accutane) Online

If you’re wondering how or where to get isotretinoin, Happyglow connects you with US-licensed physicians who decide whether starting isotretinoin is right for you, entirely online.

1. Start your visit. Answer a few questions about your health and goals (~5 min).
2. A physician reviews. They determine whether isotretinoin is appropriate for you or recommend a better fit.
3. Delivered to your door. If approved, your prescription ships free, with refills coordinated with your monthly check-ins.

See if isotretinoin is right for you→

Not approved? You’re refunded in full.