Self-tanner provides a 'tan' by coloring the top layer of your skin with the help of the ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA). However, self-tanner does not offer any protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. It does not function as a sunscreen and provides no physical barrier to shield the skin from sun damage. If you plan to be in the sun after applying self-tanner, wait for two hours and then apply sunscreen with SPF. Combining self-tanner with sunscreen is a smart strategy to achieve a beautiful and healthy tan while protecting your skin from potential sun damage.