European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yalexa Boer Cox news service r member that first bottle of it it promised a healthy Golden Tan. It delivered an Orange Shade of ugly that made your friends wonder if you d been eating too Many carrots. One application was usually enough to Send you Back into the Sun. But that was when a Tan was considered healthy. Before anyone would think of using a 15-plus sunscreen. Before dermatologists a and sunscreen manufacturers a started preaching about the suns harmful ultraviolet rays and their deadly and unattractive Side effects cancer and wrinkles. But the alternative is equally unattractive summertime pallor. Now for people who limit their time in the Sun there s Good news. The new self tanners work. They turn skin Darker and most of them even look reasonably natural. Two male and five female volunteers tested six of the new creams from the inexpensive formulas to the More expensive. I designer brands were generally preferred and May be Worth the investment. However our results varied dramatically depending on skin Type and on underlying tone which ranged from Pink to yellow. Sunless tanners worked Best on medium color skin that . Clinique lancome and Estee Lauder which claim to have eliminated the Orange tone Quot one often sees with inferior products Quot did generate a Pinker More natural looking Tan. The Only real loser was Bain de Soleil. Although it produced a reasonable color it smelled like Quot chemicals that should t touch your skin Quot or  three people reported streaking or unevenness. Lancome s Light fragrance smelled the most pleasant and was the favorite Choice of several fair people. But be warned a the More you apply the Darker you from a bottle will become. And although the directions say a Tan will appear in three hours it took More like six to eight hours to see real results. So if you reapplied self tanning Cream based on How you looked after three hours As some companies suggest you might end up too dark. The Active ingredient in tanning Cream is a chemical called  or Dha which reacts with amino acids in the top layer of skin to produce a Brown color. It has been approved by the Fra since 1973, and dermatologists say it is Safe. Sunless tanners Are different from bronzes which can be washed off and provide no Protection from the Sun unless they contain sunscreen such As Coppertone and it. Changing the concentration of Dha and ingredients in the base lotion has made All the difference in creating a More natural color. When dermatologist Warwick Morison from Johns Hopkins University first saw the improved colors he thought a new chemical had been introduced. Quot the colors Are much More realistic but i still think that you Tan pick it out from a real  these improvements have coincided with increasing concerns about the aging effects of the Sun and the risk of skin cancer making self tanning Cream one of the hottest Selling items for companies such As Clinique lancome and Estee Lauder. But just like a real Tan it Dos take some Effort. Since Dha Only changes the color of the top layer of skin chemical tans fade As your skin naturally peels off just like a real Tan. Showering shaving and exercising make the tans fade More quickly. Our Quot tans Quot faded considerably after the first Day. But some color remained up to six Days later. The manufacturers recommend reapplying the creams at least every three Days which could become expensive since each bottle costs Between $7 and $17 and contains four All body applications. It is also time consuming. For 30 minutes immediately after application tanners should not touch furniture or clothing because they could stain it. For the All body _ Tanner this could mean standing around nude for a Long time especially in the Winter. How can you know what will give you the Best color our results were too varied to declare a Winner. Different skin types just reacted too differently to the products. So Pool resources with your friends buy some of the products that sound appealing have some laughs and find put what works Best for you. Cafes facilities in Europe Stock the following self tanning products Estee Lauder self tanning Cream 4 ounces in Light medium and Bronze $12 Elizabeth Arden self tanning lotion 4.2 ounces $10 lancome self Bronze Hydra milk in 15 stores Only 125 ml., $13, and Coppertone sunless tropical blend $5. Reader s action line cavalrymen want their own badge i m a 19d cavalry Seoul the old eyes and ears of the army. This is an mos military occupational specially that dates Back before the revolutionary War. We would like to know Why there a not a combat badge for cavalrymen our own badge since we can to Wear the combat badge of the infantry. Even the medics have a badge. Pfc. Darren Bouldin operation desert storm left. Col. Terrence l. Adkins chief military awards Branch . Total army personnel command department of the army replies since the establishment of the combat and expert infantryman badges in 1943, numerous proposals have been submitted to create special skill badges to acknowledge specific branches or elements of the army to include the Armor and cavalry. With the exception of the combat medical badge and expert Field medical badge comparable badges have not been adopted the army has several ways to recognize soldiers who endure the Rigours and trials that can be experienced Only on the Field of Battle. These include combat patches unit awards and above All individual decorations to denote valor in the face of the enemy. Army policy has been very restrictive regarding the adoption of new badges. The objective of this restrictive policy is to protect the prestige and meaningfulness of existing badges and to preclude uniform clutter the current Hierarchy of awards and decorations is considered More than adequate to recognize soldiers for duties performed during combat. For the above reasons the army has not created nor supported the creation of a special badge to recognize soldiers of the cavalry or other branches. The present policy in no Way denigrates the invaluable and important contributions to the army of cavalrymen throughout the army a history credit cards and late fees it out of All the companies cashing in on the a congratulations Quot and Quot be Nice to the  Bonanza my credit card companies Aren t part of it. In a not asking for reduced interest rates or forgiveness of debt of course not. But i do wonder Why they insist on charging Lale fees sending demanding and threatening letters though refusing to answer mine when they Are aware of my situation. Do you have any contacts at visa or Mastercard who could help or even take an interest James m. Koon Friedburg. Germany i9 Ingrid m. Kollmann senior consumer relations analyst member education and support visa .a., replies thank you for your correspondence on behalf of your Reader visa .a. Inc. Is a membership corporation comprised of financial institutions which either contract with Consumers for visa card issuance or contract with merchants to accept visa cards. Visa .a. Does not Bill or collect from card holders nor does our corporation service merchants accounts these functions As Well As All customer service related functions Are the contractual and direct responsibilities of our member financial institutions. Regarding consumer issues such As finance charges late charges interest rates and annual fees our member financial institutions Are regulated by the Federal government in As much As proper disclosure is concerned in september 1990, the House and Senate veterans affairs committees held a joint hearing to examine possible changes to the soldiers and sailors civil Relief act. The act imposes among other things interest rate ceilings on outstanding credit card balances held by military personnel serving on Active duty. It appears that the issues raised by your Reader May fall under the soldiers and sailors civil Relief act. Unfortunately i am unable to Forward a copy of your correspondence to or. Koonts visa card issuer As neither the name of the financial institution nor account number were provided in the documentation. If your office is Able to obtain this information i will be More than Happy to Forward or. Koon s concerns to a senior manager at his visa card issuing institution. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. To write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo 09211-4211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday july 20, 1991