Tanning?!

Options
24567

Replies

  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    Options
    do not use the tanning bed! dermatologist says its bad for you! this from someone who had her nose cut on from skin cancer! stay away! jergens is nice and not orange. my tan is from that in the bridal pic.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    Options
    I used to tan way too much. I am now so against it and would only do it for a special occassion. I have come to accept my paleness but if I want a little color I will use the gradual sunless moisturizers..
  • lauraOOOO
    lauraOOOO Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    every winter i give myself 100 minutes of tanning bed minutes....i used them 6 minutes at a time and only go 1 or 2 times a week. it's just enough to get a little bit of a glow.
  • urownstupidity
    urownstupidity Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Try to gradually gain some color by getting some sun for 30-45 minutes 3 times a week. It worked for me, I am not terribly tan, but I have some color... I used to be pasty white. :ohwell:
  • colochel
    colochel Posts: 263 Member
    Options
    No tanning bed is safe for your skin. True story. I like spray tanning, if any at all, because it is safe. But you can get good and bad spray tans. If they offer different levels of spray tanning, I would go with the most natural or you might walk out of there looking like an oompa loompa. Ask the tanning salon for special instructions (usually they'll tell you to come freshly showered and exfoliated (with a brush rather than a loofah which can leave you streaky). If they sell a gel amplifier, I would buy it. It helps keep the spray on longer and keeps it more even.

    And base tans are DEFINITELY a myth. A tan is your body's way of trying to heal damaged skin cells. Having a base tan won't prevent future burns.

    :) Good luck!
  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
    Options
    I'm very pale myself. The best product I've ever tried are tan towels. They work so well and look really natural.

    http://www.tantowel.com/

    Try to get them from HSN, they run specials and you get a huge discount.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Options
    do not use the tanning bed! dermatologist says its bad for you! this from someone who had her nose cut on from skin cancer! stay away! jergens is nice and not orange. my tan is from that in the bridal pic.
    In excess, it's bad for you. My dermatologist recommended it (although she said, don't tell anyone I told you! lol) but stressed to keep the time down to 5 minutes a shot, no more than 3 times a week. It's to give me vitamin D to help my psoriasis. The problem with them, is most people use them over 4 times a week for 10-25 minutes a shot...and of course the tanning businesses won't talk you out of that.
  • alecta337
    alecta337 Posts: 622 Member
    Options
    My fiancee's mom recently got melanoma from tanning in a tanning bed when she was a teenager. You may not get cancer now, but down the road its a serious possibility.

    I use Jergen's natural glow moisturizing lotion. I don't get any streaks or blotchy spots. Its a really nice natural looking color that builds up the more you use it.
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
    Options
    I do gradual self tanners in the summer. just don't over lotion yourself and you should be fine. :) i did tanning beds once and then realized...i'm tired of dragging myself and wasting my money on it. i do admit it's relaxing but i don't want cancer either. i actually have come to stop being as self conscious about my skin being so white for a hispanic girl.

    and btw you look great! love yourself no matter how white you are! :flowerforyou:
  • lind3400
    lind3400 Posts: 557 Member
    Options
    I used lotions and it was splotchy...My very pale friend used a spray and turned out orange....I use a bed.....but I only did it to fade my stretch marks....it worked but I am on constant watch of all my moles lol and I have to get my mom to convince me they arent cancerous....SOOOO DONT DO IT lol
  • tcan2012
    tcan2012 Posts: 5
    Options
    I feel the same way in the fall and am about to start my "fake bake". Here is what I do, I use "L'oreal Sublime Bronze". I have used/tried many other brands and found this one does NOT make you orange. Before applying make sure you exfoliate the areas you will put it on. I use a sponge to apply the lotion and it helps prevent your hands from getting overly tan. Using the sponge make sure to "pat NOT rub" the lotion on. On the back it says to be careful around ankles,knees and elbows.....they are not kidding! It takes practice to get it right. It will stain clothes and sheets so make sure you let it dry WELL. Some people buy the lotion without the "bronzer" but, I find it helpful to be able to see where you are putting it. It will dry darker than when you initially apply it.
    Tanning beds make me "freckle" i.e. Skin damage and Burn.
    Mystic tan smells HORRIBLE! Even after you shower.
    GOOD LUCK!:smile:
  • briocktj
    briocktj Posts: 128
    Options
    I love going to the tanning salon. It is a perfect "me" time... relax, music, and get a great healthy skin tone
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    Options
    Tanning beds are very bad for you. Like others have said try tan towels, gradually exposing yourself to the sun, or if you want a quick fix get a spray tan.
  • regions02
    regions02 Posts: 154 Member
    Options
    Skip the tanning beds and avoid too much sun. Always use sunscreen - even in winter. Take it from somebody whose had a scare with skin cancer. Plus my hubby just went for his annual skin check today and had to have 2 biopsys (sp) for possible melanomia. We'll know more next week but he may have to have surgery! Everybody needs a few minutes of sun each day for Vit D but long exposure can be deadly - this includes tanning beds.
  • dedication6
    dedication6 Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    I use tanning beds:sad:

    I have an aunt that is always telling me to stop baking my skin and use what she uses and she swears by it!! It's a self tanning lotion from Clinque'.

    I plan to someday buy it and try it out, but haven't yet!!
  • tangal88
    tangal88 Posts: 689
    Options
    I have worked the last 20 plus years in the Sunless Tanning Industry. ( I worked worked in the UV tanning industry before that)

    If applied correctly - artificial spray on tanners, or lotions are an excellent , skin friendly option.

    To prevent some of the issues noted:

    If you are orangy- you applied to much product, or to high a DHA percentage product, Go to a lighter blend, and do not over apply.

    If it is rubbing and sweating off - you have not prepared the skin correctly with good exfoliation, and or applied product to clean lotion free skin.

    If you are blotchy and streaky - this is an application error. Again can be easily prevented with some instruction.

    You can purchase and apply Professional Solutions at home as well, if you don't want to go to a salon and be sprayed. You can use a spray gun, or even a large pad to wipe product on skin. A varity od darkness levels are avaiable - if unsure always go "light" you can easily add more on a later visit if needed.

    I am "tan" year round, and no one - including my Mom - knows its fake (until I told her.), I never UV tan, and wear sunscreen year round. I look about 35, I am 47. No one else in my family has aged as well. Sunscreen IS your friend. 80 percent of skin aging is directly related to UV exposure, ether tanning, or day to day exposure.

    Great website for the how toos here: www.sunless.com , I am a Moderator there

    If you want to know how to apply correctly, whether a lotion, or a self applied spray on - look here:

    Under Application Help:

    http://www.sunless.com/phorum/read.php?7,1275629

    Any UV tanning, no matter how little, is unsafe, and not a great option for skin health, body health, and skin aging concerns. UV tanning is cumulative, even a little adds on over the years, and takes its toll, later down the road. The damage done "stays" , and each minute adds more onto your "bank". You cannot undo it - once it is done, except in a limited manner. It typically appears 20-30 years down the road.

    You never know what your personal "to much" level is, until the day you have to deal with a cancerous growth, mole, etc. The numbers differ for everyone, there is no set "safe" tanning level. And it is not only those who "go to much" or "get burned" that deal with cancer concerns. rapid skin aging etc.

    I have seen girls get cancer growths from as little at 4-5 sessions, no burning at all, done one time to prep for the prom. And I have seen Grandmas, getting their nose cut off, after tanning for years. I know many men and women who now have to go to the DR over and over every year to continually get new suspicious growths cut off, this is directly correlated with UV exposure and or tanning bed use.

    The World Health Organization, American Academy of Dermatology, and Medical Societies world wide, all condemn purposeful UV tanning, as unsafe for many reasons.

    Really not worth it.
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
    Options
    Anyone who even considers using a tanning bed should see this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jgUcxMezM
  • DisneyMommy
    DisneyMommy Posts: 281
    Options
    Of course I am going to add here since I have personal experience w/tanning beds and having ugly scars now and yearly derm check ups. Please, please stay away. No amount of time in them is safe. Maybe "safer" but never safe. You are playing w/your life, seriously. I am a naturally easy to tan person. Not at all at high risk for skin cancer according to all the statistics. I tan easily, dark features, etc. Yet I have had 5 moles removed so far. I never went tanning every day either. I went once a week for maybe 20 min at a time and most times it was every other week for 20 min instead. So that is not a lot of time to do the damage that has been done. It takes YEARS for that damage to show up. So don't kid yourself and think it is okay. Later down the line when you are older, you will regret it for sure. Sorry to be the downer here but it's real life you are playing with. Best of luck.
  • laurapain4nbi
    laurapain4nbi Posts: 10
    Options
    I'm a beauty therapist but not a tanning expert, but for personal experiences the most important thing about tanning is you must exfoliate well before hand, and dont use perfumed soaps, also I've always preferred having a St tropez tan that you can get done in a salon or buy the products for home use, also a little tip you could use, if you think your a little to orange, you can use lemon juice to reduce the colour slightly but don't use it to much or your tan will come straight off, but as tanning beds go they all have disadvantages you must be very careful, They will age your skin, And increased risk of skin cancer. And well as loads of other Factors.
    But I hope you This helps
    Feel free to add me :)
  • onedayillbamilf
    onedayillbamilf Posts: 662 Member
    Options
    I am very fair skinned as well and I can't tan. My options are burn or be white. I used an AMAZING tanning lotion in high school, but I can't remember what it was called. I tried that Jergens Glow stuff a few years ago and it worked pretty well. No blotching or orange color. It slowly builds that "tan" look.

Categories