Tanning- give me your thoughts

tortoise73

I think the evidence on tanning beds causing cancer is pretty clear. My cousin died at 29 from this very thing. It's not worth it.

rbn_held

I've known too many people that tan and have had skin cancer removed (most of them are fare skinned). I have olive skin anyway so I tan easy, but get a little pale in the winter, but I would rather be pale then get cancer. I have never tried the spray ons or lotions with fear of streaking, but I may give them a try this year. I love the look of being tan but don't like the effects that happen to your body over time (orange, wrinkled, leathery looking skin)

Porcelain1981

The sun is good, the sun gives us Vitamin D (very important) and of course keeps away SAD. Even if you don't want a tan, you shouldn't need to avoid it, just use adequate protection.

There are plenty of people who look awesome with pale skin (and defined), like Rose McGowan, Lily Cole etc. If you're concerned you look poorly with it, you might want to talk to your doctor about your nutrition (iron etc) & health.

Tanning is personal preference, sometimes I fancy it for a change, sometimes I much prefer au natural.

Fake tan does not have to mean tango, I'd say 50% is down to good application, 50% to good product. Personally use Xen Tan and a mit to put it on, they have instructions on their website for best application.

I tend to stay away from sunbeds and will only tan naturally with proper protection.

LaurenMichelle004

I've had a lot of luck with Jergens Natural Glow. Takes about 3 days or so to show, and I've never had an issue with it streaking (I'm also veryyy careful about applying evenly.)

Me too!! Although I forgot to wash my hands the other day after applying and it became a little orange/tan in between my fingers, so be careful about that!

I definitely recommend either that or Neutrogena mist spray - love it!

XOchocolate

Spray tan, or lotion, YES! If you want some color, go for it!

Cancer beds? NOOOOOOOOO Stay out of those. My dad just had a chunk cut out of his leg, for a mole that was just smaller than a pencil easer, they took out a piece of flesh the shape of a football and four inches long. NO thank you.

The lighter you are, the higher your risk. SPF is your best friend!!!

^^^^^this

SPBROOKS68

I tan a few months out of every year as it makes me feel and look better plus then I have some protection at ball games, pools, beach. I always cover my face and any spots I have on my body that do not tan (like the birthmark on my arm) then it does not look weird.

DO what makes you happy as something will kill you :-0

CiciPorcayo

Being out in the sun causes cancer, tanning beds cause cancer. either way . CANCER! Do what you want. it is your body and your life.

Tasha_uk

I don't have to worry about that. I was born with a tan

gailashton

DON'T TAN - Let me speak from experience. Lets see, what's so bad about it: Well you lose the elasticity and collagen in your skin, so that when you are older and lose weight your skin is saggier no matter how much you work out, wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles, and the biggest reason you can get skin cancer. If you're lucky you'll only have to go and have all these lovely little things that come up in your skin over the years carved out by a dermatologist and biopsied and they'll be benign or you may end up with skin cancer. I don't like to be white either. I use self-tanners and swear by them if they're applied properly. Love Hawaiin tropic medium Banana boat deep and dark. They go on smoothly. You just have to be sure you scrub your hands and the inside of your wrists with soap and a scrubbie so it doesn't stain the palms of your hands. Make sure you exfoliate before applying. No one knows my tan is fake and this is the only tan i get. I used to go get sprayed professionally but $30 bucks a pop is a lot. The stuff in the bottle is under $10 and I get 3 or 4 applications out of it, sometimes 5..... good luck whatever you decided.

laurarpa

I like the way I look tan. But I'm not stupid and I'd like to live a long and unleathery looking life.

http://www.multimedia-english.com/contenido/ficha/dear-16-year-old-me/3337

tortoise73

didnt see this..but i definitely agree!! You can get cancer from a cell phone now adays they are saying..i dont see people throwing their phones out the window though.:huh:

I get your point, if we cut out everything that was bad for us we'd have nothing left, right? Skin cancer is just really common among people who tan or go to tanning booths. I grew up in Florida and have had skin cancer. Thank goodness it was caught early. I've also since had all my moles removed since then just to be sure.

All of us 'white folk' look better with a little color, but I definitely regret it now, at 38. I'm not so sexy with my skin cancer and mole removal scars now!

NICOLED73

As someone who worked for three surgeons who treated skin cancer daily....I say NO tanning beds. I saw so many young girls with cancerous lesions on their faces! If you had to have an area the size of a quarter (or more) lasered and skin removed from your face you may reconsider tanning. I certainly have.
I use Nutragena spray tan. It works great. It's not orange-y or streaky.
Spray tans in a tanning facility are O.K. too. If you are going to tan, either of those are the way to go.

saragato

When I was younger and spent the majority of my summers in my Aunt's pool, I browned like a nut. I'm super pale these days because a lot of what I do is inside.

On natural tanning, I think it's fine if you do it in moderation and use sunscreen or some cream that will protect your skin from the bad stuff when you're doing it. It takes longer, but it's an excuse to nap in the warm sun. Tanning beds I don't condone. They are worse for your skin and I rarely see natural looking results from them. It may be convenient but so is fast food and look what it's done to people. Spray tans to me are too orange, but I guess those are the ones that do it from home.

bebaird3

Tanning definitely makes me look thinner and reduces visibility of any stretch marks, for sure, which naturally boosts my confidence level. I wish I had never gotten into it though, because I do NOT want skin cancer or to look like leather! My sister is pretty fair-skinned and she uses Jergen's Natural Glow, which seems to work really well for her. Since you're just wanting to get a little bit of color, that might be a good option for you. The lotion will be so much more inexpensive than the tanning beds or getting a spray tan, and it won't make you look too dark. I think it's a really good option for just adding some color and avoiding the risk of skin cancer/leather-looking skin altogether!

jackpotclown

feels good warming up on a cold day \m/
.....the end

SunKissed86

DON'T TAN - Let me speak from experience. Lets see, what's so bad about it: Well you lose the elasticity and collagen in your skin, so that when you are older and lose weight your skin is saggier no matter how much you work out, wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles, and the biggest reason you can get skin cancer. If you're lucky you'll only have to go and have all these lovely little things that come up in your skin over the years carved out by a dermatologist and biopsied and they'll be benign or you may end up with skin cancer. I don't like to be white either. I use self-tanners and swear by them if they're applied properly. Love Hawaiin tropic medium Banana boat deep and dark. They go on smoothly. You just have to be sure you scrub your hands and the inside of your wrists with soap and a scrubbie so it doesn't stain the palms of your hands. Make sure you exfoliate before applying. No one knows my tan is fake and this is the only tan i get. I used to go get sprayed professionally but $30 bucks a pop is a lot. The stuff in the bottle is under $10 and I get 3 or 4 applications out of it, sometimes 5..... good luck whatever you decided.

Well said! I think I might buy the self-tanners you mentioned ... PS. YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!! Great job on your progress!!! :flowerforyou:

MrsRipdizzle

I am Casper's cousin...and have been for years and years. Until November last year when I began using a tanning salon to help build a good base tan before a vacation to Florida. I went for short periods of time at first - 5 mins, 8 mins, 10 mins...and built my way up slowly every other day or every few days. I never burned, not once. When I got back from FL I decided I really liked being not-pasty...so I continued going to the salon once a week for 9-15 mins. I'm not dark, not by any means, but at least my skin tone looks healthy and not as pale and sickly. I like in Michigan...so we get very little sunlight in the winter months. I've justified my once a week sessions because I'm also getting a dose of Vitamin D when I go (and have avoided getting SAD this winter!).
Also, from what I understand, there is a difference in the levels of the beds. Level 1 has mostly (if not all) UVA bulbs and that is what produces the melanin (and you are most likely to burn in this process if you don't go at it slowly). Level 2 bulbs tend to have half UVA and half UVB bulbs (UVB are more "bronzing" bulbs, as it has been explained to me). Level 3 is all bronzing bulbs. So I'm the impression that once you get a good base tan...sticking with level 3 might be the way to go to minimize UVA exposure. But I could be totally wrong here.

I, too, worry a little about skin cancer. But I have never been big on tanning (either in the sun or beds) so I haven't been overly exposed. I also think that a large part of the skin cancer problem today comes from the sunscreen people use. Because as it was...back in the day...skin cancer wasn't nearly as prominent as it is TODAY....and "back then" people didn't use sunscreens. They were out in the sun all day working their farms and fields. Maybe that's ignorant to say...but c'mon...really think about it.

We're all gonna die from something...a kiss of sun every now and then can't be any worse than all the chemicals we consume in our food.

LauraMyny

Dont do it!! I used to work in a tanning salon. I have seen not only what it does to your skin but to your eyes as well. yuck! I suggest airbrush tan which is like mystic but better. Most of the updated salons have the clear mystic spray so that it doesnt look orange anymore. Always start with a level 1 mystic to see if you like the color. I have had over 9 stitches to remove cancerous spots that were the size of a lil bitty freckle. NOT WORTH IT. The constant worry everytime i see a new freckle wondering if its normal or not. I cant believe how much these young girls are tanning now.....since jersey shore. Its so scary to me and I cannot stress enough how important it is for parents to stop them. They will tan when they are 18 but parents can greatly reduce the risks by not letting them until then!

strandedj

My thoughts on tanning? Wrinkles and cancer! No thank-you! Unfortunately my daughters don't feel the same way. ;(

LavaDoll

Tanning is a process best reserved for raw hides removed from their host carcass.

love yourself

apply a luminizer to your face & collarbones or dust yourself with a shimmery translucent powder to give yourself a *glow*

applied just around the orbital bone gives a nice luminosity to structure of the face, brings attention to the eyes, as well.

i recommend High Beam by Benefit, or Invisible Candlelight by Too Faced.

DarkPhoenix

VersaSpa Tan!! I do hop in a bed starting a couple of months before summer, but that is just on occasion. VersaSpa is the best spray tan I've ever had. You just have to make sure you exfoliate before you go, shave (whatever you usually shave that is), do not put any lotion on, and follow the directions the salon gives you. They have light clear, medium clear, and dark clear, as well as light bronze, medium bronze, and dark bronze (bronze shows up more instantly than clear but also rubs off on clothing easier right after you get it done, so make sure to wear dark colors). I get tons of compliments on my (spray) tan and it's worth it, since I am a very pale/blue eyed/blonde and don't want to risk burning or cancer. Hope this helps!

yoovie

I love it.

I go in for about 6 minutes twice a week in a standing booth after my hardest workouts. The air blowing over my body while being in what feels like sensory dep- is so soothing to me. Especially if I just killed it on the weights.

Plus its always a gigglefor me because in the ultraviolet lights my hair is crazy cool looking :P

mes1119

I used to 'fake 'n bake' (tanning bed), but NO MORE! I've seen too many women develop skin cancer and end up with the leather skin and it's just not worth it. If I can't get the desired tan (which I usually do) from the sun, I'll just be white! I have a natural olive complexion and native american in me, so I'm never "white". All I have to do is go lay on the trampoline for an hour or so and I tan fast. To amp up the tan, I will sometimes use baby oil. Another trick is oil sheen (African American Hair Spray), it works great too and makes your skin smooth!

so tanning beds cause wrinkles and cancer but baby oil doesn't?!?!

l2rell

I love a spray tan done right you won't go orange x

graysmom2005

Hello all!

I have really pale skin and have avoided the sun for the past 6-7 years as I get very very dark and have a birthmark on my legs which doesn't hold color. When I'm very pale like right now you cannot see it at all. That aside... I've noticed I look less "glowing" "healthy" and actually look sick. Actually ive been told i look like someone who has a flu in pictures.

I've also noticed you cannot see the muscle definition I have and I just look "chunky" compared to someone the same size as me who has more color.

I DO NOT want skin cancer and know that ANY amount of tanning can put you at risk.

What are your thoughts on tanning/fake tanning? Do you look slimmer/healthier with a tan? Do you tan? If so why/why not?

As much as it pains me to say it DON'T FAKE AND BAKE. There is so much science behind how dangerous it is, it isn't even funny. I used to work at a tanning salon in college, and I can see the damage already and I'm only 32. I'm pale and blond and look 5000% better with a tan, but it just isn't worth it long term. Spray tan, or Jergen's at home tanning cream etc is your best bet. :-)

Krystal821

Personally, as someone who is also pale, I would not tan or spray tan. Just go outside, wear sunscreen and be proud of your skin and the fact that it is healthy and probably looks a lot younger than it is

Aspynmom

I love the way I look tan. I used to tan as a teenager, that is, until my dad at age 38 developed melanoma. He almost made it to the magical "5 year mark" and then went downhill fast and died at age 43. Trust me, he was not a tanning bed kinda guy so he got it just from being out and working in the sun. I have dark hair and eyes but pale skin. I also have about 20 small scars from having various moles removed that I just didn't want there. They've all been normal so far, thank God. Bottom line is, the way he died was horrible and I wish that on no one. If you want color, spray it!!!

Kelekat

I think the evidence on tanning beds causing cancer is pretty clear. My cousin died at 29 from this very thing. It's not worth it.

This!!!!!!! ^^^^^^^

Angel_Eyes1975

I am a fair skinned lady and I am not for the sun never have been but lately I have been doing the Mystic spray tan and OMG I love it when i look in the mirror i am like nice you pretty girl.. i love that I am tanner for some reason it makes me feel better try the mystic it last 5-7 days and you don't look like am ummpa loompa lol I was so scared of that but I love it... plus it is 90 seconds and tans you every where and I love that nice even tan all over with no tan lines..

smiles

Meliklotz

I used to 'fake 'n bake' (tanning bed), but NO MORE! I've seen too many women develop skin cancer and end up with the leather skin and it's just not worth it. If I can't get the desired tan (which I usually do) from the sun, I'll just be white! I have a natural olive complexion and native american in me, so I'm never "white". All I have to do is go lay on the trampoline for an hour or so and I tan fast. To amp up the tan, I will sometimes use baby oil. Another trick is oil sheen (African American Hair Spray), it works great too and makes your skin smooth!

so tanning beds cause wrinkles and cancer but baby oil doesn't?!?!
^
This!