Tanning- give me your thoughts

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  • Colbyandsage
    Colbyandsage Posts: 751 Member
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    Melanoma kills you dead. No tanning for me. I've learned to embrace my paleness.

    ^^^^ love this and agree!
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    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?

    Tanning, tanning beds and sun exposure does NOT cause skin cancer. One more thing we have been bamboozled about.

    Here are some articles about the benefits of tanning and sun exposure.

    http://www.naturalnews.com/034111_tanning_beds_vitamin_D.html

    http://www.naturalnews.com/032792_tanning_beds_vitamin_D.html

    http://www.naturalnews.com/024687_Vitamin_D_deficiency.html

    http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=5A62FC73922FD51A88E62E42C5A0AD5E
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    UV tanning is dangerous and will age your skin by years if you do it regularly. Plus, I know many people use tanning beds but I find their tans odd looking, not at all natural. And I often wonder if the 20-ish year old women who use tanning beds realize not only will their face age tremendously but so will their chest. It's called "crepe-y" skin resulting from sun damage and it's not pretty. I use a spray SPF 45 to my chest daily to avoid "the crepe".

    I used L'Oreal Sublime Bronze lotion and really liked the results. It lasted for about 3 showers. The bummer is having to apply it all over but I usually just applied it to my legs.

    I had a spray tan once and it turned out orange-ish. However, it's worth a try since it's quick and uniform. And if you turn orange, it'll wash off within a week.

    I disagree. I have been tanning since I was 15 and I am now 38 and don't look 38 at all - I look much younger.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    To tan or not to tan - for me, it's a tough one.
    The simple answer should be: not on your life. I watched my mum die last year from melanoma (skin cancer) and I don't have any wish to put my husband or family through such a tough time.
    But, I love to look tanned - it makes me feel healthier and fitter. I know that's all in my head but that's the way it's always been for me.
    My compromise this summer is to stay out of the sun as much as possible in the most dangerous times (middle of the day), no deliberate tanning (ie. lying out in the sun just to get brown) and wearing sunscreen for long runs.
    I am still in the sun every day walking to and from the bus, and when I run or walk in the mornings but that' usually at the beginning and end of the day when there is less risk.

    For the previous poster who claims that sunbeds aren't linked to cancer - you can certainly find articles that claim this but I'd prefer to go with info from organisations that I know and respect. I also note that your articles were talking about exposure to increase Vitamin D for people in Norway and Russia, not about tanning for fun in sunny climates.
    But hey, you're welcome to read and take on whatever seems right to you, and I will do the same.

    For anyone who would like read another perspective:

    <a href="http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Solariums?open">Solariums (sunbeds and tanning beds) - Better Health Channel</a><br/>
    Sunbeds and solariums do not provide a safe tan. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from solariums can increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Solariums can also cause eye damage and immediate skin damage such as sunburn, irritation, redness and swelling.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    The flippancy about tanning in this thread alarms me! Not tanning is such an easy way to prevent skin cancer and harmful melanomas, yet so many people think it won't happen to them. It could! Please please please stop using tanning beds and baking in the sun to all of you that do! As much as you love it, and it's relaxing, you won't be thinking that in the future if something happens.

    Spray tans are easy and look great! They have come a long way in the past few years.
  • Arani70
    Arani70 Posts: 84
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    I also avoid the sun as my skin is VERY pale. I think you should embrace it as it is different. I love being pale because I know I am going to age without my skin looking really leathery and worn out. If you have a special occasion you can use fake tan just a very light one though, you don't want to be orange!
  • ashquin
    ashquin Posts: 248 Member
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    would the tattoo cover up cover stretch marks? i have a few on my inner thigh that i am so self concious about that i wont wear shorts
    Hey, i totally understand your problem. I am a pro fitness model and figure bodybuilder and tan is something i have to be all the time. I had a bunch of precancer spots removed last year due to uv tanning. now I spray tan (but that gets EXPENSIVE to maintain). but ive found a product called Ocean Potion Bronzing Lotion. You can buy it online but you have to buy 5 at a time for $25. But it lasts forever and i LOVE the natural glow it gives you. I put it on once a day, all over, including hands, feet, joints, face and it doesnt make you patchy like most self tanners do on the joints. You dont need gloves to put it on and it doesnt stain your palms. I put it on at night and go to bed, i wake up with a good glow going on after the first 3 days of using it. i love it so much, im sold for life on this stuff :) also, if you want to try to conceal your birthmark, try Jan Tana Tattoo cover up. its for bodybuilding competitors who want to cover up stuff while theyre on stage. that stuff works pretty good. hope this helps! :)
  • atynk
    atynk Posts: 400 Member
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    Melanoma kills you dead. No tanning for me. I've learned to embrace my paleness.

    I agree!

    I'm surprised no one has mention how much tanning ages you... You may look nice now. but in 10 years you are going to have tons of wrinkles and gross skin (no matter how much you botox lol)
    I used to tan all the time when i was younger, and now that I am going to be 30, I have totally done a 180 and wear spf everyday, and after seeing a dermatologist realize how much older all these tanners are going to look... I would like to look 40 when I am 50, and hopefully can repair the damage now that I did before :) Things like facials, lasers, botox etc don't come cheap... I wish I had listened when I was young lol
  • atynk
    atynk Posts: 400 Member
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    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?

    Tanning, tanning beds and sun exposure does NOT cause skin cancer. One more thing we have been bamboozled about.

    Here are some articles about the benefits of tanning and sun exposure.

    http://www.naturalnews.com/034111_tanning_beds_vitamin_D.html

    http://www.naturalnews.com/032792_tanning_beds_vitamin_D.html

    http://www.naturalnews.com/024687_Vitamin_D_deficiency.html

    http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=5A62FC73922FD51A88E62E42C5A0AD5E


    I am going to disagree with this... you can get enough vitamin D from foods as well as as little as 15 min outside. I could pull up thousands of articles from doctors and dermatologists as well...
    bottom line- why even take the risk?
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
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    I have to agree ...check my pictures out ...after years of living near the beach ...had my time over again ...would not tan .
    Currently having treatment on my thumb ...BCC ..Aldara 5% cream ...not nice at all and side effects frightning !
    have had lots of procedures on my face and nose ...each one is pain full exercise ....

    So my thoughts are ( is it worth it ? )
  • ahsats
    ahsats Posts: 75 Member
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    It's funny just yesterday I was driving by a shopping center with my girlfriend and said, "How do these places stay in business? Who goes in tanning beds nowadays?"

    I love the look I get in the summer (even wearing high SPF sunscreen) but I am way too anal about having nice skin to risk premature wrinkles on looking ~*so hot 4 Panama City Beach Spring Break*~
  • rc630
    rc630 Posts: 310 Member
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    I just hate how being pale is considered an insult. Nobody would every say "oh you have brown eyes, you should try to make them blue" or "omg I'm so short, I look GROSS!" but people think it's okay to say to me "geez you're pale" with a disgusted look on their face. Nobody (at least in the U.S.) would ever dare to tell someone the opposite ("Your skin is so dark... you should bleach it").
    I was born with this skin tone. If I get a little tan from being outside during the summer, cool. If I look paler in the winter, FINE. I don't look in the mirror and think I look bad with my natural skin color. Nobody of any color should think that.
  • Skeemer118
    Skeemer118 Posts: 397 Member
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    Once I get fit I will spray tan. I don't want to lay in a cancer bed! :frown:
  • DeathIsMyGift
    DeathIsMyGift Posts: 434 Member
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    Pale is beautiful.
  • ahsats
    ahsats Posts: 75 Member
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    Nobody (at least in the U.S.) would ever dare to tell someone the opposite ("Your skin is so dark... you should bleach it").

    Umm people of color with dark skin experience this all the time.
  • jude7701
    jude7701 Posts: 23
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    There are so many healthier options out there, to make yourself look more tan... I had a friend that at the age of 22, had to have a chunk cut out of her calf because of tanning. (Turned out to be benign, but still very scary!) Now she has this weird looking scar- and she isn't pale- she is italian, so she didn't burn a lot or anything. But she tanned on a fairly regular basis. Not anymore!

    I am pale skinned- (think Irish descent- pale with freckles...) and my personal opinion is tanning ages you sooooo fast. I have seen friends from high school that tanned all the time, and they look like they are 10 years older than me.
    Protect your health! Try a spray tan- I have heard that if you check around, there are places that do it very well, and it looks natural, and lasts for a while!
    Good luck!
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
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    I love tanning, and I don't think I'll ever give it up. I don't go often, maybe once or twice a week in the winter, and hardly ever in the summer since I'm outside so much. I'm very fair skinned, and I look and feel so much better with a little color. However, reading this thread did cause me to make an appointment with a dermatologist..
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I really love how diverse everyone's comments were! I never want to really tan. I will give that L'oreal Glowing tanner stuff a try! Thanks so much everyone! :D
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
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    dont tan.. you may look good now but when your 40 your skin will look like you are 60. No thanks.

    those tanning beds the cancer rates are much much higher.

    I know a girl 28 stage 4 melanoma. she wll never have kids, family or anything right now they are focusing on keepin her alive. It will kill her. Dont do it, its not worth the risk.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    I didn't understand this question, I guess. When I replied about getting a base tan from a tanning bed, it was because I want to prevent burning when I am out on my Motorcycle in the Summers. I also do a lot of rafting and travelling to hot climates. Outdoor sports and hiking.

    What I have gathered from all these replies, is that most of the people are tanning because of a vanity issue. That's why painting their bodies with a lotion of some kind is so prevalent.

    The main ingredient in Spray tanning liquids is DHA. The FDA states that commercial facilities should specifically protect clients from DHA exposure to the eyes, lips and mucous membranes as well as preventing the inhalation or ingestion of products containing DHA.

    It's a personal choice. I don't preach my beliefs to others, and, frankly, I don't listen to overzealous persons that preach to me.

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