To tan or not to tan, that is the question

misschoy

Spray tan once in awhile. It looks good for a couple days and viola... no skin damage!

LisaF1163

I don't tan for many reasons. First of all are the health risks we now know of - why risk cancer? It's totally not worth it.

Second, I look better fair - a tan instantly makes me look weird, I don't know any other way to put it!

I look immediately - IMMEDIATELY - 15 years older than I am when I have a tan. It's very aging on me.

Plus since I dont' have wrinkles and spots from all that sun damage, people guess my age as way younger than I am. I'm 48, but a lot of people guess me as around 33. It's nice, I'll say that much!

CMmrsfloyd

I'm a redhead, and I have the freckles too...I'd suggest a few 15-min sessions in the lie-down, or a few 8-minute in the stand-up. That's enough. those tanning beds wrinkle you! (A little is not bad though) I also like the gradual tanners, the Jergens one smells so nice and it's half the price of all the others.

8 minutes in a lie-down tanning bed (half of what you're recommending) BURNED ME TO A CRISP in highschool. (several times, b/c I was stupid enough to keep trying thinking it would get better) That's 2 minutes on my back, 2 on my front, and 2 on each side. I had to sleep naked wrapped in sheets that I literally soaked in aloe vera gel to attempt to get some kind of relief. Telling people they should try something like this just b/c it 'works' for you is dangerous, you don't know how sensitive someone else's skin might be compared to yours.

Goodness only knows how much damage I accumulated with those crazy attempts at fitting in.

misschoy

I should add, I buy the spray stuff at target. It's not self tanner but more of a spray tan "makeup". It washes away after awhile and looks like a real tan. I believe it's made by Sally Hansen. Perfect for the legs and arms!

missym357

I don't go out in the sun to tan and I wear spf 30 if I am out at the pool or spending long periods of time out in the sun. I wear spf 30 daily on my face. Having said that, I do think a light tan looks pretty, but I do not consider it worth it. I think untanned well cared for skin is much prettier in the long run. I do tan easily though and have an olive complexion, so in the summer my skin does darken a little bit even with sunscreen.

I've been thinking about doing a light spray on tan for my upcoming vacation though to give myself some extra color. I've never used self-tanner before, but that is nother option if you want some added color for summer.

Elizabeth_C34

I'm very pale, and I wear a lot of bright jewel tone clothes. I love the colors against my pale skin. It compliments well.

I tan, but only accidentally... and usually after I look like a tomato for a few days.

I try not to burn anymore though. I really don't want to look like a leather handbag at 40, so I've embraced my paleness. Keep your skin healthy and you'll look young and lovely until a ripe old age.

Setof2Keys

There's other options that are cheaper and have been perfected to look better. If you use a self tanner lotion put it in the palm of your hands, sprinkle a couple drops of water in it, spread and use a damp cotton ball and dab areas like your knees, ankles, and area behind your knees. The other thing I use is Sally Hansen's spray on nylons. I use the light glow and it is like $10 at Walgreens and makes your legs look AMAZINGLY smoothe...

mwest11

Usually I am fine with my fair skin and red hair. But, I was made fun of a lot in high school and really even a lot to this day. Now I have a very negative attitude based off of what others have said to me. My friends love to tell jokes from the south park episode (that will haunt me the rest of my life) the stupid ginger, day-walker, no soul jokes. And a co-worker just this week told me it was a good thing I was outside for a walk since I needed the sun... WTF? I should have told her it was a good thing she was out for a walk with me since she needs to lose weight?!

Anywho... I have been going for a spray tan every other friday and that is kind of fun and pretty cheap. Don't let others get you down about it. I like having a bit of a tan but reality is that won't happen unless I artificially paint it on. I am trying to get over it but still a little bitter about why society believes you can only be pretty if you are tan..

ebenso1

Take it from someone who worked with a dermatologist for many years...tanning = bad! It's not worth the risk in the end. Not only the risk of skin cancer and melanoma but the aging effects it has. Not to mention the nasty fungal infections I have seen from tanning beds, gross! If you look at people who tan regularly you will see just how much older they tend to look. To me I would rather be pale and look younger. And to the woman who has had the melanoma, your sister should be getting regular skin checks as well because they are finding that Melanoma is partly hereditary. Wear your sunscreen and your hat when out in the convertible or boat! And remember PALE IS THE NEW TAN!

stylistchik

I stopped tanning a few years ago because I don't want to look like leather when I'm 40. I use a type of natural glow lotion every few days to keep from looking *too* pale (I have dark hair and eyes and frankly I look better tan) but I figure being less tan is something I'm willing to trade in for still having good skin when I'm older. If you're naturally pale it probably looks good on you but I am a big fan of the "build-a-tan" lotions because they look natural and you don't get the fake orange look.

astrampe

You should tan, because this is f*ckin' hot!

THIS!!

Not this! It is ridiculous to compare this freakish woman with anybody who tans - be it in the sun or in the salon....I was always tanned without ever spending time lying in the sun for extended periods before I moved to Canada...
So is most South Africans, Aussies etc.... If you live in a sunny climate (or use a tanning bed now and then) and look after your skin, there is no need to look like this....
And personally, I prefer a little color to my skin, otherwise I look sick and pale....
And no, I am 44 and don't have leathery skin - exept maybe a little tough skin on the soles of my feet, and that's from running, not tanning....:flowerforyou:

BeachyBecky

I've been wanting to try St. Tropez mousse. Has anyone tried that? I use to tan all the time but it ages you so I stopped and at 31, I want to try and look youthful forever. ;-)
Also, they say eating carrots help give you a glow. I've been eating more of those lately too.

PapaverSomniferum

Usually I am fine with my fair skin and red hair. But, I was made fun of a lot in high school and really even a lot to this day. Now I have a very negative attitude based off of what others have said to me. My friends love to tell jokes from the south park episode (that will haunt me the rest of my life) the stupid ginger, day-walker, no soul jokes. And a co-worker just this week told me it was a good thing I was outside for a walk since I needed the sun... WTF? I should have told her it was a good thing she was out for a walk with me since she needs to lose weight?!

i feel your pain.
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and on another note

Jomalone2

I suffer from seasonal depression and the sun (and tan) make me feel better. I don't consider myself extreme. Fortunately, I tan easily. And I've always felt like I look 20 pounds lighter with a tan. So if you are looking for me in the summer, I will be pool-side!

mellabyte

I find pale, porcelain complexions to be really attractive. Well, scratch that, I feel just really healthy skin in general (no matter the color) is sexy. ^_^ You know the kind, naturally glowing, not dry, screams "healthy!"

I vote no tan, not worth the damage to your skin and it can prematurely age you.

(I know, unfair because I'm not pale. >_< But I turn my own scary shade of pale in the winter. :P)

cds2001

I'm fair skinned as well and could care less about getting a tan. I used a tanning bed a few times in like 12th grade and got burned almost every time and that was staying in less than 5 minutes. My grandfather had skin cancer twice that I can remember. Once on his arm and once on his face. Treatment for that was not pleasant. Had to get radiation treatment every day for like 2 months. Had to drive 2.5 hrs. round trip to get him to his appointment each day. I think it's more important to be healthy than look a certain way. Besides, most people that do the tanning thing these days look orange and just not normal. And those women who are chronic users of tanning beds -- their skin pretty much looks like leather.

PlunderBunneh

I think any color of skin is perfect, how it was naturally meant. I don't like most tans, because it's usually obvious when it isn't natural.
I don't get how tanning manages to slide under the rope of things that we should avoid because they have been shown to cause cancer.

MikeM53082

A slight tan is the most attractive. But don't overdue it. (like that girl from NJ)

I try to get about 1-2 hour of sun a week to maintain a little tan. It works for me.

TheRoadDog

I tan every spring. I'm Irish and Dutch and if I don't I will burn during the summer on my Motorcycle.

Runnermadre

I am fair skinned with freckles, and I don't tan well. I used to try to tan in a tanning booth, but then my cousin died from melanoma, leaving behind his wife and two very little kids (4 and 6 I think). :-( They said he had about 2 years to live by the time he found it. I go in for a yearly check up now at the dermatoligist, and I've already had an irregular mole removed which they told me after the biopsy was a type of mole that makes me high risk for melanoma. It's just not worth the risk to me. If you want a little color, the Jergen's Natural Glow is a great self tanner that looks pretty natural. I use it sometimes when I just want a little something extra. :-)