Tanning: Yay or Nay?

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Replies

  • TheAshpie
    TheAshpie Posts: 62 Member
    Wouldn't tanning just make your stretch marks darker? My experience is that tanning whether it's artificial or natural, causes scars, stretch marks, skin etc to become darker...Why don't you try lightening the stretch marks? There's lots of natural treatments that could help..Also..Lotion, lotion, lotion ;)
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    Nay
  • missymoga
    missymoga Posts: 217 Member
    I will be lurking around this thread. Sick of being casper white but would rather not prematurely age/get skin cancer.

    I am right there with you - I am Irish and Scottish - and a red head - about as white as ya get. I currently have FREE tanning included with my gym, but refuse to use it...also have skin cancer in my family...

    I'm Irish too! I do love a good tan but I love the thought of staying younger looking better. We can just be fair skinned celtic goddesses :)
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    Tanning can actually make scars/ stretch marks stand out more. It doesn't just darken the pale parts so it won't mask anything. Learned that the hard way.

    Besides, better to be pale and have scars/marks than that leathery, wrinkly skin tanners eventually get, making them look 30 years older than they are.

    If you really feel the need to try tanning, look into those spray tans professionals do. That way you can avoid the cancer-causing crap and also avoid looking like tiger.
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    I've been glow-in-the-dark white since I was a small child (not counting the blistering red sunburns from prolonged beach visits) and add being overweight to that and I looked like a beluga whale. However, after losing 35 pounds, building some muscle, and constantly whining about the stubborn stretch marks, my trainer suggested that I try tanning in an artificial environment.

    Now, I know the health risks. Being fair skinned, I'm not a moron and I'm well-versed in the woes of tanning and skin cancer. However, I was looking to maybe add a LITTLE bit of color to my skin. Trainer says that having some color will fade the stretch marks a bit and help me to look more toned. But who has the time (with two jobs) to lay out in the sun for a few hours? Besides, it's October and I live in Delaware. Not great tanning weather. :laugh:

    I've tried self tanning lotions and had terrible, streaky, orange-Snooki results. But I'm tired of being so icky and pale. Should I give the tanning a go or let the idea fall by the wayside?

    How about the professional spray tans, not the ones in the booths? I think that may be the safest as far as actual tanning goes no? I definitely think you should stay away from the beds, my sister got melanoma from them, I haven't been in one since!
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
    I dont always tan but when I do its poolside with a frosty beverage .....

    d6ab9f00d99e11e19797123138048e61_7.jpg
  • graceinbreath
    graceinbreath Posts: 49 Member
    NAY!!!!!!
    I used to do it - it's addictive
    Also - if you are pale you are actually exposing yourself to MORE damage than you would get out in the sun...
    ALL OF THAT SAID -
    I had a spray tan done in a GREAT HIGH-END SALON right before I got married. I thought it would make me orange so I tried it out about 6 weeks before the wedding and I LOVEEEEEED the way it looked. TOTALLY NATURAL - NO ORANGE AT ALL - NOT BAD FOR MY SKIN - ACTUALLY GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN!!!! - NOT ADDICTIVE and totally looked AMAZING!!!!
    I DID IT AGAIN right before the wedding and if I could afford it, I would do it regularly.
    It lasted well thru my two week honeymoon too

    PLEASE - TRY a SPRAY TAN before you decide to bake in a tanning bed.
    Every exposure in a tanning bed makes you more that much more likely to eventually have skin cancer.
    Your future older self would tell you to try the spray tan, don't you think?
  • jmelyan23
    jmelyan23 Posts: 1,648 Member
    Tanning is a big, fat NAY for me! I'm pale. Such is life.

    Same. Also skin cancer runs in the family, so that would be like me asking for it.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    I tan a couple months every spring. I'm fair skinned by nature and don't want to burn on vacation or while out riding.

    Some of the worst sunburns I've gotten were out on the bike. I'm one of those that makes sure everyone else (husband, daughter) puts sunscreen on, but forgets myself.
  • LetsTryThisAgain54
    LetsTryThisAgain54 Posts: 381 Member
    I love being tan. All I need is an hour in the sun and I'm dark. It usually stays all winter too! :)
  • Mama_Mila
    Mama_Mila Posts: 511 Member
    YAY! I love to tan! I don't have to much though because I get dark very quickly and keep a tan for a while! I've never burned in my life so that's a bonus too :)
  • kristilovescake
    kristilovescake Posts: 669 Member
    I say nay.. especially since my 30-year old coworker ended up getting skin cancer. At 30! And not from tanning, just from normal sun use. Even at low doses, tanning bed are bad news. I've actually done it a handful of times and actually got a little tan from going in high school. Being super pale, I couldn't tell the difference in skin color unless I went multiple times a week over a few weeks. Definitely not worth it.

    Do what you want, but I won't be stepping foot into another tanning bed again.
  • juli_jones
    juli_jones Posts: 101 Member
    spray tan :-)
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    I dont always tan but when I do its poolside with a frosty beverage .....

    d6ab9f00d99e11e19797123138048e61_7.jpg

    Gorgeous ink! sunscreen will help the color stay longer... or is that a myth? that's what i always heard anyway. my only color right now is in my armpit, so not too much sun exposure.
  • amethysts269
    amethysts269 Posts: 28 Member
    I tan but, then I have olive skin (I have have regular skin checks and the doctor told me to get out in the sun as darker skin people need more Vitamin D). However, my husband is as pale as a ghost, has had many skin cancers frozen and removed and recently several melanoma's cut out, luckily they have got it all.

    Why not use a tinted / self tanning moisturiser, it is safe and will add a little colour; though if you are that pale, it may take a while to notice. I wouldn't suggest that you go and sit in the sun as you would probably go beetroot red in as little as 15mins if you are as pale as you say.

    So my vote, I guess would be Nay!
  • ericalyn73
    ericalyn73 Posts: 79
    Try a spray booth. If you go to a good one, it's very even and lasts a couple weeks. No wrinkles. You will be SO thankful later.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Yeah. I tan sometimes. Don't overdo it.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    I am a pale Irish gal. I went to a tanning salon once when I was in college (well, I bought a package-went for a month). I had a nice tan, but the minute I stopped, it went away.

    A few years later, my mother, same complexion as me, was diagnosed with skin cancer. That was from sun exposure.

    I don't tan anymore, not in the sun, nothing. I have to accept that my skin is pale, and live with it. If I want to give myself a little color, I hated sunless tanning gels-I got streaky and orange. But Jergen's natural glow was great, but you had to be consistent-applying it daily so it could build up color and then last.

    As far as stretch marks goes? I used to have acne scars on my back and I found this cream at my local CVS that worked for scars well. You can't see the scars on my back at all anymore. I have to believe it would help with stretch marks too. I'm sorry I can't think of the name, but it wasn't expensive-maybe $10 a tube and it lasted a long time. Had green tea extract and other stuff in it.
  • corn63
    corn63 Posts: 1,580 Member
    I dont always tan but when I do its poolside with a frosty beverage .....

    d6ab9f00d99e11e19797123138048e61_7.jpg

    Gorgeous ink! sunscreen will help the color stay longer... or is that a myth? that's what i always heard anyway. my only color right now is in my armpit, so not too much sun exposure.


    You should always slather tattoos against the sun. It's the same as a coat of paint on a house, if you don't protect it from the elements, it's bound to fade.
  • Rogue_Minx
    Rogue_Minx Posts: 71 Member
    Thanks for the opinions that everyone is giving me!

    I was a little bothered by someone trying to tell me that my trainer is stupid, though, seeing as how she gave me my life and confidence back. :grumble: But oh well. Can't please everyone.

    Anyway, I'll look into getting a professional spray tan then. I'm not obsessed with NOT being pale or anything, but being ghostly white, especially while dating an interracial, honey-colored guy does become a little annoying after a while. :wink:

    But seriously, thanks for everyone's words. I have skin cancer in my family too, due to the fair skin and everything, but I didn't think tanning once in a while would be so incredibly detrimental!
  • gusnjay
    gusnjay Posts: 26 Member
    I am a native South Pacific Islander. I am blessed with a natural fadeless tan. However, like fatboypup commented, I would'nt mind being poolside or on a beach with a frosty beverage.
  • MorbidMander
    MorbidMander Posts: 349 Member
    I enjoy being pale and usually stay out of sunlight since it is more harmful to lighter skin tones. Recommend amount in the sun for fair skin is only 15 minutes a DAY. Dunno why so many people feel pressured into being tan, I'd rather not look like an over-tanned leather back when I'm 60. I get "Omg you're so pale" from everyone, including other white people, lol. I just say "thank you." Who cares if you're pale, I was done with that tanning fad when I was 13, so hope you can just learn to love that skin your in. =B
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
    I dont always tan but when I do its poolside with a frosty beverage .....

    d6ab9f00d99e11e19797123138048e61_7.jpg

    Gorgeous ink! sunscreen will help the color stay longer... or is that a myth? that's what i always heard anyway. my only color right now is in my armpit, so not too much sun exposure.

    we buy tons of sunscreen I always have it on any visible ink when outside
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    Absolutely nay. Go to a salon and get spray tanned. Tanning is not worth the premature aging when you get older, or the possible skin cancer at earlier and earlier ages, that can then move on to other cancers. You will want to be told how young you look for your age when you are in your 40s, not people thinking you are in your 50s already. ;-)
  • Nickiii_123
    Nickiii_123 Posts: 134 Member
    Hummm....its obviously going to have to be what is best for you in the end.

    Personally, I do tan occasionally. Usually twice a month in the winter. I live in "the great white north" and it gets pretty dark and cold so having a few mins (and I mean a few. I usually am only in there for 7 to 9 mins) helps me deal with SAD symptoms. Plus, having a bit of color is nice too.

    I tan pretty easy so if you a prone to burning I would start off very slowly. Getting burned is a bad, bad thing. I read a while ago that every time you get a bad sunburn it doubles your chance of skin cancer. Now, I don't know where this info came from or how accurate it is but its something that's always stuck with me. Burning= Bad.

    Best advice: Do what is right for you. If you do decide to go pick a salon that has helpful and informed workers. Start out slow. If the person at the salon is bright orange and tells you that you can tan for 20 mins. no problem on your first visit then run away! lol

    Good Luck :)
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    nay!

    tanning might make you look good now, but in a few years, you'll look even older than you really are (think leathery, brown, spotted shoe). besides, i think all shades, from ivory to ebony, are beautiful in their natural state. if you really feel like a tan will boost your confidence though, opt for spray tans.

    I'm 58. Been tanning every spring for 20 years. No skin conditions, Leathery skin, etc. No skin cancer. My wife is 50. Looks 30. Very smooth skin.

    I think if you don't overdue it, don't have family history of it or are otherwise predisposed to cancer, artificial tanning can be better for you than burning in the sun. I'm outdoors all the time. I consider artificial tanning to be preventative medicine.

    Everyone is different.
  • tragicpixie
    tragicpixie Posts: 71
    I get sickly pale, I just use that Jergens natural glow gradual stuff. I heard that the chemicals in artificial tanners put you at greater risk for skin cancer, so when I'm going to be outside I always wear sunscreen. To me as skin cancer and diseases run in my family it's just not worth it.
    Tanning DOES hide stretch marks and makes me look thinner (especially in pictures) but it wouldn't be worth it at all to spend hours in tanning beds increasing my skin damage. It def. won't be worth it when I'm 50 and covered in wrinkles. The Jergens stuff doesn't streak that badly, I already put on lotion after the shower all the time anyway... so it's not an extra step. The natural glow "light" color also looks good on me - I'm very fair but I have golden undertones, dark hair, and blue eyes. I don't ever think I look "tan" just... I know that I'm not going to be mistaken for a vampire. :)
  • carinandrea1
    carinandrea1 Posts: 3
    I personally think it's ok once in a while. There's no need to look like the peeps from the Jersey Shore, though. But for a hint of color it should be fine.
  • Cara85K
    Cara85K Posts: 122
    But seriously, thanks for everyone's words. I have skin cancer in my family too, due to the fair skin and everything, but I didn't think tanning once in a while would be so incredibly detrimental!

    I"m just going to throw this out there. But when they diagnosed me with Melanoma the doctor told me you can have one bad burn as a kid and get skin cancer. I mean that might be an extreme. But I have a family history of skin cancer and was diagnosed when I was 25 with Melanoma. If you are pale skinned it is not worth it! I promise you!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I guess it depends on what your priorities are. I don't mind having very light skin, it's just the skin I have (all skin tones are beautiful to me). I do love having very soft, youthful, supple, not wrinkled skin and having people always think I am 10 years younger than I am (even if it means they think my kids can't possibly be mine). So, no tanning for me. I've been wearing sunscreen daily and wearing a hat since I was 11. Skin cancer also runs in my family because of the light skin and poor choices to not use sunscreen.

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