Tanning?

Thanks for all the responses, skin cancer was a concern of mine aswell. Last summer I was laying out cause I had the time then, I would lay out for 2 hours a day, it always worried me that I was outside for too long.

I dont plan on going to a tanning salon all the time, I just want to go for a month to just get my base going, then Ill use the spray on ones, the only reason I didnt do the spray ones is cause it only lasts about 4 days or so and the more I shower the more it would fad, also I heard if its hot outside and you sweat, it could rub off on your clothes.

I went to a tanning salon yesterday,the guy was very helpfull and explained everyting to me, they had so many differnt types of beds to choose from. They have this new kinda bed you stand in, and its non burning, its the safest one out there. I only went in for 6 min, thats the most Ill do. It was a really weird experiance, I kinda felt like I was caught in the middle of a tornado, haha.

last year i went to hollywood tans EVERYDAY. im thinking about starting again. at hollywood the lowest time is 3 mins, and they always start u out on that time and gradually move u up to 13 mins, which is the longest time setting. i used tanning lotion with a high spf, so i would still get tan but not burnt (i have fair skin & burn easily.) the thing is, i dont get tan from just going outside, or even being on the beach. i starting tanning bc i know we go to the shore for a week every summer, and i love the beach & wanna go there everyday. i even go when everyone else wants to stay at the house. i started tanning to keep me from burning at the beach (the tanner my skin is, the harder it is for me to get burnt). tanning may not be good for your skin, but IMO its much safer than getting severe sunburn. which happens to me even if i wear sunscreen at the beach.

from skincancer.org
http://www.skincancer.org/artificial/index.php

"In 1994, a Swedish study found that women 18-30 years old who visited tanning parlors 10 times or more a year had seven times greater incidence of melanoma than women who did not use tanning salons."

That's less than once a month! My grandmother died from Melanoma and let me tell you, this cancer will kill you if not caught immediately, it is the most deadly type. It is fast moving, it started as a spot on my grandma's back and eventually spread to her lungs and her brain, and this was WITH chemo and radiation. Tanning salons are not worth it

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

from skincancer.org
http://www.skincancer.org/artificial/index.php

"In 1994, a Swedish study found that women 18-30 years old who visited tanning parlors 10 times or more a year had seven times greater incidence of melanoma than women who did not use tanning salons."

That's less than once a month! My grandmother died from Melanoma and let me tell you, this cancer will kill you if not caught immediately, it is the most deadly type. It is fast moving, it started as a spot on my grandma's back and eventually spread to her lungs and her brain, and this was WITH chemo and radiation. Tanning salons are not worth it

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Katie, thats the cancer my grandmother died from as well. It spread like wild fire. I think its was a matter of months after diagnosis that she died. I am terrified of it..I am so stupid for tanning last summer.

I agree with nothing wrong with being in the sun. But you can still get what you need and protect yourself and NOT tan on purpose.

I'm not gonna condemn anyone for tanning - they are the ones that will pay the price of tanning later. But don't say you have not been warned about the dangers

Can i just make a note to everyone - Don't fall asleep on the beach!


*cough*

Ok well i was in early high school but i twas still silly. Was at a camp, sitting on the beach with friends, fell asleep facing upwards, i thought it was nice because it was nearly sunset. Fell asleep. The next morning i was in so much pain i had to be taken home. I spent the first week not being able to walk properly. From the knees down my legs were a lobster red. They were tight. And in order for me to have the least comfort to get to other rooms, i had to run down the hall, not walk, so there was less pressure on the skin. Luckily i didn't get blisters, but i do remember being at my aunts for holidays, and peeling off large thing pieces of skin. Eww.

Oh yes and also when i was little, i went swimming in a friends pool, and back then i didn't really understand burning and that water could reflect it all up. The tops of my shoulders were burnt. I had to wear a makeshift top without straps, my cats kept trying to get near me and i freaked out because i had HUGE watery blisters. Absolutely painful!!!

So now at 24 i'm trying to be more responsible *bites fingers* it really is something that scares me, i mean in lie you have so many things (especially as a female) that you have to monitor.

Skin Cancer is Preventable!

Knowing that, why anyone would want to lay out or go to the tanning bed and subject themselves to cancer causing damage is beyond my grasp! It's not worth it- even the slightest pigment change in your skin tone is a sign of skin damage. That "tanned" look everyone covets- is actually damaged skin. I'd much rather be pale and cancer free than have a damaging "glow" that will lead to cancer possibly. It also damages the elastacity in skin causing you to age more quickly and resulting in sun spots and wrinkles- that's just not attractive.

And when you think about it- is it really worth it? What happens when your older and you may have kids and a family and then find out you have skin cancer which could have been prevented by avoiding the tanning beds and wearing sunscreen. It won't be just one person who suffers- but their loved ones as well. Skin cancer can kill. It's not worth the risk in my opinion.

If you want a tan - why not have a professional do a spray tan on your or try a mystic tan? They're not that pricy and they're sooooo much safer!

here's a tip for anyone who lays out to long in the sun or like Dragoriana who falls asleep at the beach (yes I did it too ) as soon as you realize that you have been in the sun too long, take a cold shower, this stops the reaction of your skin When I fell asleep I was in Myrtle Beach and I was asleep for at least an hour during mid-day- I took a cold shower and no burn! and let me tell ya, I could feel my skin burning before I got in the shower only had a little peeling on my eyelids

When I lived in Seattle I went to a tanning salon in the winter about 2-3 x's a month. Maybe since I was born and raised in Arizona, the lack of sun in the winter there really made me depressed.

The second winter I was in Seattle I decided to try a tanning bed and it really helped my mood. Every week 1/2 - 2 weeks I would go for a short time. It was not enough to get "tan" but it made me happier and not depressed anymore.

I don't believe tanning is ever a good idea. My hubby will lay in the sun for ages to get brown (he's a blue-eyed blonde and yes he looks great with a tan). He's always telling me I should get some "colour". I told him I like being pale. I am fast approaching 62 and he is 54. His skin looks much older than mine. I have very few wrinkles and my skin is very soft and supple. I don't even have much in the way of wrinkles around my eyes. Some years ago when my 2 friends and I went to Barbados, they went to the beach every morning to lay in the sun. I sat in the shade on the veranda of our condo.

The number of people on here who have been, or know someone who has been diagnosed with skin cancer is frightening. I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma too. Two bouts of surgery later and I would say to anyone, that tanning really isn't worth it.

It scares me to think of what could have happened if I was a person that liked to tan. I have always been so careful with my skin and can honestly hold up my hands and say that I'm proud to be pale.

In the words of my Consultant, stay out of the sun in the strongest part of the day, wear a hat and cover up, use a good SPF protector so that you can absorb some of the health-giving benefits of the sun without the risk of damaging your skin.

The choices that people make are entirely up to them, but if anybody asked my opinions on tanning on sunbeds or under the natural sun, I would say don't do it.

All I can think about is George Hamilton and that should be enough to scare everyone away from tanning salon!

Originally Posted by tutti_bella

All I can think about is George Hamilton and that should be enough to scare everyone away from tanning salon!

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no kidding!! he's as baked as those chips he advertises for!!

Don't tan! protect yourself from the sun. Don't avoid it...everyone should spend time out of doors, but use a high SPF or wear protective clothing. I have an aunt who tanned every summer and she has had several bouts of skin cancer. I have another aunt and my grandfather who have had parts of their noses removed due to skin cancer. The plastic surgeon had to recreate their nostrils from skin from another area of the body. My grandfather didn't sun himself to get a tan. He worked in his garden every day.