How do you go tanning?

[MACATTAK]

I live in Cali too & my dad gets on me for tanning in the summer...however he's out by the pool all the time. To me any type of sun/sunbeds are damaging to your skin & you can still get cancer from tanning outside. Unless you are wearing SPF 100 & covering all exposed areas of your skin/face, you are exposed to damaging sun rays just in your everyday routine.

 

[xIxSkyDancerxIx]

^^that's true too but from what I know there's a limit to the SPF and once you go higher you're not going to get any better coverage..

But how can you resist the sun in cali? It's so nice and warm! LOL

 

[majacat]

I stopped tanning cause im only 26 and i think my skin has had enough pain.. i have sun spots on my chest (you can only se them if you go really close though) and that's way to soon also im getting wrinkels around my eyes although im using moisturizer every day usually 2 times a day.
I stopped from one day to the other cause i was really inspecting myself in the mirror and saw all the damage. Im thinking about doing some self tanning cream instead sometimes just so i don't go ghost white ;-)

 

[glam8babe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xIxSkyDancerxIx Ok.. I have a question that is off-topic.. Why do you always seem to get upset whenever other posters say something that doesn't go along with how you feel/think/etc? No offense to you, but IMO it makes you seem a bit immature and dramatic whenever you get worked up over things like that. Everyone is allowed their own opinions, and if it isn't something you like than just move along and ignore it. Maybe they're saying things like that to warn you so that your skin won't be so damaged. Have you ever thought that it might be helpful advice? I don't mean to offend you or anything like that when I say this, but seems to me like you have some growing up to do. So with that being said.. I think tanning salons are too scary to go into. LoL. I've heard all those stories where people go and they get skin cancer like that so I'll never go. I'm in Cali so I rather just sit outside by the pool.. even if I get some ugly swimsuit tan lines. Or maybe one day I'll just tan nude outside in my yard.

well i made this post and i asked a simple question because its something i wanna know i didnt ask for "oh and people who disagree please state why" im not being rude im just getting annoyed because i dont wana here "ohh u can get skin cancer etc" i know all this. i dont go on the sunbed all the time like i said i havent been on for like 5-6 weeks and i would wear fake tan but it gets too much i used to wear it everyday so i know what it feels like etc. I know people have their opinions but yeh i asked a simple question and i do like hearing your opinions but it seems like its the same thing over n over n over again.

And here in the Uk we dont get the gorgeous weather like you do Cali and if i did live in Cali i certainly wouldnt use sunbeds.

 

[dmenchi]

i used to sun bathe cause i lived south east asia, and now in florida-but i always wore sunblock. 365 days a year for the past 12 years...now that i'm 27 i can see one sunspot on my cheek bone

and i know it's from blending products so much that the sunblock rubbed of. (highlighters/blush)
i'm really pale and my dad keeps saying that i look like i lived in PA as a joke...but i love my natural skin colour .this summer i applied selftanner a few times but it's too much work LOL

 

[glam8babe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmenchi i used to sun bathe cause i lived south east asia, and now in florida-but i always wore sunblock. 365 days a year for the past 12 years...now that i'm 27 i can see one sunspot on my cheek bone and i know it's from blending products so much that the sunblock rubbed of. (highlighters/blush) i'm really pale and my dad keeps saying that i look like i lived in PA as a joke...but i love my natural skin colour .this summer i applied selftanner a few times but it's too much work LOL

omg i love florida!
and try applying it for 2 years non stop :| it was almost taking over my life lol

 

[Dreamergirl3]

I understand your frustration. Just ignore the posts that aren't really answering your questions or giving you insight that you don't need, and seem to already know. As I suggested before, try looking round the net for tanning forums, you can get all the info you need and more, and everything is about tanning! You will def not get any posts saying what you already know. hth!

 

[yur_babeydoll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamergirl3 I understand your frustration. Just ignore the posts that aren't really answering your questions or giving you insight that you don't need, and seem to already know. As I suggested before, try looking round the net for tanning forums, you can get all the info you need and more, and everything is about tanning! You will def not get any posts saying what you already know. hth!

Ya, one good forum is iamtan.com

 

[Kuuipo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlstar IAWTC. Even most celebs nowadays are using self tanner lotions instead of beds. I have a friend who has been tanning as long as I've known her. I, on the other hand, have never set foot in a tanning salon. I'm three years older than her, yet I look closer to my early 20s.. she looks at least 30 :/ It's so gross how leathery she looks.. she used to be so pretty, now she just looks OLD.

Your friend who goes tanning has not begun to reap the cumulative effects of tanning. The damage, other than occasional burns does not really show up for decades!!! Tanning beds are even worse than natural sunlight because the rays are concentrated andnot filtered through clouds, buildings, and atmospheric conditions. It's not just aging-aging isn't so bad-its the carcinogenic effect....

 

[SparklingWaves]

If you want that tan look, how about getting the spray on tan or a recent poster recommended Dior bronzer lotion. I don't want you to damage your beautiful skin. I don't think tans last long anyway on the very fair. So maybe try those to give you a hint of more color without the risk.

 

[COBI]

A note on the difference between the tanning beds: the likely suspect is actually the bulbs. There are many factors in the bulbs including type and how new they are. I know that at my local gym and the tanning center (both owned by the same people), they change the bulbs at half the life recommended by the manufacturers (so, if they say bulbs are good for 800 hours, the owners have them changed at 400 hours). This helps to keep the tanning level consistent; as the bulbs are used, their power is diminished.

For the same reason, when the bulbs are changed, they notify tanners that the bulbs are new and see if they want to adjust their "normal" time. You could lay on a bed with bad or old or lower strength bulbs for a lot longer with no burn effects than a bed with good or new or higher strength bulbs.

A lot has to do with the bed/booth itself. The tanning centers often have different types of beds/booths (using different bulbs.) For example, the local center has booths and beds with 15 minute max times, beds with 12 minute max times, and bed with 8 minute max ("turbo tan"). Everything in the turbo bed is stronger.

As an aside because of the risks inherent in tanning, my state (NH) does require that tanning center owners be certified. I can't just open a tanning salon because I have enough money for beds. The state regulates ownership to require appropriate education for those offering the service. As well, my state requires that anyone setting the machine for a customer be a "certified operator" which requires the employee to take a basic knowledge course.

This is actually a short summary for consumers published by the Federal Trade Commission (USA): http://www.nh.gov/cosmet/documents/F..._consumers.pdf

I love the look of a tan, but I don't have the patience for sunning or even indoor tanning. This probably works out for me in the end; too many people I know are being diagnosed with cancer. Have you considered doing spray tans at a salon?

 

[glam8babe]

wow i totally forgot i posted this thread lol
well since posting it.. i havent stepped foot into a tanning salon which im proud about, i still dont like feelin pale but its winter so i guess its a good excuse, but when its summer im just gonna wear fake tan because its cheaper than wasting loads of money stepping into a booth of death

 

[SparklingWaves]

I was having a conversation with my niece the other day. She is NC20 and I am NW15. She hates her skin tone. She states all the time --she is so pale and so does my nephews. I said I use to say the same thing to myself as a teen. That was, because I dated a guy that told me that BS all the time. He was normally very dark and I was normally lighter than he. I attempted to be as dark as he and it wasn't possible. One day it dawned on me- what was wrong with my skin just the way it is? No one complains about babies skin tones. Hmmm My skin kept going back to fair and thought this is pointless.

On the the topic of the word pale, I do not consider myself PALE now. I can be called light or fair, but I am NOT PALE. I am not sickly. I was brainwashed to think I was born defective and I was normal as anyone else. Pale = sickly, without color, invisible, & lifeless looking to me as teen. That is not the look I desired. (I know techniquely pale can mean something else).

What is wrong with being light skinned? It doesn't mean you are ill or defective. I am sorry it's a pet peeve of mine. I love all skin tones. I have never in my life told someone they were too this or that. What is up with that? That is so insane to me. If that's the skin tone you were born with, that is your glorious perfect color. I did hijack this thread.

I am calm now. All is well. I am counting to 100.

 

[athena123]

How do I go about tanning? I don't. After reading this thread I suspect the OP isn't gonna care for my .02 cents either. I could have ignored this post but since I have experience to backup my opinion I opted to reply. Grrr, one of the risks of asking questions in an online forum is that you're gonna hear from those who won't agree with you.

I spent my teen age years slathering myself with baby oil or coconut oil and laying out in the sun for hours on sheets of tinfoil! We used to think it would help with acne and it did, at least temporarily. I had a beautiful golden glow going on. Fortunately for my oily skin, I didn't start developing wrinkles until I was in my very late 30's, so I lucked out. Not so fortunately, I had a growth removed from my eyelid that turned out to be cancerous. so I've been very obsessed with sunblock, LOL! A couple of my friends who also worshipped the sun in their youth [one on tanning beds] are very wrinkled and look 10-15 years OLDER because of all the wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Big freckles all over your neck and chest aren't pretty and very difficult to fade.

I have since accepted my light/medium complexion and for the occassional glow, I'll use a sunless tanner. Any tanning is sun damage.

One resource devoted to entirely to healthy tanning may be of interest to you. Sunless.com -- Your Sunless Tanning Guide. There's also a community on this site as well; one of the forum hosts is extremely knowledgeable about nearly all areas of skincare as well.

Good luck and health,

Athena

 

[SquirrelQueen]

First of all, Glam8Babe, I am so glad to hear that you've stopped tanning. You are so beautiful and have gorgeous skin. It would be a downright shame for you to risk damaging your lovely skin---not to mention developing skin cancer---by continuing to tan.

SparklingWaves, thank you for an amazing post. I'm so sad that your niece has been made to feel unattractive or inadequate because of her skin tone. This pushes my buttons. I resent how our culture tries to make women conform to unrealistic, rigid standards of beauty---and then tells them they're inferior for being themselves. Whether it's through advertising and the media or comments made by others (like your ex-boyfriend), women are constantly being told that they have to change themselves in order to be attractive. We're too fat, too thin, too old, too young, too dark, too light to be beautiful.

That's utter crap. Beauty should not depend on hating oneself and making one change to fit someone else's standard. Beauty is about enhancing what God and nature gave each one of us, about being the best we can be, not sacrificing our health and self-esteem to try to achieve an impossible, cookie-cutter ideal. You're absolutely right. When our culture tries to tell us that there's something wrong with us because we're not this or that, it is brainwashing.

Athena, I am sorry that you've had personal experience with skin cancer. I am glad, though, that you took the time to share your story so that others may avoid going through what you did. You are right---accept yourself for who you are and if you want a little glow for summer or a special occasion, check out sunless tanning. Personally, I don't because I am finally happy with my skin as it is but for those who want a little extra color, there are so many safe cosmetic alternatives to the sun (or a booth).

 

[underwater]

i went tanning for a breef (sp?) period last spring/early summer, but i noticed very little of a difference and it wasn't worth it
i don't mind being pale, and tbh my arms/shoulder/chest/neck tan nicely enough during the summer even when i wear sunblock
that being said, my legs are pale and i really want to find a good self-tanner that doesn't leave me orange

 

[pumpkincat210]

I go tanning 2 months out of the year. Once in the winter to stave off my sad(seasonal affective disorder) and the other time in May so i have a tan for the summer. I like the vitamin d it gives me since i don't go outside much. I go twice a week and use Ambrosia lotion. I tried the bed with the little lights and i got sunspots, so i stay away from those. Never burning is key.
Unfortunately almost everything is going to kill us, if we choose to do it in moderation the effects won't be as bad.

 

[tiramisu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210 I go tanning 2 months out of the year. Once in the winter to stave off my sad(seasonal affective disorder) and the other time in May so i have a tan for the summer. I like the vitamin d it gives me since i don't go outside much. I go twice a week and use Ambrosia lotion. I tried the bed with the little lights and i got sunspots, so i stay away from those. Never burning is key. Unfortunately almost everything is going to kill us, if we choose to do it in moderation the effects won't be as bad.

^^LOL

+

sad, but true ... your last sentence sums it about up.

 

[lucia_la_latina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love Always Ivy us brown people got that year round tan. if i step in a tanning booth for 2 minutes, im gonna come out darker than flavor flav.

hahaha u know girl!
but my mum is very fair to, and she tanned alot when she was younger, almost everyday for say maybe...hmmm 6 years? anyway once she got to about 30 - she stopped, and took good care of her skin - n she looks very young now - most people think she is 30ish now and she is nearly 40, but then so does her mother! tanning is up to u, if u want to tan, dont let people tell you your stupid! just build up the time slowly each time you go, n soon u will be nice n chocolate hahah
good luck! and this might sound weird but ATLEAST use a TINY spf when u tan , just factor 4 or something minimal, might just save your skin!

 

[LatinaRose]

I quit doing beds once I discovered Sun Labs self tanner. I'm half Mexican so it can be hard for me to find a tanner that's actually effective and makes a noticeable difference. This is the absolute best, darkest, even tan I've ever applied. I buy the 32 oz bottle from Sunless tanning lotions and self tanning products, they have great prices and ship quickly.

Seriously, you guys most try this stuff if you like to be really tan. It is a favorite of gogo dancers and strippers.

ETA: More info - I use the darkest shade, but pale people should probably start out with the lightest one. The guide may look streaky after applying, but don't worry. I apply mine thick so I get the deepest tan possible which leaves the guide color streaky. But my tan is never ever streaky. Also this has a much more pleasant and less noticeable smell than others and I've used a lot. Exfoliating is a must with this one. Oh and I always use gloves with it b/c its super dark and it stains my palms.