Hello all,
Iam a 32 year old male that has been suffering from acne since I was 17. I get really big acne roscea on my neck and chest area. during the summer I have clear skin. beginning every march I tan 3 times a week so I have a base tan before summer gets rolling cause Iam a lifegaurd during summer and get to gaurd without a shirt. My skin tans to a dark leather brown,with no burning.
during winter months, Iam forced to go on doxycline to help keep the acne under control. Since I dont use tanning beds in the winter my skin breaks out bigtime. I could tan all winter but they say its so dangerous. depends on the skin type you have.
so my clear skin regime is the sun. during summer months I get 6-8 hours sunlight daily, dont have to take pills or wash and put gunky stuff on my face and neck twice a day. I have found when my acne is bad, and I begin using the tanning bed, it all dries up within 2 weeks after a few tanning sessions. there is a link to UV light and curing acne. I do wear 30 spf during the summer and still get golden brown. alot of people think sunscreen is like wearing clothes, others think they can get a dark tan in one day at the beach with baby oil. wrong! think of sunscreen as a slow cooking lotion. but the sunlight does the soul good! it helps depression, clears acne. how many other people have had positive effects with tanning beds?
I used to use tanning beds (well, stand up ones ) for over a year but I gave up a few months back because of the cancer scare. I heard a TV programme had investigated the major companies (in the UK) and found that most of them didn't advise their customers properly on safe levels of tanning. I know the lady who runs the tanning salon I used and I'm sure she wouldn't have endangered me but she did encourage me to get up to 14 minute sessions which is a lot at that intensity (especially for a fair skinned person like me). It did help keep my skin in check. But I think too much UV light really does make the skin more wrinkly. I'm sure my skin is more taught now I'm back to my old white self I would say that natural sunlight is better for the skin. When I holidayed in Greece last summer my skin looked far better after just one week.
she did encourage me to get up to 14 minute sessions which is a lot at that intensity (especially for a fair skinned person like me).
How many sessions per week did you have? Apparently the official medical word is that we should only have around 3 or 4 sunbed sessions per YEAR! I totally agree with you guys that the sun/sunbeds clear acne/skin conditions but unfortuantely it does increase risk of cancer. Plus aren't the chances of getting sun spots much higher if you use sunbeds especially when you are on antibiotics such as doxcycline?
My friend loved the whole "golden skin" look, went to the tanning salon only once a week cuz she was so busy, but when she turned 21 she was diagnosed with skin cancer! It's a scary thought, and it really does make wrinkles appear prematurely, whereas acne helps wrinkles stay away. I don't know but I just think it's too much to risk.
Yeah, I totally agree. I would sometimes go on the sunbeds 3 times a week, so sometimes nearly 45 minutes in total. I don't know about official "safe" levels but looking back I think I was being stupid. I seriously hope I got away with it. It's not a long-term solution to controlling acne.
) for over a year but I gave up a few months back because of the cancer scare. I heard a TV programme had investigated the major companies (in the UK) and found that most of them didn't advise their customers properly on safe levels of tanning. I know the lady who runs the tanning salon I used and I'm sure she wouldn't have endangered me but she did encourage me to get up to 14 minute sessions which is a lot at that intensity (especially for a fair skinned person like me). It did help keep my skin in check. But I think too much UV light really does make the skin more wrinkly. I'm sure my skin is more taught now I'm back to my old white self 
I would say that natural sunlight is better for the skin. When I holidayed in Greece last summer my skin looked far better after just one week.
