I've been fake baking now for 4 years only during spring and summer, not all year around. I have very fair skin & get burnt at the beginning then tan from then on. I just started up again about two weeks ago. The 2nd day I got burnt pretty bad, and stopped tanning for a few days until the burn was gone. I've now gone about 8 or 9 times. Now I have a few concerns. Quite a few moles/dark freckles appeared since I started and I was wondering if I should be worried...Also, I found a few tiny little red spots - amost looks like I poked myself with a needle...I have one on the back of each arm and a couple on my hand & one very small purple *** on my arm. My dad's girlfriend said I shouldn't be worried - she also gets a lot of new moles after tanning. Call me paranoid, but I am only 18 years old & really don't want cancer! I don't know how long it takes for skin cancer to appear, I don't think it can appear that quick, but I could be wrong. PLEASE HELP!!

I very sorry. My stomach is churning at the thought of anyone in a tanning bed situation. In March of this year OFFICIALLY the W.H.O (world health organization, declared tanning beds a very serious hazzard and in your government, a legal thing is happening to not allow those under 18 to use tanning beds and oh it is a terrible thing, all for the 'looking good' well ask anyone who is dying from this disease would they wanna look good? or live?

Tell me this... if you go out in the sun, you put on sun screen to protect you from what? UVA and UVB of course. a Tanning Bed/booth bombards you with these exact rays.... and of course you do not use a sun screen or else why bother with the booth in the first place? Do research on Skin Cancer, all the types..... Melanoma is on the rise both in the USA and world wide....and it is not 'caught' from someone, nor is it caused by something in the water, it is caused by damaging UV rays and a predisposition to it. Lots of celebraties are coming out on this subject too! I read recently that your 'howard stern' has melanoma and is undergoing chemotherapy...he always looked quite tan didnt he?

Why a responsible adult would condone that their child or someone they loves child continue with this reckless treatment. So many of us out here are dying from Melanoma (I have never seen a tanning bed, nor have I ever 'worshipped the sun' I just got it...... from being alive and outdoors and I am not a young woman.....

Just do some reasearch on this subject and see for youself. I would say half of those of us who have Malignant Melanoma have had some 'meeting with a tanning bed' One friend of mine, had MM had sucessful surgery to remove the tumour and for 8 years was NED (no evidence of disease) it is not cureable you understand this? but he wanted to have that bronzy glow before he went to Hawaii for a vacation, and spent one session under the UV rays, and now has had a full blown re-occurance which jumped him from stage 2 to stage 4..... is this what you want? Of course not. Be wise, read up, and if you notice at the salon they will have warnings that this process may cause cancer...

Melanoma is the worse form of skin cancer, and even though the majority of us did not frequent tanning booths...those that have, are kicking themselves all the way home.

No one should encourage you to use the tanning places...... I think they have some that spray on stuff? like on that episode of Friends where Chandler wanted a tan.... and of course messed it up.

However, regarding your moles and freckles any of them that suddenly appear and are following the ABCD of mole specs, or any existing mole changes in appearance, or feel (itchy, bleeds, or just becomes larger) Anyhthing that causes you concern..... you should hi tail it to a qualified doctor be it your family doctor, TELL THEM YOU USE TANNING BEDS and often (from what I read from your post) the only way to tell if it is cancer is to have it biopsy'd

I am sorry I cannot pursuade you to stop with the tanning beds.... we are not made that way..... freckles come up in sun damaged skin. Your skin ages faster, and develops wrinkles far earlier in life than what is normal perhaps. So many things to consider, but mainly it is you life.

Bonnie

Heed your concerns and get checked out by a dermatologist.

The body can only handle so much assult and eventually the stronger and faster growing cells take over. That's how cancer works.

I think you should be worried -- use that to make the call to the doctor to get referred.

In the meantime, don't go to any more tanning beds, nor out in the sun. If you're really wanting a tan, try the tanning cloths. I understand they're easy application.

Yes, skin cancer can come up quickly, there are children who have been diagnosed with skin cancer.

You're definitely in the driver's seat with this one.

Best to you,
quincy

im very young, 23 ...i will probably be dead before im 30 because of tanning bed use, and i didnt even tan as much as some people. my mom warned me and i just didnt listen. nobody ever actually sat me down and really told me what i was doing to myself. people need to understand this is WORSE than smoking, if you quit smoking before the age of 30 statistics show u probably wont get lung cancer. with skin cancer, the damage is done, there is no going back. if i could only go back to my 18th birthday and tell myself to no get into that glowing coffin

Why do you think you will be dead in 7 years due to tanning beds? you did not elaborate on if you have or have not done any serious damage. The trick is that NOW you know..... you know now how to go along this road of healthy life. we are speaking here of melanoma, and if that is the case then you will have been in treatment of sorts,and have had surgical intervention. If you have other types of skin cancer then you also know it is 100% curable with treatment, and that is mainly surgical removal.

What makes you say you will be dead before you are 30? I myself was burned by the sun as a baby, and twice that I can remember as a young child (before sunscreen was around, and when it was good practice to be out in the sun as it DOES have benefits) I am now 54 (and not dead) and only 6 months ago was I diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma so please post back with your information and what course of action you are taking. And I am glad you have wisened up regarding tanning booths, beds what ever.

BonBe

scraredworried...you scared the crap out of me. what was ur experience. i feel sick to my stomach. i'm 18 and i finally stoped tanning and now i feel hopeless. thanx

Start taking healthy doses of antioxidant (A, E, and C). I was dumb too, and I am constantly living in fear of skin cancer. I was always out in the sun as youngster, and spent many days outside near a pool without sunscreen protection. I was careful at first and got a tan built up so I wouldn't burn most of the time..By the end of the summer I would nearly be orange..

Then I got into college and started spending less time outdoors and felt a need to tan intermitently. I would go sometimes twice a year to get a tan and then I would ride it out... Once again I would be careful about it and wouldn't go in for long periods of time to begin with. I was very careful not to get burnt. On the whole, I think I received less UV rays from tanning than a person who would have gone outdoors would have received for the same time period, a year..but I am still concerned..

Now I am very scared as well. I am trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible, and I am consuming antioxidants on a regular basis hoping to reverse some of the damage. I ordered some antioxidant creams to apply tio my skin as that has been found to help reverse some skin damage..Vitamin A is very important as well. There have been studies which have said oral supplementation can help to heal the skin. Don't give up hope. It's never too late to start.

Please, please consider carefully the ramifications of using tanning beds. There is alot of information out there that you should read. Tanning beds are just as dangerous as laying out in the sun. Although I've never used a tanning bed, as a teenager I spent hours and hours sunbathing. A little over a month ago I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma. There is nothing more frightening than being told you have an aggresive Cancer. My teenage girls were always begging me to let them go to the tanning beds. After having them read all information I could find, and having them see where I just had surgery last week, they no longer want to go.

Please research.