Itty Kitty

Hi Sinnrah (and anyone else who's interested),

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but tanning is one of the MOST dangerous things you can do for your health. I KNOW because when I was 17 (I'm 29 now) I went to the dermatologist for the first time and he was horrified to see how many moles I had (have) that looked pre-cancerous. I told him I loved to suntan and he gave me the usual lecture and promptly dug out about 5 scary moles--leaving horrible scars. When I asked him if it was okay to get a little tan once in a while he said, "That's like asking me if one bullet to the head is better than 10!" Yikes. I heard the message loud and clear. Now I am paying the price for the gorgeous tan days of my youth. Every time I go to the dermatologist now, she has to usually remove 2-3 moles that have changed. She is overwhelmed by the amount of skin cancer she is seeing in people my age. Business is booming for her, but she's not happy about it. Now I am white with tons of scars all over my back and legs. I learned the hard way about tanning. I must say tanning is one of the cruel tricks of nature. It looks beautiful and makes you look healthy, but the price to pay for it is way too high--not to mention it gives you wrinkles. Now I wear spf 30 on my face and body everyday and wear a hat and stay out of the sun as much as possible. This is tough because I live in Southern California! My advice is to either live with being white or get some fake stuff. Some of them look realistic-not orange. There are a lot of good ones mentioned on this site and the skin, hair, and nails one.

Sorry to lecture, but I feel it is my responsibility to let as many people know how dangerous tanning really is. Not many people know that melanoma (the worst kind of skin cancer) is the leading cause of death for women in their 20's and 30's.

Thanks for listening.

Be well,

Kitty