Some tanning advice for Sinnrah and everyone else!

[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

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/gabby.gif

[deb0033]

Thanks Kitty! I sometimes want to go to the tanning bed (all my friends go) but I always talk myself out of it. I use tanning creams instead (even though it's such a pain. ) We go on vacation to the beach for a week every year. After reading your post, I think I am going to stock up on my sunscreen!
Thanks for sharing your story!

[LisaL]

Kitty, YOu seem like an expert here. Anyway, I have been seriously considering leaving the tanning beds and going to the "tan in a bottle". What brand(s) would you recommend and what to steer clear of? I have never tried this method before and I would surely hate to mess up....
LisaL

[Itty Kitty]

Dear LisaL,

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of self-tanners because they are too time-consuming, and if you don't keep it up and apply it every other day or so it fades in blotches and also gets on your sheets. (It doesn't stain, though.) For a few summers I used Neutrogena foaming deep tan just on my legs and it looked great--very real--but it was just too much trouble, so I stopped. Also, it's hard to make it look natural around your knees and feet because the skin absorbs differently there. However, some people swear by them (stars too!) and you can even get it professionally done at some places. There is a place in L.A. called Hollywood Tan that sprays it on for you I think. I've just decided to stay white for now. Pale is coming back in style anyway because of all the skin cancer scares.

I'm not a self-tanning expert so I really suggest looking around this site and the skin,hair,and nails section to find out more. There are some great posts about this subject on both sites.

I'm glad to hear you are considering staying away from the tanning beds.

Take care,
Kitty

[Sinnrah]

Well,

Thanks for the info. But I am not a sun worshipper. I did not tan a lot when I was younger. I just started tanning. And i already had moles. I like the sun. It makes me feel better. So I am going to continue to tan. I do not lay out there longer than an hour. And I have not been to the tanning beds in over two weeks.

Sinnrah