Thoughts on fake tanning?

Jun 6, 2013

Brittany O.

What do you ladies think of fake tanning? Personally I prefer to stay porcelain and let the natural sun give me a glow if I'm outside long enough. I'm terrified of the bad effects of UV rays thus I'm permanently porcelain.

Jun 6, 2013

Cynthia A.

To each it's own but I think women are crazy just laying there in the sun. I literally stay away from the sun. If I'm out I try to wear long sleeve shirts or thing cardigans and stuff. I think they should just go for the spray tan or the lotion tan. Skin cancer, sun spots, age spots and wrinkles can be prevented. :)

Jun 6, 2013

Shantele V.

I wouldnt personally fake tan but I have spray tanned a client before and getting a spray tan has absolutely no bad side effects for your skin unless its a shade too dark and you come out orange but where I live its impossible to not be tan. its to friggin hot to wear long stuff haha

Jun 6, 2013

Bella B.

I think it is the most amazing feeling to just lay in the sun with friends and just enjoy the nature and the company. And seriously nobady wants cancer but you only live once. So go for the real sun! It is relaxing and just hang with friends it also looks more natural! :) hope it helped!

Jun 6, 2013

Amber K.

The only time I look tan is in the summer. I used to use a lotion that was tinted, but it didn't really make me look "tan", it just gave me a nice glow. But I've never been to a tanning salon to lie in a sunbed, never had a spraytan... I just think it's a bit pointless. If you want a tan, go outside and sit in the sun!

Jun 6, 2013

Amanda C.

Spray tanning is a NO. However, tanning at a salon is fine if you don't over do it. Just 5-10 minutes for a glow, and you won't look like an orange.

Jun 6, 2013

Amanda H.

Makes me smell like I've been living in a cookie jar for a week. Haha.

Jun 6, 2013

Cris P.

In my early youth,I wished be tanned as my friends,but now(I'd am 37),I am happy because I didn't!I have no frekles,moles and wrinkles,but,in this time,I didn't know anythig about sun damage,I stayed in the shadow because my skin its so pale and it burns easely,but when I look my skin (so pale aswell in summer time too) and I see my friend's skins,I see so much sun damage.

Jun 6, 2013

Cris P.

I hate autocorrection!makes me idiot!

Jun 6, 2013

Hannah M.

No fake tan! It feels tan, and it kinda looks tan, but it is not tan. And every opinion of every guy I've ever dated has been that it is so unattractive. It's my honest opinion!

Jun 6, 2013

Rachel R J.

I wear fake during the winter and I love it. Looks like I went away on vacation :)

Jun 6, 2013

Brittany O.

I like to get a natural glow from real sunlight but I never go more than 2 shades darker. I'm still quite pale but I'm sure ill appreciate it when I'm older and have healthy skin.

Jun 6, 2013

Alexandria G.

Fake baking isn't for me but I will lay out in the sun and soak up the vitamin D from time to time :) feels great to relax out on the beach under the sun when I even can

Jun 6, 2013

Emily W.

I've had skin cancer twice due to sun exposure--I wasn't even tanning! It is awful. People have this blase attitude about skin cancer, like they don't realize how serious it is. You don't just get a mole removed and its over.

You get a mole removed, possibly a large piece of the surrounding tissue (hello, scars). Then you get a full body MRI with IV contrast (several hours lying perfectly still inside of a dark tube that makes noises like you're inside a garbage compactor). Then you wait several days to hear if the cancer spread, which is basically the ONLY thing you can think about. If the results are negative, you do a happy dance then come back next month to make sure it hasn't come back. You go through the same thing every month, until something changes and the cancer metastasizes or you die of other causes.

If the cancer does spread, you will start chemotherapy and radiation, and possibly have surgery to excise tumors. You go through the exact same thing as other cancers, and the prognosis is just as startling. Particularly if you have melanoma, your chances of survival are very slim.

I've had both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are the "less dangerous" skin cancers. I still have to live every day knowing that I could have cancer growing in my body, and I spend thousands of dollars a month on medical expenses to preclude that from happening. I developed cancer from a couple of sunburns. It only takes a tiny bit of UV exposure to damage your cells and create cancer. Think about it: you wouldn't lie next to a nuclear reactor to absorb radiation. Why lie in front of the largest nuclear reactor available to Earth (the sun)? It is downright foolish to expose yourself to unnecessary damage for vanity's sake, ESPECIALLY when there are amazing products that achieve the same look without any risk. "You only live once" does not justify putting yourself in needless danger. Do your body, your family, and your friends a favor and take UV safety seriously. You can't enjoy life if you're dead.

Jun 6, 2013

Sadie S.

Spray tans have come a long way I work at a tanning salon and we just got one and it looks natural and lasts quite a while and you can choose what colour you want. if you are worried about the tanning beds effects on your skin its a good alternative
its pure dha which is derrived from sugar cane

Jun 6, 2013

Shannon C.

Wow Emily. You really put things into perspective. Sorry to hear you had to go through that.

Jun 6, 2013

Emily W.

That's exactly what I was trying to do Shannon. There's a lot of abstract talk out there about skin cancer and tanning, but not a lot about what that actually means. I hope that by sharing my experiences that people can actually visualize the risk and understand how it will affect them and their families. I know that hearing "don't tan its dangerous!" gets annoying, but I hope that sheds a little light on the message.

Jun 6, 2013

Brittany O.

Thank you for sharing Emily, I'm sorry that you are going through this. I wish more people chose to wear sunscreen and avoid the "peak" sunlight hours of the day, the risk just isn't worth it.

Jun 6, 2013

Jamie D.

As long as you get it professionally done, and don't go more than two shades darker, I think self tanning is fine. It's not dangerous and if you want to have that bronzed look without damaging your skin it's the best way to go about it. However, I think pale is just as beautiful as tan and that you shouldn't need to be tan to be pretty.

Jun 6, 2013

Jamie D.

@ Amanda C. Tanning in a bed is one of the worst things you can do for your skin ever. I mean ever.
@Brittany if your going to self tan please don't be stupid and use a lotion or a spray tan!

Jun 6, 2013

Brittany O.

I don't fake tan, I pretty much avoid sunlight, I was just curious to everyone's opinions

Jun 7, 2013

Kelsey S.

Will a spray tan rub off in your clothes?

Jun 7, 2013

Kaitlyn S.

Emily (hopefully you see this) I'd like to ask you some questions about skin cancer. I'm sorta in the middle of a scare right now and my dad won't let me go to the doctors because I don't have insurance and he doesn't want to pay for it. I have freckles that turned into moles that are now changing shape and sometimes hurt =[

Oh and I try to avoid sun, I always forget to put on sun screen. I like being pale

Jun 7, 2013

Emily W.

I will do my best to help you Kaitlyn S. if I can.

Jun 7, 2013

Kaitlyn S.

Ok I posted a thread in the health and Wellness section so I'll ask you there if you comment. Thank you.