I agree. People can say tanning is fine, but most likely they have not yet gotten skin cancer...or they are not yet experiencing the wrinkles, etc.

One, or both, will eventually happen.

Numerous family members of mine, including my mother, have had skin cancers removed. My mother's was removed from her FACE, and now there is a pea sized scar. Luckily they caught it early...but now she has a scar on her face-FOREVER. Her skin also looks much older than women her age who have NOT spent years tanning.

I am in my thirties, however, and still get carded for beer or wine. I may be pale, but I don't have all of the sun damage.

I was listening to a radio program the other day and it had, as the guest, a dermatologist/oncologist. She was speaking about all the ill effects of the sun when the host said, "Oh, I know we shouldn't really tan but a bit of color is okay." (I live in a very cold climate with a very short summer). Her response, "No amount of sun on your skin is safe, I mean none."

I guess I'm one of the few that tan in a tanning bed......I for one think it's safer than being outside in the sun for hours upon hours. The max time at my salon is 10 mins...Who knows though I'm no Dr.

It's only safer than being outside if you go outside to sunbathe with no sunblock. That is the only way it is safer.

However, tanning beds still cause premature skin aging, and still heighten your risks for skin cancer.

The time on the beds do not matter. 10 minutes in a bed is not the same as 10 minutes in the sun. When I worked in the salon, the time on the beds was totally dependent on the strength, and the amount of bulbs in the beds. If you go to a tanning bed where it is 20 or 30 minutes maximum time...it is the same as going to one that has a 10 minute maximum time. The 10 minute bed has more bulbs, and stronger strength ones.

From what I remember (it has been a few years since I worked into the salon) a single, maximum time tanning bed visit, is equivalant (give or take) to 2 hours in the actual sun.

Ditto.

Actually, I am now entering my upper thirties, and still get carded most of the time.

Last year a waitress at a bar even suspected my ID was fake, so I had to show her a second form of identification! She said she didn't believe I was as old as I am. She even took my ID around and showed it to the bartenders because she just couldn't believe it.

Another example of why staying pale is paying dividends now: About 5 years ago I was even carded trying to buy a rated-M video game. The clerk looked at me and said, "You have to be over 17 to buy this." I was stunned, but pleased, that he thought I was still in high school!



Since I found out when I was a teenager that the sun causes premature wrinkles, I have made a conscious effort to stay out of the sun and avoid tanning alltogether. And many moons later, it is paying off. I look much, much younger than most people my age.

I am still vigilant about staying pale, too. I was very proud that last month I went to Laughlin, Nevada for a few days, went jet-skiing and was in the sun and water a lot, and yet I came home without a single tan line: I was just as pale as when I'd left thanks to the SPF 50 sunblock I slathered all over myself religiously every day.

So, maybe when I'm in my 50's I'll look like I am in my thirties.

I had something similar happen to me when I was 32! And then she didn't believe it was my ID because there was no way (according to her) that I was 32! It was only when I thanked her for thinking I was young that she relented.

I'm turning 40 this year and people (usually over the past year) have guessed me in my early 30s, but with the weight loss and healthy living (exercise, whole foods, etc.) I'm getting lower numbers all the time.

I used to lay in the sun from 10-2 every single day the sun was out with SPF4 all through my teenage years. If I could have peeled my skin off and spread it on the roof all summer, I would have done it. Then, in the later 80's, out came tanning beds. I did that all winter when I was 19 and absolutely loved it. I was very careful in the beds and never, ever burned in them.

Then...

I viewed my face in one of those ultra violet lights that show sun damage, like they show in those Avon commercials currently and literally screamed out loud at the sun damage I'd caused myself and stopped immediately. About 10 years later, out came the liver/age spots and now, in my 40's I have the lovely brown testaments to my sun worshipping up and down my arms, on the tops of my hands and on my cheeks back towards my ears. I still go out in the sun, but mostly just when we're out in the boat and always use spf25 and really give my nose, in particular, a real coating. I don't feel its necessary to hide from the sun, but be reasonable. I also suffer from seasonal depression in the winters and I can't tell you how much I just crave laying there and absorbing the warmth of Mr. Sun, but now I do it much more carefully.

I do worry about cancer some day, but for the short term, I'm more concerned about the age spots and wrinkles I gave myself from all that sunbathing in the 80's.

Also, on a side note...I tried using the spf4 and I really feel the sun is stronger now. I burn very easily with it and have to use the spf 25 to keep from burning.

On another side note...anyone interested in make up to cover age spots and a perpetually red (sun damaged) nose, I just got the Avon mineral foundation and I'm literally blown away at how great coverage I get from it. And I don't look 'made up'. Much, MUCH cheaper than the Bare Essentuals (like $10) and I just love it.

techwife-

I have noticed the same thing about the sun. When I was a child and a teen, I could use SPF 4 or 8 sunscreen and go out, and not burn. Now, I need at LEASE SPF15 to not burn...but I usually buy SPF 30 or 50-because I want as little sun on my skin as possible. (I freckle a bit still if I use 15...)

me too....either my skin is more fragile or the sun is stronger....I stopped trying to get a suntan when I was in my late 30's....I took what the plastic surgeon i work with said seriously...."keep sitting in the sun and your face is going to look like an old saddle".

i'm quite happy with my fake-bake self-tanners these days, they give me a little color (my legs usually resemble copy paper)

Coming from a country with lots of sun I guess I should reccommend something when it comes to tanning. Patience. What I mean is that, even though I am quite dark skinned, I also have a very fair-skinned brother. We both go for swimming in from July till August. We both have never sunburnt in our life. Why? Because we take 3 precautions. 1. We never go to the beach after 12 o' clock. We go around 8 o' clock in the morning till 11:30 in the morning. And that's just it. 2. We both use really high SPF sun-lotions (both over 40 on body and face) before we go to the beach, around 10 and immediately after we finish swimming at 11. 3. We do not expect to tan within a week. One of the reasons people get so many risks of cancer is that they literary bake themselves under the schorching sun in the most dangerous hours of the day. My natural tan, and my brother's who is fair skin starts appearing within a month of every day exposure (sometimes it might appear at the very end of the summer, after 2-and-a-half months of swimming. We put skin lotions immediately after shower but the most important thing is that we have never, ever got out during the critical hours.

And yes sun ages. My mum has the same sun exposing habits and she looks years younger than one of her maid-of-honors that used sun beds and is 5 years younger than her.

Something I forgot to post earlier...

Dove's Energy Glow (found with the lotions) Moisturizer with Subtle Self-Tanners for Fair Skin, if you are fair skinned with a bit of pink to it (like me), if used daily will slowly give you a light tan that doesn't streak, turn orange or get onto your clothing. I forgot I used this when one of my friends here got married a while back.

*Warning: I never used it while wearing white...so it may come off a little...but I never noticed it on any other color fabric.

Wow, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one whose decided to embrace my natural lighter-shade-of-pale. I have come to believe that people need to embrace the beauty they have, whether pale, dark or in between, and not try to become someone they are not.

And like many have said, no tanning is safe - none. I have known african-american and latina women in their 30s who have had skin cancer - its not just us pale girls that are at risk. As to the vitamin D debate, people can get adequate vitamin d through the food they eat - its abundant in fish oils and comes added to many products like milk and cereal. You can also get vitamin D supplements in the vitamin aisle.

Seriously, if a report came out saying that cigarettes gave you a certain vitamin you need what would you do - take up smoking or find that vitamin through another source? Ultraviolet exposure increases your risk of cancer - there is no "debate" on this issue.

Look, we all have the right to decide for ourselves if we want to expose ourselves to a known danger, we're adults. But IMHO it is patently irresponsible for anyone to advocate tanning to others, or to feed the myths and societal norms that make others think that tanning is desirable and/or safe.

As to people who burn even with sunscreen - hi, me too! I have recently become a BIG fan of rash-guards. They are those super cute shirts surfer chicks wear, etc that have sun protection equivalent to SPF 40-50. They can come VERY lightweight and very cool on the skin, and you can get them in long sleeves if you so desire. So if you are at the beach and see a chick in a long-slv rash guard, with a big hat, sun-glasses, and long pants on - hey it might be me! And that will all be on top of my sunscreen.

i used to use tanning beds, but have sworn them off. i have to admit i have been tempted this summer because i haven't had much time in the sun, but i have been good and resisted. i do get an occasionaly spray tan (once ever couple months) i recently bought a tanning lotion that worked extremely well and didn't turn me orange! it is jergen's natural glow express. i love it! i use it once a week and it gives me some color so when i wear a bathing suit i don't look like a ghost

Okay, so after reading all these posts it kind of scared me. I decided 2 weeks ago to stop going to the tanning salon. I'm very pale when I don't go tanning and I don't get any color if I lay outside. So I did some research online for self-tanners and one was highly recommended and reviewed. It's called 'Strike Gold' by true blue spa products. You can buy it at Bath & Body Works for $15. I bought it Friday night and applied it yesterday and omg I'm in love. This was the 1st self tanner I've ever used. I was worried I would turn orange or streaky and it was so easy and the color is so natural and brown. It does have shimmer to it so you can see where you applied. I actually think this is better than the color I get from the tanning beds. I'm glad I went when I did though to buy it because it was the last one they had. I'm going to order some online and stock up. Oh and also I used it on my face and I have acne prone/sensitive skin and I havent broken out but have a really awesome glow.