Does anyone else tan in beds?

on the plus side of tanning:

there was a study that came out about a year ago demonstrating that a statistically significant number people who tanned (in the beds) actually increased there positive mood for about two to five hours afterwards. so that's something.

i don't tan in the beds-- i just run outside and swim outside and i'm that skin type that's just asking for cancer (freckles everywhere and pale). so i figure if i'm going to get cancer it should be b/c it's inevitable, and not b/c i'm pushing the envelope.

there are those chronic tanners' and they just start to have this dodgy looking color overall...

(i used to live in a city in germany that had the highest concentration of tanning-salons per capita and there were a lot of really funny looking people on the streets there-- evenly brown all year round )

This post has been edited by maraelise on Apr 7 2005, 09:34 AM

I don't tan much - I'm not a tanning bed junkie at all, but I do like to go get a base tan before I go on vacation or right before summer starts so I don't get the he** burned out of me, I burn so bad, sunscreen or not! I am going right now because of my wedding too! I do know there are risks involved but I think if someone doesn't over do it then they should be ok. I also always and I mean always wear a ton of sunscreen outside through the summer. You still tan with it on and it stops me from being burnt and getting those harmful UV rays!

I was a punk rocker in my younger days & I shunned the sun. I love the creamy paleness of my skin & if I dont wear sunscreen, it takes forever for the tan to wear off...drives me nuts. I also despise tan lines. Of course, living in FL, my left arm is always somewhat tan from driving

I see my "tanning" friends who I went to high school with now & they have way more wrinkles than I do.

My hubby loves, and I mean loves, my fair skin. I don't tan (indoors or out) for many of the reasons listed but the fact that dh adores me the way I am is an added plus! I am very fair and I burn easily-I have had 2 very serious sunburns *ouch*-so I lather up with sunscreen all summer. I don't mind my fair skin at all.

I have a friend whose mom used a tanning bed and after just a year or two she had very leathery, starting to wrinkle skin. That was a definite turn-off for me.

Tanning in the sun depletes moisture from your skin. If you moisturize often and properly, you can make it to where your skin is not leathery.

I don't tan......my feet would hang out of the tanning bed! I have been told I'd fit in a stand up one though.........who knows..... haha

You would fit in a hex.

how tall are they??

About 9 feet.

Yeah, I should check into that. I go to Golds Gym and they have a nice tanning area, so I should check into it. How much do you pay a month??

I pay about $60 a month but other places are much less. I go to a spa which tends to be a little more.

60 dollars?? I don't think I'll be going in any in a spa! I'm a season ticket holder to the Titans, and I'll just save that money for the 7 dollar beers that we have here.

You are silly. I said you can get it cheaper elsewhere. lol Go to a tanning salon. It is about $25 a month there. Besides, your gym should let you add on tanning for about $15 a month.

I love a tan and I tan well, but now at 30 and w/ 3 kids I get very little time to lounge in the sun. No time for salons. I did that before kids, though. Also, my mom's Irish skin NEVER tanned so at 58 her skin looks pretty good. I see people out at the store who talk about their age and I am shocked. My mothers age or a few years younger and they look 10-20yrs OLDER. Smoking can also have that affect.
Isn't it also that burn is more likely to be the cause of skin cancer? I'm not really sure. I thought people w/ more pigmentation in their skin are less likely to get skin cancer. Is that right?

My place you can tan everyday for $11.99 a month. Not that I do.... I go maybe twice a week. Course, I'm really missing it right now because I haven't been able to get over there for 9 days.... I'm starting to get pale already.

That's a good deal......I could handle paying 12 dollars a month for a tan.

Use the sun...it's FREE! LOL.

It's too hot outside sometimes! Haha........

Me too! ^ That way you arent frying your skin... its just lotion.

I have never gone to a tanning bed because my grandma died of skin cancer.
I will NEVER go tanning I sit in the sun in the summer... but I can't even stand that for like 20 mins. It gets too hot and the though runs through my head that I am making myself AGE!

So NO tanning for me unless fake... lots of sunscreen used in my household!

I used to tan a ton while I was in college. It's quite addictive. But now I haven't tanned for years. I wear sunscreen everyday because my skin looks terrible from years of bad tanning. Perhaps the tanning salons are different today, but I'm not willing to take the risk. I live in Colorado and laugh at the girls at the gym who are orange. Not that us folks in Colorado don't get "real" sun, but I grew up in California and was always at the beach and getting the glow. I made the mistake and have a ton of freckles and dark pigment that makes me look older than I am. I do wish I could have the "look" of a little tan, so maybe I'll try one of those misting tans sometime. But I also have eczema, so I have to watch what I put on my skin at all times. My sister-in-law is a model (I'm talking super model, big campaigns, runway in Europe, covers of Italian Vogue, etc) and she is pasty white and beautiful. Her skin is almost transluscent and it's what gets her the jobs. I'm very jealous!!!

Don't let anyone tell you to stop doing something you enjoy. It's just not for me anymore, but believe me, it crosses my mind at times. Self tanners just aren't the same thing.

I do. I actually prefer going in the high pressure tanning beds. They block out the more harmful rays and use UVB rays (I believe) to activate the natural melanin in your skin. That way, you get a more natural looking tan- more brown, less red. You only have to do it about 2-3 times a month tops and it has immediate results and most importantly, you don't burn at all.

I go about twice a month and maintain a very tan/brown skin tone. I love it. Definitely worth looking into, all you tanners. It's fairly a new thing but they're popping up everywhere.

This is what I use to tan! I love them, I was able to stay for 10 minutes the first time I went in (i was pale as a ghost) and I didn't burn - never have not once but I'm darker than I've ever been!

This is what I use to tan! I love them, I was able to stay for 10 minutes the first time I went in (i was pale as a ghost) and I didn't burn - never have not once but I'm darker than I've ever been!

Me too! Not a burn EVER and you get a really rich tan! I love it too!!

when i was in HS and after i graduated, i found it was one of the few things that helped clear my acne up..i didn't overly use it, but i could tell a big difference when i went and when i didn't and i tried everything under the sun for my acne...

but now with an almost 3 year old and another on the way - i don't think i've tanned for about 10 years..course i live in hawaii too and you'd look kinda weird walking into a tanning salon over here..LOL