safe tan

Does anybody know of a safe way to get a good tan?  I've tried self-tanners, and they help some.  No matter what I do, I end up with lines or streaks.  I'm afraid of tanning beds.  What about the spray on tanners?  How long does it last?

oh oh I want a tannn lol.  I bought a 'self tanner' before and I know exactly what you mean.  I had orange palms and streeky orange skin.  I just recently picked up a self tanner lotion stuff, made by Dove, (Dove energy glow) and it gradually tans you as you put it on daily. I liked the tan I got from it and have to re-apply every once in a while, but its much better than getting skin cancer. :) smells alright when you put it on but after a while its a bit spudsy lol.  Still wash your palms after use :)

I still wanna get a spray on tan soon. just nervous to bare it all lol.

You should try... Uhh... THE SUN...

Not only is it the best way to tan... But it can also cut your risk of cancer in half!!!!

Watch this neat-o video...

Hybrid, that's terrible advice!  There is an epidemic of skin cancer because the ozone layer is thinning and letting in too much ultraviolet light.  You need to protect your skin!

Cancer Prevention

I did Mystic a couple of times (spray on) and liked it. I use self-tanners ALL the time -- LOVE them. Had nothing but GREAT results! Just takes a little practice. Once in a while I get a streak or a spot but it's my own fault for getting lazy/sloppy. Self tanners are SO MUCH better from when I was in highschool (80s). I have been SUN-FREE for almost seven years now (yes, I used to be stupid!). I want to maintain my youthful look and, OF COURSE, prevent skin cancer to the best of my ability.

The self-tanners I have had the best luck with are L'oreal (Sublime) and Copportone. I try them all -- well, I'm very frugal so it has to be a good deal. Just keep trying, you can do it and make it look natural!!! I start off with a very light tanner and gradually move to a darker one. I rub in CIRCULAR motions all over my legs -- over and over.

I use the face self-tanner as well but sometimes my skin acts up because it tends to be on the sensitive side, but my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE for the face is Ban de Soleil brand.

I don't care what ANYBODY says, the sun and tanning beds are NOT safe no matter what! Any "doctor" that tells you they are safe is out of their mind. Kudos to the SMART people who DO NOT tan!!!

I have noticed how AGED a lot of the twenty-somethings are. I'm NOT kidding. It's rather shocking. I'll bet money on the fact that it's all that tanning they do!

How is it terrible advice? I didn't say go lay out in the sun for 3-4 hours until you get burnt crispy...

lol If you watch the video, the DOCTOR recommends getting some sun exposure (not too much, you should get back inside as soon as you start to see the lightest amount of pink on your skin) as it helps to combat CANCER not cause it...

EDIT-

He also advises wearing sun screen...

hybrids05 here is a pretty direct response to the video you posted. the problem with this advice is it is not tested or proven yet. the mayo clinic recomends using a multi vitamin to get vitamin D rather then exposure to the sun as a source.

Yeah I'd say that is pretty direct lol...

Thanks for the post ilovebunnies...

I live in AZ the highest population percentage of skin cancer occurance.  Only the continent of Australia is higher.  I see ladies all day long that look like leather because they are sun bathers.  If you use a sun screen you still will get age spots and leatherskin when you get older.  I was a sunbather in my teens and now wish they knew then wht they know now or at least told us about the age spots and wrinkles.

I use self tanners.  I use Jergens and a new one from Olay that helps to hide the age spots and varicose spider veins. 

I've used lots of spray ons and lotions and they all are about the same IMHO.   There was one that I used that left me streaky but don't remember what it was.  Also the body wash from Olay doesn't work very well and I think using it with a tanner makes it worse.

My girls do the spray on from salons/ spas.  They say they are ok  Those also have a sunscreen built in them or something that prevents sunburns.  You don't have to "bear all" you can wear a swimsuit or something you don't mind getting sprayed.

Oh and the vit D absorbtion - I was told by my dr that most if not all calcuim supplements have vit D and being in AZ we don't need to take a Vit D supplement and if I could get a calcuim supp without vit D that is great.  She said we get enough vit D absorbtion from sun just by walking to your car and office/ store house etc each day.  You don't need alot of exposure.

I <3 Mystic Tan!!  Just make sure ( i know it's lame ) but most places make you watch a video, and you should watch it cause it tells you how to apply the barrier cream and stuff so you don't get orange palms and whatnot.  The only problem I had with mystic tan is it rubbed off on white bras and panties.  And once it starts to fade, sometimes it gets kinda blotchy.  Just make sure you exfoliate your whole body before you go.  And it's not a long term tanning fix, about 5 days....and it's kinda expensive, but overall i like it.

The one thing that I hate about the self tanners is the odor.  I've tried many different types and they all have this smell that I just can't stand.

Anybody tried one that doesn't have "that" smell?

i would just like to share this little tidbit with everyone...

a recent study has shown that in countries where there is MORE SUN but people do not use sun screen, the cancer rates are severely LOW! in areas where heat and UV radiation from the sun is not an annual issue, but sunscreen IS being used regularly during the months of sun exposure, cancer rates are higher (than the countries with more sun and less sunscreeen users)

isnt that surprising?

so, is it the unnatural products that we use on our skin that cause cancer?
or is it just that our skin is less used to the sun? i live in canada, and every winter i turn fishbelly white and my skin has a hard time adjusting to the sun every spring/summer. maybe in those countries where they have extreme sun year-round, they're just used to it. who freakkin knows. more research will hopefully be done!

aschezuasche, I've also wondered that same thing.

it could be that in countries with more sun are populated with people who have darker skin. that's why we have different skin colors, because in areas where there is more sun, the people there need more protection in their skin.

don't get me wrong, people with dark skin need to wear sun screen too, but they have more natural protection. my boyfriend got sunburnt last summer, and he's black.... he wears sunscreen now too..... but if i went without sunscreen as long as he did, i'd be a lobster!!!!

i have blonde hair/blue eyes/fair skin. i always wear sunscreen and really like my pale skin.

EDIT: hgielrehtaeh beat me to the post. but here is some more:

aschezuasche - the factor behind data like that is more likely your skin color, not the sunscreen. light colored skin is less able to protect against the sun then darker colored skin. your skin needs all the help it can get from sunscreen!


"One in 5 Americans and one in 3 Caucasians will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime."
"melanoma is uncommon in African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians,"
http://www.skincancer.org/skincancer-facts.ph p

ilovebunnies you said

"light colored skin is less able to protect against the sun then darker colored skin"

which is specifically WHY we should use beds and get CONTROLLED tans without sunburning so that when summer rolls around we aren't as likely to BURN and get cancer...

it's is the BURN that causes cancer, NOT the tan.

Visit this site.

http://www.tanningtruth.com/

That is incorrect.  Burning vs. tanning is irrelevant, it is UV exposure that causes skin cancer.  From a more credible, noncommercial source:

http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PRO/UV.pdf

And here is some more information from a country that would know -- Australia.  For example,

Tanning without burning may cause DNA and skin damage leading to premature ageing and potentially, skin cancer (Raab, J Int Med Res: 1990)

A solarium tan is NOT a safe tan.  Solariums can emit levels of UV radiation up to five times as strong as the summer midday sun (Standards Australia, Solaria for Cosmetic Purposes: 2002). A solarium tan is induced through concentrated exposure to high levels of UV light. All forms of UV light contribute to skin cancer and cause premature ageing of the skin. A majority of the visible signs of ageing are the result of damage to the skin caused by exposure to UV (Leyden, Br J Dermatol: 1990).  Solariums that advertise 'mini' or 'high performance' tans that colour your skin in less than 10 minutes do this by exposing you to extreme levels of UV radiation. You are not reducing your risk of skin cancer by being in the solarium for a shorter period of time.

http://www.cancer.org.au/content.cfm?randid=9 60742

You need to get out in the sun but while you're doing what your normally would, when its at its hottest take shade. On really sunny days use some cream. You need the sun but not to the point where all you do is lie in it.

If you can't find a fake tan you like, you're just going to have to be pale hehe i've lost my slight all year tan since moving here TUT

Again:  Myth.  People get more sun damage on overcast days because the UV that harms your skin is not visible and you can't feel it.  Refer to Australia Cancer Society link supra #17. 

But you still need the sun, even just a bit. Failing that move to the UK we're all pale and doing fine hehe