Lovelyish

I love tanning but I’ll say this – it actually doesn’t give you much vitamin D, if at all. Tanning beds use a different ratio of UVA and UVB rays. I can’t remember the difference. But the beds use less of one, and its the one that has the vitamin D. I tried to get my doctor to approve tanning bed use for my vitamin D deficiency I really just wanted permission to tan hahaha.

Tanning is bad to you. You’re better off going to a dermatologist and using a spray tan.

“In my opinion, going tanning is equivalent to smoking and drinking. Yes it’s bad for you, but a couple of times won’t do too much damage.” AGREED

lmao as a smoker, i can tell you that you will go tanning more than a couple times.

@raspbxrrryjam@xanga - cancer wasn’t to blame for tanning… & I reckon if you hit your head repeatedly on the side of the tanning bed, then yeah it might cause brain damage. 

Really? Reality tv stars are to blame for tanning having a bad rep? Because I thought it was CANCER.

Does tanning cause brain damage, too?

I went tanning a few times in college, but I’ll never go back. It’s just a stupid thing to do, period, & there’s no reason to subject your body to that. I’m from Northeast Ohio – why the hell should I be expected to be tan year-round in a place where it’s only warm about two months out of the year? We’ll see who likes their skin more when we’re all 65, me or the tanners.

Tanning had a bad rep long before Snooki (terrifyingly) entered onto the scene.

I’ve been tanning a couple times. Mostly in the winter went I start to miss the sun. It’s a bit gloomy where I live.

@SuburbanSweetheart - Why did you go the few times in college? 

@Grtt@xanga - Because I hadn’t yet come to terms with my paleness & thought I should try to be tanner. Someone I worked with told me my pale legs were “disgusting,” & I was upset about it.

Look the fact is its better to use tanning bed than laying out in the sun where there are more harmful rays. Everythinggg now at days causes cancer. People drink alcohol. Smoke cigarettes. Eat red meat. Drinks soda blah blah blah. Tan skin is sexy. Orange skin is tacky. When did people get so judgmental about beauty routines?

I tanned a lot in high school, stopped for a while in college, and I just got a job at a salon on my campus, so naturally, I started tanning again. The truth is, it makes me feel so much better about myself. I have a belief that the use of a tanning bed releases endorphins, which make you feel good after the fact. Endorphins and a higher self esteem in general are worth it to me. I also take precautions when I tan, which I would recommend to others as well. I dab SPF on my moles, since they are most prone to skin cancer. I also tan in moderation, to make sure I never burn. 

There is no such thing as a healthy tan.  Each time you go you make yourself even more high risk for skin problems.  You think your skin is getting better because it APPEARS that way, but in reality, all tans do is damage your skin cells.

Damaged cells… that’s what thousands of women in this country shell out cash for?  No, it is not healthy.  I know somebody who doesn’t even go to a dermatologist regularly (she’s never been to one, actually) but she tans regularly.  Tell me, how’s that not ridiculous?  There are a ton of sunless tanners from a bottle that you can try out, that give you the same effect.  Some make you orange.  Deal with it.  Find a better one that gives you the look you want.  Or else don’t cry if you have skin cancer down the road.  My mom had it because she laid in the sun too long when she moved from Brooklyn to Florida, thinking that “oh, the sun is the same everywhere” – though that’s an OUTDOORS story, not a tanning bed story, it’s the same principle.

@The_Glamour_it_kills@xanga - It’s not about being judgmental.  It’s about health.  And how is tanning healthier than the sun?

I’ve gone a few times in total, too. and I completely agree with you. it’s bad for you but a few times shouldn’t be too harmful. when people abuse it, go regularly, ect. obviously that’s can’t be good 

I worked for a dermatologist last year, so I know to stay away from tanning beds and always wear sunscrean. The good side is so outweighed by the bad sides.

@The_Glamour_it_kills@xanga - Tan skin is sexy?  I don’t think there’s a problem with people being judgmental about beauty routines, but there definitely is a problem with people being judgmental about skin tone.  Pale skin is sexy, too, gosh darnit!

We live in a sad world when people feel the need to spend money to raise their chances of getting cancer to fit a ridiculous media-promoted beauty standard.  And then these same people try to justify it.  lol.

Clearly Lovelyish readers are not scientists. 

1. Sunlight doesn’t “have” vitamin D. It causes your body to produce vitamin D. That’s like saying sunlight contains sugar and that is how plants “eat”. LOL.

2. Tanning “shouldn’t be” too harmful? It increases your chance of cancer from the first time you use the bed (as well as direct sunlight). I’m not endorsing either natural light or fake tanning. I live in florida and I try to avoid the beach for extended periods of time. Tanning mutates your DNA! Doesn’t that scare you at all? You probably spend more time in the sun than you think, and tanning only exacerbates the problem.
I feel slightly qualified to make such statements because I work in a cancer biology lab. I used to be part of a team that looked at skin cancer specifically. Although it was a basic research lab, I still learned a lot about the whole picture. 

@AubreyBird@xanga - I agree, it’s so sad.

I didn’t know tanning was considered ‘skanky’… just dangerous.
However, I am guilty of tanning. Moreso outdoors in the summer rarely in a tanning bed but I have for proms and to get my skin ready for vacations… Either way I know it’s not healthy but I’m slightly addicted. Moronic, I know.

I tan. I think it depends on the person. If you’re wearing skin tight dresses that cover JUST enough and you’re tanner than can be… yes that’s skanky.  But if you dress normal and are tan, i think it’s sexy and beautiful!

@PiNkLaCe8691@xanga - i completely agree. when i am in a bad mood, i tan, it is very relaxing, yeah i could take a nap or shower which is also relaxing but doing it while getting a little bit of color on my skin, sorry but i’ll risk it.

you can call ,me stupid for subjecting my body to it if you want to but i love it. tanning salons have warnings everywhere and everyone knows how dangerous it is and people still go, so whats the fuss about? it’s their choice. don’t want to tan? don’t.

Yeah you’re right. Tanning is such a conundrum. “Do I want to deal with acne for a few days and be cancer free or look like i have less acne and get cancer?”

Hmmm. Whichever will I choose!

everytime you go to a tanning bed, you increase your risk because of the radiation, it’s not the same as sun exposure. I’m sorry that you’re in such a condundrum

Both my parents have cancer (and numerous other family members). And none of the cancer was because of smoking, drinking, drugs or sun exposure etc. I don’t understand the point in increasing your chances for a ‘healthy glow’ on your skin! They’ll be the first people wanting sympathy & promoting skin -safety when it goes downhill. (I’m not directing that to those who do it for medical reasons, at least that has medical benefits I suppose).