# Let's talk tanning! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659 "2003-05-31T00:02:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/1 "2003-05-31T00:02:35Z")
So I want to do some tanning at one of the many local salons which have kindly sent me coupons for free sessions lately. Nothing too much, just enough to make my fishbelly white skin a little less blinding to the casual observer. I know next to nothing about tanning. What’s your advice to a first-time tanner? If your advice is “don’t” or links to skin cancer sites, thank you but they are not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/2 "2003-05-31T02:33:33Z")
I went a couple of times, before a trip to Florida, just to get a base coat and prevent major sunburn. Frankly, I didn’t care for the experience. I’ve never been the sort to just lie still and let the sun broil me, anyway, so I found the whole thing hot, sticky, gross, and excruciatingly boring. If you’re going to do it, though, wear something that’s easy to take off and put back on. Make sure you don’t use any lotions or skin care products with sunscreens in them (you’d be surprised at just how prevalent they are, anymore.) If you get really pink at one session, don’t let them talk you into bumping up your time limit at the next one, especially if you tend to burn fairly easily. Trust me, you’ll live to regret it. ---
**Author:** ![nitek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@nitek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitek)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/3 "2003-05-31T02:42:06Z")
I’ve read that tanning works through repeated exposure so I’m guessing if you go a couple days in a row you’ll get better results than going once a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![Peach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@Peach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peach)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/4 "2003-05-31T04:18:32Z")
3 words DON’T DO IT. wear sunscreen and a hat and enjoy a lifetime of beautiful skin. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/5 "2003-05-31T04:47:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Peach \* > \*\*3 words > DON’T DO IT. > wear sunscreen and a hat and enjoy a lifetime of beautiful skin. \*\* Didja even read the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Peach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@Peach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peach)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/6 "2003-05-31T05:13:39Z")
whats op? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/7 "2003-05-31T05:28:03Z")
The Original Post, where it specifically asks for those whose advice is “Don’t do it” to shut up and go away. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/8 "2003-05-31T06:41:12Z")
Are you set on tanning beds? Or would you consider the applicable kind? There are some great products on the market today. No orange-y or streaky look. Ban de Soliel (sp? too lazy to look it up) has some wonderful products, so does Neutragena. If you’re set on tanning beds, I’d still shy away from tanning the face. Wrinkle city. There are many different kinds of beds and some of the salons have the new “safe” beds that screen out the “blue”. At any rate, start very slowly. 5-10 minutes your first couple of times. Most salons have special sunbed suntan lotion. USE IT. You’ll feel as if your skin is dried parchment if you don’t. And after tanning, use a good rich lotion as well. Before going to your sessions bathe and exfoliate. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/9 "2003-05-31T06:42:53Z")
Sorry, forgot two things. If you decide to not tan your face or to reduce the tanning on your face, you can still “match” it to the rest of your tan with a tanning solution. And as for the bathe and exfoliate? Not DIRECTLY before you go, just sometime that day before you go. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/10 "2003-05-31T06:58:07Z")
**Gradually** increase your time in the tanning bed. Don’t go in for 6 minutes, then 15 the next time. Do it in one minute increments. Use a moisturizer afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/11 "2003-05-31T07:16:18Z")
Try mystic tan or hollywood Tan- Its sprays in a fine mist from several jets to get your whole body. You get in a booth and it gently sprays you. The effect is amazing from the first try- no need for base tans, burns, heat lamps or what not. ---
**Author:** ![Vixenation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/278dde/32.png) [@Vixenation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vixenation)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/12 "2003-05-31T15:17:30Z")
I say to go in a tanning booth. More even color and the pressure points (where your skin would touch the bed) won’t be white like they might be if you’re in a bed. Exfoliate your skin and moisturize it (or apply a good tanning lotion like John Abate or California Tan) beforehand. Do not go every day. I always see better color when I skip a day or two between sessions. Only start with 5 or 6 minute sessions the first time, then maybe 2 at 8 minutes, 3 at 10 minutes, and gradually increasing from there. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/13 "2003-05-31T15:48:10Z")
I went before a trip to get a little color, a base tan, something to make me not burn to a cinder. It did look great, but didn’t protect me from getting burned at all! Since then I’ve read other people claiming this is the case - that a salon tan will not protect you. (I did use sunscreen, but burned anyway as if I hadn’t been tanned at all.) I went in about every other day for a couple weeks, gradually increasing the time from 8 to about 15 minutes. Never got a burn or any pinkness at all, had a pretty positive experience. ---
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/14 "2003-05-31T18:36:08Z")
I’m a professed tanner…I may get criticized, but at least when I turn off the lights, I don’t glow anymore. And I don’t go to get dark, just to have some color. It does help me from getting burned, unlike **Zsofia** ’s experience, but I still have to slather on lots of sunscreen. The first time or two you go, you may not notice a difference at all. Do **not** go back the next day just because “nothing happened.” Something happened, but if you’re tanning responsibly, you won’t see a difference at first. After your first few times, it will be more noticable. Don’t rush it. I agree with the booth idea, simply because beds are just _hotter_. Don’t stand normally; hold your arms out or over your head, and spread your legs a little. If they only have beds, do “spread out” as much as possible. I alternate holding my arms at my sides and then over my head. I never bathe beforehand just because I smell like a tanning bed afterwards and immediately go home to shower. I guess exfoliating might help if you shed skin like a snake, but I’ve never noticed a difference. With my sensitive skin, I’d really rather not make it unhappy before I blast it with UV rays. Oh yes, but do moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Be aware of the areas of your skin that will burn more easily. It differs slightly from person to person, but the bad places for me are my buttcheeks, inside my thighs, between my boobs, and my between my eyelids and eyebrows. Try wearing clothing for part of the time over those places, or putting on sunscreen mixed with moisturizer. Finally, the amount of time you go really depends on the beds. The salon I go to once had both regular beds and “booster” beds, and the advice was split your regular time in half for the booster beds. Well, obviously all the people ever wanted was booster beds, so they switched to all boosters. No problem for those of us who were used to this place, but newbies wouldn’t split their time and end up really burnt. I never go more than 10 minutes at this place; I usually just go 8. So, ask the people what the “maximum” time in their beds is - the higher it is, the weaker the beds. If it’s 20 minutes, start lower than if it’s 30. Hope that helped! ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/15 "2003-05-31T18:47:33Z")
I like Sunshimmer tan from Rimmel. It’s foolproof. It’s cheap, comes in nice colours, matte or slightly glittery, and IT WASHES OFF! I’ve never used a sun bed (family history of BCC) but I’m pretty tan any how, so I use the fake stuff for the Irish winter. ---
**Author:** ![plain\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@plain\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plain_jane)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/16 "2003-06-01T02:51:40Z")
I’m also curious about tanning, so since we’re here, I’ll ask. 🙂 The booths that you stand upright in… do they get very hot? Do you sweat? A woman at work (who tans regularly, but normally in beds) said she fainted in a booth because it became she became overheated. I was busy so I couldn’t ask her any questions about it. Is it possible to either tan from the neck down, or completely shield one’s face? The skin on my face has always been darker than the rest of my body, and I wouldn’t mind getting a _mild_ tan from the neck down to see if it looks better. I usually burn, and then it turns into a tan. Would going to a tanning salon be any different than how my body reacts to natural sunlight? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/17 "2003-06-01T03:48:33Z")
I hope no one minds a slight hijack, but I’m terribly curious. Can’t remember where I read it, but I’ve heard you can get skin rashes, etc. from improperly maintained tanning beds. Anybody heard of this, is it very common? ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/18 "2003-06-01T05:58:25Z")
If you’re really pale, buy some aloe vera stuff beforehand. Just in case. My mom went tanning once, and got really, really burned. It’s better to have it there already rather than having to go out and buy it when you’re hurting. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/19 "2003-06-01T16:29:49Z")
I’ll chime in here with an observation. The other day, I saw a young woman whose skin color seemed curious. A second glance made me fairly sure that she was a tanning salon patron. Her tan was so even and consistent that it looked both fake and strange. I’m positive it wasn’t merely a “spray-on” tan either. When people tan out in the sun, it is inherently uneven. Using a booth to create an artificial overall tan looks both unnatural and contrived. I’ll also mention that, as a lifetime wide brim hat wearing person, people routinely underestimate my age by around a decade. Tan yourself a lot and that ain’t gonna happen. Just my 2¢ ---
**Author:** ![Vixenation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/278dde/32.png) [@Vixenation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vixenation)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-tanning/178659/20 "2003-06-01T19:43:17Z")
**BadBaby** , if the beds are not properly cleaned, yes you run the risk of getting a minor rash or what have you. Most salons are pretty good about cleaning though. And some salons let you clean your own bed, so if you have any worries or qualms, clean it before you use it as well as after.