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Tanning Beds. Anyone use them?

Daveway

Daveway

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 10, 2004
3,370
1
New Orleans / Lafayette, La
So who here uses tanning beds to get their glow on? No use in reflecting all of nature's light when you step outside.

I'll start off and say that I do, but I don't buy into the expensive lotions that are sold. Ripoffs!
 
bad idea. my dr. told me about a girl who regularly used tanning beds who is now at the mayo clinic treating 7 malignant melanomas. 19 years old.
 
I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced of the "sun exposure = skin cancer" debate.
I live in the South so I know many of people that have spent their entire lives in the sun.
My dad was on the beach every spring and summer as a child and got sunburn everyday yet he doesn't have skin cancer. But a relative who has pale skin has it.
Doctors probably don't fully understand the connection. There's just a general increase in every diseases in our country, same with AIDS, HIV, and other cancers...
 
Daveway said:
I live in the South so I know many of people that have spent their entire lives in the sun.
My dad was on the beach every spring and summer as a child and got sunburn everyday yet he doesn't have skin cancer.
Click to expand...
My aunt smoked unfiltered Chesterfield cigarettes for over 50 years and she did not get cancer or heart disease, so cigarette smoking must not cause cancer.

Seriously, if you are naturally fair skinned be careful in the sun, because unlike cigarettes, it can cause cancer.
 
I used to, but with the risk of cancer, premature skin-aging and conforming to other people's idea of "beauty" if ya can't accept me for the day-go whitey that I am then be gone. But that's me. If it makes ya feel better about your image then do what you got to do. Just know the risks beforehand. :)
 
Daveway said:
I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced of the "sun exposure = skin cancer" debate.
I live in the South so I know many of people that have spent their entire lives in the sun.
Click to expand...

its not the sun exposure, its the amount of UV radiation - (I read somewhere) tanning beds have about 3x as much UV as average sun exposure.
 
I have type III-IV skin so I'm not of fair skin and I tan easily. It people that are fair skinned that need to worry the most.

I don't think its anymore dangerous than being in the sun for entire day like the millions of beach goers do every year.
Sure it may cause skin cancer, but there are many things that cause every kind of disease, we live in fear.
 
Why do people tan anyways? I don't see the appeal. Girls look really bad when they've been tanning IMO.
 
Tanning ages the skin. This is fine when you are young, BUT .......... :eek: when you get older your skin looks like leather.

FJ
 
I have but I do use one of those expensive lotions. It's actually quite good. I tan once to twice a week mostly due to time and such. And the reason why I tan is to get something more even then what I'd get laying out. Besides, I do not have time to lay out. I'm not extremely worried about the skin being like leather. I barely have a tan at all, just something to give a more even tone.
 
Daveway said:
I don't think its anymore dangerous than being in the sun for entire day like the millions of beach goers do every year.
Sure it may cause skin cancer, but there are many things that cause every kind of disease, we live in fear.
Click to expand...

But this particular cause of disease is 100%, entirely, completely avoidable.

It's kind like looking at a bottle of rat poison on the shelf, and saying -- a little bit won't kill me, and there are many other things that could cause every kind of disease so why live in fear -- I'll take a swig.

Tanning is the body's response damage to the cells by UV. First you damage the cells, then they release melanin. Note the order of operations here. Tanning beds allow you to damage your skin cells faster. There is no such thing as "safe" UV. If it makes you tan, it is injuring you.
 
Daveway said:
I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced of the "sun exposure = skin cancer" debate.
I live in the South so I know many of people that have spent their entire lives in the sun.
My dad was on the beach every spring and summer as a child and got sunburn everyday yet he doesn't have skin cancer. But a relative who has pale skin has it.
Doctors probably don't fully understand the connection. There's just a general increase in every diseases in our country, same with AIDS, HIV, and other cancers...
Click to expand...

That is all nonsense.

I can't place a finger on exactly what is wrong with the things you said, so instead, I'll just wave my finger at the whole thing and say that nothing you said makes sense.

May God have mercy on your soul.
 
Used to, sometimes. I'd do it at the start of spring to get a "base tan". I'd go to one of those high pressure beds with a UV B filter. They are expensive (about $30 per session) but they tan you very fast without burning you. (sometimes trademarked "ultrabronze" or something)

Some of those tan accelerators actually work. More so when you're already tanned and trying to push it further. Might be a bit excessive though. ;)

I abhor tan in a can stuff, I'd rather not look orange and streaky.

Mostly I prefer to get a tan the old fashioned way: in the sun.
 
My mum owns a tanning salon, so I have a fair bit of knowledge about them. Tanning beds DO NOT GIVE YOU CANCER. I can't enphasise that enough, don't just read what the papers say and believe it with no real evidence.

Our body's greatest defense against sun burn is to have a good base tan. Sunbeds allow you to have this base tan. Yes, being pale and jumping on a sunbed for 15 minutes will damage your skin. But if you start with about 5 minutes, and slowly build up your tan, after a couple of months, you will have a base tan that will stop you burning so easily.

Hope that made sense...I just can't stand the bad press sunbeds get and the constant "cancer beds" comments I hear all the time.

For the record, I don't personally use sunbeds because I'm not too fussed about having a tan (I'm outside alot anyway), but my mum has had alot of unfair critisism about owning a sunbed salon and this critisism has been based on twisted truths.
 
I hop on mine every now and then, usually just to gently build up a little bit of a tan through short exposure before going somewhere where I know I'm going to be in the sun a lot.

I experimented with fake tans last year, but I tan quite easily so I'm more in favour of just using the sunbed.

Couldn't use it regularly, though... I don't fancy skin cancer. 'Healthy glow' my arse!
 
xJulianx said:
My mum owns a tanning salon, so I have a fair bit of knowledge about them. Tanning beds DO NOT GIVE YOU CANCER. I can't enphasise that enough, don't just read what the papers say and believe it with no real evidence.
Click to expand...

What is "real evidence"? I have real evidence that it's bad. You just regurgitated the sunbed industrys standard argument to the cancer argument, nothing more. I'm too lazy to write an essay on it here, but since I know quite a bit about radiation and radiation biology, I'd like to hear more about this "base tan" b.s. ;)

It will help you burn less easily, but how do you get this "base" you speak of? Ah yes, by tanning before you have developed this base. Overall, you're not making it less likely that you'll develop skin cancer. The best way is to use (certain types of) sunscreen and stay in the shade or wear long-sleeve shirts outdoors. Since that's not convenient to our lifestyles (mine included), the best way is really to wear a decent sunscreen that protects against UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C.
 
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