You are correct Andy, but some of us can put on the best sun-block in the world every 30 minutes and still get burned after a day on the lake. After I started using a tanning bed my burns drastically decreased. My dermatologist told me that he would rather I go to the tanning bed, without overdoing it, regularly than to get the burns.
He most certainly would have also said to you that
the very best thing would be to avoid getting a tan altogether - either from the sun or tanning beds. And there's plenty you can do at the lake in addition to sunscreen - long sleeve shirts, hats, sunglasses, and avoid being out on the water in the middle of the day. Getting tanned is entirely avoidable and it's astute to do so. There is absolutely no reason why you need to get a tan either at the lake or on a tanning bed - both are easily and entirely avoidable....
I visit him once a year for a good going over. He has treated me for skin cancer twice.
Visiting often is fantastic. However if you've got a history of skin cancer it's almost negligent to suggest that it's safe to go to a tanning salon. In fact I've never heard of a dermatologist recommending one goes to the tanning talon at all. I'd seriously recommend seeking a second opinion or clarifying the issue with him.
He said as long as we detect it early, there is little to worry about.
That's the problem. For melonoma it's not always easy to detect. It can occur anywhere on the body,
not just where there has been sun exposure. You can also get them in forms that are white and easy to miss. For instance you can get them within your eyes, on your scalp under your hair, within your vagina, anus, and between your toes. I'm sure your dermatologist checks all these places but it's good for everyone to know that they can be really well hidden. And the big problem with them is that they spread to other parts of the body very quickly. It's not an uncommon occurrence to have someone with melanoma spread thoughout their body and the primary skin cancer not ever be found.
Anti-oxidants do a lot to protect us from sun damage as well.
There is actually a lack of scientific evidence that shows this. Certainly not any long term human trials that I'm aware of (I'd be happy to be proven wrong). At this stage it's more a marketing claim than it is science. Worth running this past your dermatologist for clarification as well - he'll be up to date with the latest information.
Everyone is different and we all have to decide what is right for us.
When it comes to the sun it's the same for all of us unfortunately. UV light to the point where we tan is
bad. And it's completely avoidable. One can chose to ignore the science and it's entirely within their right to do, but they should be under no misconceptions or misinformation by marketing that they're doing something that's contrary to their health.
I don't agree with a "glamour" tan for that reason only though.
I'm at a bit of a loss why you go to salons at all when they do nothing for you
but give you a tan and damage your skin
.
I use tanning lotions all the time.
As long as you're referring to tinted moisturisers etc this is good. Even better if they contain sunscreens
. Tanning lotions which contain oil to aid tanning on the other hand - bad
.
