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Why do people tan?

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Fat looks better tanned. A tan highlights muscular definition. Shadows and light. The darker the skin the more defined a bodybuilder looks on stage. I don't like the look or smell of spray tans.

I USED to tan because I liked the way it made me look. If I looked good, I FELT good. I used a tanning bed almost year round from age 18 (senior prom) up into my early 30's. I used a stand up booth for about 10-15 minutes. No tan lines. I got bored with laying out in the sun. This was a quick fix. In the summer I still hung out outdoors without sunscreen. SPF 4 or 8 is NOT sunscreen.

I stopped as I started noticing brown spots (sun damage) on my face and chest. Tanning made them worse. I began to get broken capillaries on my legs and face. It started to negate the vain reasons why I was doing it in the first place. My bad choice caught up with me. Now I wear SPF 45 daily and wish I had been more cautious.

My husband's boss is 38...she looks 48. If you get close, her skin looks like mottled leather. She still tans a few times a week.
 
I don't understand tanning.........
I think a tan looks nice on few people- it may just be that most people are over tanned:)
A nice touch of sun can be good- but not super tan.
I love pale skin. I wouldn't want my skin any other way.....
(Though I will sometimes complain b/c its hard to find foundation and makeup pale enough.;))
 
ahhh...florida life.

i like having some color- it helps to detract from my horrific dark circles when i don't wear concealer. plus, when i'm super pale and w/o make-up people always ask me if i'm sick.

i think being smart in the sun is what matters most.

some anecdotes:

my mother has green eyes, reddish hair and freckles- guess who loved to sit outside and read for hours? great thing we moved from ny to florida. she has had about 4 carcinomas removed from her back (one of which has THE gnarliest scar- it looks like a giant paramecium). she has brown liver spots on her legs, hands, etc. she has to put this topical cream on all these different spots on her face. and now, she pretty much refuses to be out during the day w/o long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat (she hates the way sunscreen feels...go figure...). even w/all this though, she never had melanoma- thank god.

my boyfriend (fair skin, blue eyes, blonde hair) had a carcinoma diagnosed when he was only 22. he had it removed from his nose and a had a piece of skin taken from near his ear grafted onto the spot.

my dermatologist all of my "funky" moles are completely fine. she told me the most damage is done with sunburns early in life.

i still barely use sunscreen...even though the wrinkles on my forehead are a bit much for my 29 years...
 
Coolio said:
I see pale people as people who hate their brains and bones. The only way for humans to get healthy amounts of Vitamin D is tanning.
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Not true. Vitamin D can be absorbed from the diet from foods such as eggs and oily fish. Also, pale skin will produice more vitamin D from a short exposure to the sun than tanned skin will. Vitamin D deficiencies are most common in black people living at temperate latitudes for this reason.
 
I tan easily. I like natural tans and pale skin... it's all good, as long as you have skin.
 
^I agree!

A big reason why people tan is it's an easy way to look healthier. I myself am guilty of using it a few times to hide the effects of debauchery.

On the other hand, there are people who I might describe as very light-skinned who look quite good and healthy.

I say, especially if you are Caucasian, or if you have history of immune system weakness, to take it easy on the mid-day sun! White folks are 20 times more likely to get skin cancer (or the figure is thereabouts). Moreover, in the tropics we have siesta time or something to that effect, which is at the height of the sun (directly over your head or approaching). Even a lot of our plants fold up at this time of the day.

Those who are generally exposed to the sun because of their livelihood or living environment do not voluntarily go out under the sun. E.g. native sea dwellers always swim when the sun is very weak or after it has gone down. Only little children run around when it is super bright!

IMO there is a level of comfort that people have with the sun. I'm not talking about a threshold, but one that you are comfortable in! Not something you are struggling with because you are thinking about how "fab" you will look. Once you feel the need to get out of the sun, take a shower/swim, and drink some water, take the hint! :)
 
I use sun showers as a glow makes you look healthy despite what people have said so far, people who are pale look like theyre ill compared to someone with a nice glow, im not talking about turd brown though, I only started using them a couple of months ago will use them about once a month, we don't get no sun here in the UK otherwise I'd just sit out in that all day to get a tan.

Also, for a few days after using the sun shower I feel great and alot more confident it does have great anti-depressant effects.
 
OcCo said:
I use sun showers as a glow makes you look healthy despite what people have said so far, people who are pale look like theyre ill compared to someone with a nice glow, im not talking about turd brown though, I only started using them a couple of months ago will use them about once a month, we don't get no sun here in the UK otherwise I'd just sit out in that all day to get a tan.

Also, for a few days after using the sun shower I feel great and alot more confident it does have great anti-depressant effects.
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what's a sun shower?
 
you need vitamin sun.

Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts [4-6]. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults [3,7,8]. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. ...

Most people meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight [6,27]. Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation with a wavelength of 290-315 nanometers penetrates uncovered skin and converts cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, which in turn becomes vitamin D3 [11,27-28]. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin melanin content, and sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D synthesis [28].
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People are more attractive with a nice tan. :) However, I don't like the aging effect it has. I'm done tanning in tanning beds after my wedding in June.
 
I was a bridesmaid in wedding where a suggested skin tone came long with the bride's dress selection. We could chose our own shoes. Ooooh thanks.
 
Because it gives me self-confidence and makes me feel sexy which goes out into all the other areas of my life in positive ways. :D
 
Some or many people just love looking tanned for many reasons, and one of them is that it tends to disguise mild imerfections on the skin, and gives a somewhat thinner contour look, but some believe that it looks healthy-I don't and I am very white!! I'm not sure my skin can handle it, but I don't like artificial tanning!
 
Roger&Me said:
Well personally, I have some psoriasis on my knee and a tan every once in a while keeps it from flaring up -- its really not good for you, though, it gives you cancer.
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I have severe eczema that all but disappears when I use a tanning bed for 7 minutes every week. 8o

I've tried lots of potions, creams and prescriptions but nothing has worked like a little bit of regular UV. I was absolutely amazed when I first tried a session and a little horrified, but I soon learnt to accept that this is the only way I'm going to get by without my otherwise permanent, itchy, unsightly and quite disgusting red rash in the crooks of my knees. elbows and behind my neck.

I actually like the idea of getting a very controlled amount of UV in a safe environment - I prefer it over sitting in the sun for a pre-determined amount of time as there is no reliable way of measuring how much exposure you're getting.
 
^ don't you think there is a quality of life aspect you are missing out on by laying in a tan bed versus chillin' in the sun?

Sorta like watching wildlife documentaries on television versus getting out there yourself and experiencing it.
 
OP let me know if u want these pics removed if its off topic.

My own little "crap tan" gallery:

WOW!
spraytan.jpg


How did she get a shade like that? Add some red lipstick to the spray bottle?
tan-oompa-lady.jpg


tanline_dude.jpg


bad_tan_comparison_2.jpg


lindsay_lohan.jpg


He is so irresistible. I mean, come on, who can say no to a man like Donald. Has been known to completely over power supermodels so they want to produce his children.
donald_trump.png


lindsay-lohan-bad-tan.jpg


OldTan.jpg


11130962_gal.jpg
 
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Some people just look better with a tan. Like, think of jennifer aniston. When is she ever NOT tan? Some people are lucky enough to have a complexion which looks far better pale, or their hair color contrasts/complements fair skin better. Others may need a bit of color here and there to boost their attractiveness.
 
I dunno, i think a light tan is good. Too pale or too dark just looks unhealthy(and is) and that why i dont like the look of it.
 
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