# Should I go to the tanning bed or not?



## xcoco (Dec 4, 2009)

Hi, 

I am very pale and I used to like it that way but I noticed that I really look alot better tanned! I am currently using bronzer & a darker shade foundation and it doesn't look fake but I want my face and body to look darker. 

I am thinking about going to the tanning bed but I never went before and I am scared of the side effects. I know it gives skin cancer & wrinkles but its long term effects and does it happen to everyone or it just depends on your luck? Are there any other side effects that you can notice earlier? Would you recommend going to the tanning bed or not?

And if I go to the tanning bed, how many times should I go a week to build my tan and when I am satisfied of the tan, how many times should I go a week to keep it?

Thanks everyone!


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## ..kels* (Dec 4, 2009)

I'd say no.. I don't think tanning beds are ever a good idea. Anyone can get skin cancer from tanning.. cancer doesn't discriminate & it's definitely not based on luck. Either keep using bronzing products, or rock your pale skin!


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## gildedangel (Dec 4, 2009)

I wouldn't recommend a tanning bed at all. It always damages your skin, and it damages it more the paler you are and if you are paler it is more noticable. You could try self-tanners instead to keep a darker color. I would hate for you to use a tanning bed and regret it later.


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## xsnowwhite (Dec 4, 2009)

I don't reccomend it at all. It isn't worth the risks. Im so pale but do self tannersand people don't notice it's fake. You could try mystic tan or versa spa tans , which are spray tans and last around 10 days.


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## LMD84 (Dec 4, 2009)

i'm with team no on this one as well.  the thing is there are so many negatives about tanning beds and when you can easily fake the result, why risk so many health issues?

i'm very pale as well. i stupidly went on a tanning bed once. the lady told me 4 minutes would be fine. oh my goodness it was terrible! afterwards my skin went bright red and i was itching all over for a day or so. why i put myself trhough that i do not know!

now when i want to look golden i use st tropez moose. easy to apply and gives great results everytime


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## ThePowderPuff (Dec 4, 2009)

Don't! Tanning beds will definitely cause wrinkles to your skin in time, and wil increase the risc of skin cancer. Try self-tanners instead. They're completely safe.


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## shatteredshards (Dec 4, 2009)

Definately a no. Tanning beds only damage your skin for a limited-time payoff - people who use them to tan often go 1-3 times a week for the upkeep. You can get good results with self-tanner and makeup.

Cancer is definately not worth it. There are women who have gotten skin cancer before the age of 25 because of tanning beds. I would rather be pale as heck and the butt of jokes for it than have to undergo operations and chemo and the lot, especially knowing that one of my grandmothers died from cancer - skin cancer - and thus I never got to meet her.


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## ashk36 (Dec 4, 2009)

That's a no from me, too! I'm super pale as well. I went to the tanning bed a few times a couple years ago and really didn't see much of a difference, but I wasn't very consistent with it. It's not worth the risks. People used to think they were safe, and now we're finding out so many horrible things about using them...I'm sure there are more dangers that we don't even know about yet. My best friend uses one all the time, and my boyfriend says she looks like a  burnt pancake. I'd go with self-tanners like other posters have suggested. That, or just embrace your pale skin! I feel like self-tanners are just a pain in the ass.


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## howleekorian (Dec 4, 2009)

Don't do it! Save yourself! Once you start hitting the tanning bed you will become addicted.

Any type of tanning (outdoors, beds, sprays, lotions) I feel, does no good for your body and health. If you look at older women who used to tan in their teens and early 20s you will notice that they look older than they should. It doesn't help your confidence level either because the tan is temporary and once you lose color you will be itching to hop into a tanning bed again. Plus, think of all the money you save!! You could donate it to cancer research if you feel compelled to as well. 

Embrace your natural skin color!


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## Goat Goat Etc. (Jan 21, 2010)

No, don't go Jersey Shore.


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## Machinegun_Cali (Jan 21, 2010)

I'd say no. I go tanning and love it, I wish I never started and got hooked. I dont go full on Jersey Shore but I love being dark  Use lotions and whatnot.


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## kimmae17 (Jan 21, 2010)

dont do it!!!!! i used to go tanning religiously in college.   now i have wrinkles that a 28 year old should NOT Have.   and i have had some pre cancerous freckles removed.  not fun.   go get the tan towels.  they are great!  you can go to their website and search where they are sold in your area


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## Makeup Emporium (Jan 21, 2010)

Another vote for no!  I am super pale but at least I won't have George Hamilton leather skin when I get older...yuck!!  I would rather be pale than risk my health.


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## fiction_writer (Jan 23, 2010)

I would say don't go. i am very very pale (people always ask if i'm sick) and when i was in high school i went to tanning beds all the time. now, 10 years, all of these brown sun spots keep showing up on my face and i know that they are from tanning bed use. also, i recently read a magazine article that said that using tanning beds increases your risk of skin cancer by 85%. in my opinion, it's not worth the risk. now i just use xen-tan dark tanning lotion to give my skin colour. i even mix a bit of it with my facial moisturizer to make my face a bit darker.


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## kimmy (Jan 24, 2010)

i'm gonna suggest you don't go.

i went to tanning beds off and on for about a year. when i was young i never wore sunscreen because my skin tans very well especially considering i'm irish. i look better dark, i will give you that. BUT looking super sexy now isn't worth the wrinkles and probability of skin cancer in ten years.

there are plenty of self tanners on the market, i'm sure you can find one that's good for you. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 and with that, no risk for skin cancer and no premature aging!


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## MzzRach (Jan 24, 2010)

Self tanners are so good these days - please don't damage your skin with a tanning bed.  Get a faux glow.


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## HustleRose (Jan 26, 2010)

not to sound repetitive, but NOOOOOOO. it's not worth it!! get a spray on tan, there are a lot of good options out there. don't damage your skin with fake n bake!!


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## xcoco (Feb 2, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your replies! I decided not to go to tanning bed and get an airbrush tan instead


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## shatteredshards (Feb 3, 2010)

Yay! So glad to hear it.


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## malika (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm a no too!

Honestly, I think us girls just want what we don't have. The curly haired girls buy straighteners, the straight haired girls buy curling irons. Us pale girls want to go tanning and so many asian and darker girls put chemical bleach on their face. 

I guess you also want to diversify your look. I recommend you take a look around here on the fotds on some of the pale girls to get some inspiration. Being pale really is beautiful! I know the tanned look has been trendy for such a long time (at least in countries where the majority are pale), but I think it's about to change soon.

You also asked for short-term side effects of tanning. I'm a cool-toned pale girl  (Norwegian), with sun-induced freckles (they come in spring and fade in fall), and also a lot of healthy moles. I had a period where I went to the tanning salon a few years ago, when I was 20. What I noticed was that the mole count on one of my arms went from 7 to 60 ON ONE ARM. It only took a couple of weeks!

Thankfully all of these are cute and look unharmful. I'm not sure they would have stayed that way had I continued. I hope that changes the mind of some girls who read this!


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