How long should you be outside for to tan?

Question

I want to tan, but I dont know how long I should be outside for or how long I should be on my back and then on my belly.

Answer 1

It depends. You have to find out the current UV rating to know how strong the sun is where you are. Also what type of skin do you have, are you fair or darker?

I am Swedish and when there I can do an hour on each side, but now I live in New Zealand, here 10-15 minutes on each side is enough to get burned in summer.

Remember to always use sun block. And that no tan is worth getting skin cancer for.

Answer 2

If your just getting started for the summer, a general rule is 15 minutes at a time. Fifteen on this side and fifteen on the other. The idea is not to burn and peel. And if I know anything about girls, I know that peeling skin was not a New Year's resolution. Once you have a decent base tan (brown, not red) then you can spend progressively longer periods in the sun. A good idea is to use a proper sunscreen if you plan on lying in the sun and baking like a muffin. It will protect you from the worst of the UV rays and help keep your skin moist so you don't end up looking like your skin is made of leather. As far as those instant tanning lotions? They don't increase the quantity of melanin in your skin, they just dye it a different color. Your skin isn't really ready for a day at the beach and you could still burn.

Answer 3

Bit long, but bear with me:

This is just an opinion and I'm not medically qualified, but... I think sunscreens cause skin cancer. You'll notice that the blurb on them says that they moisturise the skin and limit premature ageing and so on, but none of them claim to reduce the incidence of melanoma, because (as far as I'm aware) there's no evidence that they do. What we *can* say for sure is that plenty of people get skin cancer in places on their bodies that are never exposed to the sun. So, you could spend your whole life in a cupboard and *still* end up with skin cancer, without even having years of pleasure from sun-worshipping to offset it. Also some research suggests that sun exposure actually inhibits cancer, since sunlight produces vitamin D, and this is thought to have a preventative effect on certain cancers.

The situation we have now, is that there has been a marked increase in skin cancer in many parts of the world in recent decades, correlated with a marked increase in the use of sunscreens. I suspect therefore that the use of sunscreen is causing more skin cancer, by lulling people into a false sense of security about sun exposure - i.e. because we use SPF 6,000 or something, we think we're protected, and we stay out in the sun for hours upon hours - In fact, whilst we're certainly protected from *burning* there is no evidence that the sunscreen protects from *cancer*... so you have all these people spending far longer in the sun than they would without the sunscreen, and consequently many more cases of skin cancer than would otherwise be the case.

So, the natural and sensible alternative is to use your body's own sun protection - tanning - to guide you in your sun exposure, and don't use sunscreen at all. Start by short periods of exposure - say 15 to 30 minutes depending on climate and time of year - and see how your skin reacts. If you are perfectly comfortable and get a shade of tan, that's about right. As you get more tanned, you'll be able to safely stay out longer, say 30 to 60 minutes, using your skin's own response as a guide. Gradually work up to the protection of a good natural tan. You will get a good safe tan with much less exposure than if you used lotion. Do equal times on your front and back and sides and remember to lie in such a way that your arms don't stop the side of your body from getting tanned, otherwise you'll end up with white stripes down the side :-) Oh, and sunbathe nude of course, it's the only sensible way - tan lines are not nice. You need an all-over tan like I have.

One final point: By far the most important issue with skin cancer is early detection, so if you see anything that concerns you, get it checked out straight away.

Hope this helps... :-)

Answer 4

The fastest & healthiest way to get a tan is through a bottle, rather than basking in the sun. (in fact, it's the only safe way)

There are MANY great self tanners in the marketplace. Try Neutrogena micromist.

If you want a more gradual and mistake proof tan, try Jergen's Healthy Glow. It's a moisturizer (which you need to put on anyway) and it has a bit of self tanner. Each day, you'll look tanner & tanner.

Answer 5

Depends...how much skin cancer do you want? Tanning is your skin's response to UV light. It is a protective reaction to prevent further injury to your skin from the sun. However, it does not prevent skin cancer.

Remember, skin cancer is very slow to develop. The sunburn you receive this week may take 20 years or more to become skin cancer.

Answer 6

The sun is only good for skin cancer.I use loreal towelettes and jergens in between.It easy to use and dries really fast.

Answer 7

never there are so many ways to get that glow without hurting your skin and keep moisturized.