What's wrong with me? (Tanning)?

Question

I always try to get a tan i use the sunscreen so i wont get burnt but i end up getting burnt. And after the sunburn goes away im back to pale white. And my mom doesnt allow me to use tanning booths, she says they cause cancer and that it might not open up again...I am outside a lot and i swim and play soccer. So anyone got a different way?

Answer 1

The reason we tan is because a brown pigment called melanin is the body's natural defence against sun damage. This gives skin a tanned appearance, and the skin has to take some original damage for the melanin to come into play.

Pale skinned people tend to have less melanin in their skin - and burn more easily. This tanning (or in your case, burning) is linked to the skin cancer, melanoma. Skin cancer caused more deaths in australia than any other disease. It isn't something that won't affect you, or that you're automatically safe from. The only way to protect yourself is to use spf30 or above suncream.

Me, I love the appearance of a tan. I fake it. If you can afford tanning booths then you could easily get a professional spray tan for that price, or even save money and do it yourself. I know this answer isn't what you want to hear....but it's the truth. take care x

Answer 2

Use an SPF 30 sport sunscreen. SPFs higher than 30 tend to not work well, and with a sport sunscreen you won't have to worry about sweating it off, just remember to apply it again every 30 minutes. Since reapplying can be a pain when you're in the middle of doing an activity, I recommend using the lotion form of the sport sunscreen as the first application, and then getting the spray on sport sunscreen for reapplying. Coppertone makes a really good sport sunscreen in both lotion and spray, their spray is clear and you don't have to rub it in, so you can just spray yourself down and get back in the game. My boyfriend was working outside for a while and getting burnt really badly so I bought the spray for him and he loved it.

Sunless tanning lotions are an option, but they're messy and you have the potential of looking a bit too orange. Tanning beds ARE worse than the sun because when you are out in the sun absorbing UV rays your skin has time to repair itself. In a tanning bed however, you are absorbing more rays faster and your skin does not have that time to repair itself, so you do more irreversible damage.

Good luck!

Answer 3

It sounds like you have the type of skin that just can't tan. There are some people who can simply walk down the street and end up with a great tan and then there are others that only burn. Along with you, I fall into the second category. (As a teenager, my peers would point to me and say, "Look! An albino!" I'm not an albino--I am photosensitive.)

Your mother is right in saying that tanning booths are hazardous. If you want to look darker, you could try one of those tan-in-a-can products. I've heard that some of them give the look of a very real tan. Or you could just be happy with the skin you were given. There really is nothing wrong with being pale.

Answer 4

You are trying too hard and staying out too long. If you are getting burned even with sunscreen you need to raise the # on the bottle if you plan on staying out that long. The trick to a good tan is taking in a little sun daily a little at a time. Try going outside with no sunscreen on for 10 minutes. Increase by 5 minutes every 2 days untill you get to 25 minutes. (Don't stay out without sunscreen for more than 30 minutes)

Answer 5

Try doing indoor activities more then outdoor. Also there are lotions out there that will tan you without the sun and without the worry of burning or cancer. If you do go outside use really strong sunscreen- 50 spf put on once every half-hour.

Answer 6

you seem to have the same problem getting a tan that my daughter does.....and now she uses a self tanning lotion.........and no harmful rays that way--being in the sun or a tanning booth is not good for you...though when outside always use sunscreen

Answer 7

You can get alot of good self tanners that would give you a natural looking tan without looking orange. I am an Esthetican, and use self tanners myself. To get a good one you should go to a beauty supply and get yourself a medium color tanning cream. Self tanners from drug stores are garbage. If you tend to burn in the sun, than you should know that a tanning bed will fry you to crisps and eventually give you snake like skin, scaly and dry.

Answer 8

i suggest u dont use a sunscreen instead try a sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium oxide as it reflects the sunrays and it should protect u from uv rays as well.Also repeat its use every half hour. u have a sensitive skin and hence the sun burn.try using a calamine lotion for minor sun burns

Answer 9

swim in the sea with your back exposed for half hour then swim with your front expossed for half hour like this keep changing your position very frequently this will help in tanning and also there will be no fear of burns too

Answer 10

Tanning booths are just as bad as the sun, so why does it matter