First time tanning (I have questions)?

Question

A friend and I are planning on going tanning this friday before a swimteam meet. So I wanted to know a few answers to my questions.
1- I have a farmer tan, will it darken the area, or get the rest of my skin the same color? If it does, is there annythin the people can do to even it out? 2- How long will the tan stay? 3- How long should I stay in the bed to get an effective, but not lobster red tan?

Answer 1

10 minutes u sohuld stay in u have to go weekly if you want a solid tan, not just once, the tan will even out after a few visits

Answer 2

1. it will take a few times before it evens out your farmers tan. both will get darker as you progress.

2. the tan will stay as long as you keep going tan. its just like a tan from the sun. stop tanning, your skin stops tanning. its common sense.

3. ask the worker at the tanning salon. all beds are different bulbs. usually the first time you stay in for about 10 minutes.

FYI - the first time you go, you more then likely wont see a change. you have to go several time before you see a change. so you should have planned this a little time before the swim team meet.

Answer 3

1. You shouldn't tan. I used to work in a tanning salon and saw first-hand the damage that tanning did to our customers.

2. If you must tan, go to a salon that is Smart Tan certified. The employees at Smart Tan salons have to take a test proving that they understand the science of what makes skin tan and how to tan with the least amount of damage. Just phone a bunch of salons in your area and ask if their employees are Smart Tan certified. If they're not, it means they haven't invested in employee training and your risks of serious skin damage are much higher.

3. Nobody can tell you how long to tan unless they know the specific UV ray strengths in the bed and how many hours the bulbs have been used for. For example, fifteen minutes in a bed with old, low-UV bulbs can be the same as six minutes in a bed with new, high-UV bulbs. Different bulbs also have different ratios of UVA and UVB rays (which affects the color of your tan). Going to a Smart Tan certified salon means that the person working behind the desk is more likely to know which bed and which amount of time is right for you.

If you want to even out your farmer's tan, use a salon-approved, mineral-oil-free sunscreen on the parts of your body that are currently dark. Check with the salon that your sunscreen is safe, because products with mineral oil will cloud the glass in the beds and make them less effective (this is why you shouldn't use something like Hawaiian Tropic oil in a tanning bed).

In all honesty, if you're preparing for an event that is coming up soon, you'd do better to get a few spray-on tans or even buy a nice bottle of Clarins self-tanner. Tanning beds not only cause skin damage, but they also take longer to show results.

Answer 4

Tanning takes about three visits before you'll start to notice a difference in your color. You can go three days in a row if you start Wednesday, but use lotion afterwards because you might get dry skin. I think it will take a while longer to get rid of the farmer tan, but you could use a sunless tanner. I like the ones by Banana Boat and they're pretty inexpensive. In fact, if you just want to be tan for one event, you might just want to go with a sunless tanner anyway. Or you could do the spray on tans. I think they are noticable after just two applications. If you decide to go with a tanning bed, it will last as long as you maintain it (by continuing to tan) or else it will fade naturally, just as a regular sun tan. As for how long to stay in the bed, you need to talk to the tanning salon personel, there are different types of beds and the maximum times are different for each. They will advise you how long you should go based on your skin type and other factors. If you've never tanned before, you'll probably want to start with the minimum time or maybe just a minute longer.

Answer 5

Tan for 8 min your first time, then go up 2 min every day (if you don't burn) until you get the color you want. It will take about a week.
Also use a tanning lotion that has a bronzer in it. You will get color alot faster that way.

Answer 6

When I first started tanning, I was only in the bed for about 3 or4 minutes(I was in stand up) When you are in a lay down bed you generally double the time that you would for stand up, so in stand up you would go in for 3, and lay down would be 6... You won't notice a difference right away, you have to keep going to build your tan up. You need lotion later on when you build your minutes, I use Austrailian Gold, it is a little expensive, but they have alot of products to choose from. I use one that has the ingredient Aloe Vera first on the ingredients list, there is more aloe vera in the lotion than say, water. =)

Answer 7

I can't believe you are considering sunbaking after everything that is known about skin cancer. I realise this isn't what you want to hear, but listen anyway. My aunt died from a melonoma on her toe, they first cut of her toe, then half her foot, then up to her knee before they realised the cancer had spread pretty well everywhere. Don't take skin cancer lightly, its no joke. Use fake tan, if you will only listen to concerns about appearence rather than your health, tanning makes your skin leathery, I'm guessing you don't want to look older than you are when you are 30.

Answer 8

i have not been tanning in a bed... but i do have some advise. dont make it a habbit... tanning in a bed causes premature skin problems including spots, wrinkles, and CANCER, even on young girls. There are many articles out there that are about teens getting skin cancer from tanning. its just as bad as tanning outside in the sun.
make sure you are protected with a sunscreen with both UVA (rays that cause aging) and UVB (rays that cause burning) protection.
a safer approach: use a self tanning lotion or gel. they have spray on tans that look natural too... Lancome and Clarins are both recommended by dermatologists and other customers.
make sure you exfoliate your body and moisturize the dry parts so the tanning agent does not turn rough or dry areas too dark or spotty.

Answer 9

Here are some taning info which would help you:

How To Tan Safely
http://tanning-guide.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-to-tan-safely.html

Answer 10

only stay in for 10 -15 mins so you don't Burn it will darken your tan and every other spot that is not tan.... you have to go a few times to make every thing even! good luck!