To me, tanning – whether it’s in a tanning bed or outside –
is kind of like smoking. I get why years ago before people knew what it
really does to you, it was popular. But now, we know it’s terrible for your
health, and it just doesn’t make sense to me to do it.
I didn’t always think this way. In fact, in high school, I
worked at a hair/tanning salon and would tan in the beds myself. I liked the
golden glow I got from it – it does make you look skinnier, and I certainly loved to
have nice tan skin in the summer for all my mini summer clothes. But now it’s just
not worth it to me – for a number of reasons.
Beyond not wanting to turn into an old leathery woman, when
I was 18, I had my first check with my dermatologist for skin cancer. I had
noticed a small spot on my chest that hadn’t been there before, and it worried
me. Turns out I was right to be worried - it was pre-cancerous and had to be
removed. I never tanned again – not in a tanning bed, not outside, nothing.
Six years later, after getting skin checks every six months
and being diligent about my sunscreen use, my dermatologist found a cancerous
spot on my back. This time, I had to have actual surgery for it, and now have a
three-inch pretty nasty scar on my left shoulder blade to remember it by.
One of the most annoying things is when people who don’t
know me very well try to give me tips on how I can get tan in the sun without
being burned. They see that I am pale and immediately tell me “you need to get
some sun.” Do I? How would you like some cancer?
For some people, they can get tan all of their lives and never
have a problem. But those people are few and far between. I refuse to risk my
life to be tan – especially when I can get the same look from a bottle (I don’t
self tan often, but when I feel like I do want some color, I'm pretty good at not turning myself orange or splotchy. Nailed it!)
I know that until I was actually faced with the fact that getting
a tan was damaging my health, I thought I could get away with it – and I think
that’s what most people who still tan think too. No one wants to give up having
fun outside, going to the beach or enjoying the summer, but you don’t have to
bake yourself to a crisp in the process.
Just visit a dermatologist, and in your first five minutes
in the waiting room, you’ll see what too much unprotected time in the sun does to people. The number of
bandages over fresh wounds on patients’ faces from removing spots will make you
think twice.
It's pretty easy to be safe in the sun:
1. Wear
sunscreen whenever you will be exposed to the sun. Not that Hawaiian Tropic
Golden Tanning Lotion SPF 6 stuff (which was my go to as a teen - it's basically coconut scented baby lotion). Get real
waterproof, SPF 30 or higher sunscreen lotion. You can find really good,
non-greasy kinds at Target or the drugstore.
2. Try out
self tanning products. There are so many good options and if you know how to
apply it correctly, you can look like you just came from the beach and not get heat stroke in the process.
3. Never ever
go into a tanning bed. Just don’t even think about it.
Next week, I’ll have a post on my favorite sunscreens. I’ve
tried so many, and I have three go-to picks.
Enjoy frolicking safely in the sun!
Disclaimer so I don't get locked up: All opinions are my own.
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