I want some info on this subject. I am so white, I glow in the dark! No joke!! I want to know how often you do it, the costs & the pros & cons. Any info is appreciated!!

WOW! Lots of responses with great info & opinions! Thanks! I think a tan makes you look slimmer too. I think that is what is appealing to me about it. That & the fact that it helps to camoflage (sp?) the stretch marks. I have them everywhere. They're in the bends of my arms & the backs of my knees! I hate stretch marks!!! At least they are not purple anymore. But I know they are there!! I guess if I decide to quit living off my husband (LOL!!) & go back to work, the tanning bed will be my best option. If I decide to remain a bum through the summer, I'll just hang out at Mom's pool. I don't want to be a mahogany color, just a little honey colored. I use to get fabulous tans when I was younger. Now I tan, but it has red undertones. Even when I'm not burnt. I'm hoping that was due to my high blood pressure. Since that's gone now, maybe I will get brown again. Thanks everybody!!!

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether tanning beds will damage the port at all....also if sun tanning will do the same. This is my fear after hearing stories. Someone please help me? I also feel stupid asking my doctor because of the other risks connected to tanning.

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether tanning beds will damage the port at all....also if sun tanning will do the same. This is my fear after hearing stories. Someone please help me? I also feel stupid asking my doctor because of the other risks connected to tanning.

My surgeon said there was no risk in damaging the port from tanning - beds or naturally.

I love the tanning beds! I know they are bad but they are so relaxing. I prefer them to sitting on the beach all day. 10 minutes and you are done. The beds are no more dangerous than the sun. One session in a tanning both is equivalent to sitting out in the sun all day. I feel like I look healthier with a tan. I limit myself to the summer months. When I go tanning I dont worry about buring from being outside all day. I love my fake bake beds!

i had skin cancer when i was 13. my arms are covered in freckles from years of growing up in tropical climates. i love the sun. but i burn. so i seek the shade, and use a lotion tanner. I love it!! If I want my porcelain look, i don't use it for a week or two and i get my creamy white skin back, but if i want to not "glow" at the beach or the club (i feel like i glow blue under blacklights at the clubs LOL) i lotion tan for a few weeks, then 2x a week to keep it going. not too dark or it looks funny. Redheads were not meant to be really dark LOL

I love to tan it is sooo relaxing to me and I feel better about myself,I bought myself a used tanning bed!

Tan fat looks better than white fat for sure, but you really have to take care of your skin daily. I've lathered in almond oil after bathing for a couple decades (I air dry) but switched to my new favorite Body Dew oil (Slumber product.) My skin is always hydrated, and I never need lotion. I noticed how even I tan in a shorter period of time.

I only use tanning beds for special winter occasions. I know girls that have memberships that look more like Oompa Loompas than people. Do you want pretty skin or leather?

Actually the tanning beds are more dangerous than the sun due to the different wavelength used.

Hehe, does anyone find in the tanning beds their boobs are always white because when you lie down they fall under your arms? So you get really brown in the centre of your chest?

Definitely when I quit living off my hubby and being an old age university student I'm gonna be in that Mystic Tan place once a week.

I do a cocktail of tanning beds and tanning lotions when I'm preparing for a vacation. I've heard that burning is worse for your skin than preparing it for the sun by tanning, so I usually just tan before a vacation.

On a side note, tanning is my therapy. I go when I'm super stressed. I also tell my clients (brides) to go if they get stressed. Though I know there's no such thing as a healthy tan, I feel like the de-stressing component of it is WORTH IT every once in awhile. I also cover up my stomach when I go tanning so my skin will stretch back.

There is definitely a mood lift you get from that burst of light.

well I know for a fact that sunlight gives you vitamin D and that helps to perk you up. Lack of it causes depression and that is why places that are under a blanket of clouds most of the time, like Seattle, have a higher suicide rate. interesting, huh? I don't know if you can get the same from a tanning bed though! LOL It might just be the relaxation of being completely alone with nothing but your thoughts.

I like most of you are very fair skinned freckles from head to toe and everywhere in between. I do not tan well outside but get a beautiful brown from the tanning bed. As long as you do it sllllowly if you are fair you can keep from burning. I was in a patients room the other morning and they had a special on the news about possibly banning tanning beds from those under age 18 because of the increases of skin cancer. They stated that 1 in 5 will have some form of skin cancer. They also stated that tanning is very addictive(do have to agree) because it releases some endorphines in your body that make you feel good and make you crave that feeling. Just do your research and do what you feel is best for you. Remember that with a tanning bed as well as the sun if you overdo it continually for several years your skin will eventually look and feel like leather. (thats not a pretty sight). IF you decide to tan keep us posted with how you are doing and how dark you have become!

I am determined to be tan this year! I've been doing the stand up beds and for the first time ever, I'm looking semi-tan. I had to laugh at the "I'm so white I make milk look tan" comment! Too funny! But I feel the same way.

I heard that California girls have a saying, "If you can't lose it - Tan it!"

When I started this, I was itching like crazy. But I started using the lotions before getting in the tanning bed and that's stopped. It's really important to keep your skin hydrated... so it doesn't look all wrinkly when we have to go to the dermitologist. *winks*

Tanning certainly isnt the only thing we do in the name of beauty that's bad for us either. I'm fairly sure wearing petrochemicals all over our skin and putting hair dye in and taking diet pills and a whole host of other things probably dont do much for our overall health either.

And doctors (here anyway) are now having to tell people to go out into the sun sans sunscreen for a while every day due to the increase in Vitamin deficiency.

Everything in moderation I guess - I feel comfortable using a tanning bed when I want to be brown for a formal occasion or just prior to a summer holiday, I know the risks and I can make an informed decision. I'm too frightened of looking like that scary old bat in There's Something About Mary to make it a regular, several times a week event though.

Until they come up with a self tan lotion that doesnt stink, or rub off round your shoe and bra line I'll steer clear of those.

I've thought of a couple more questions. What do ya'll prefer? The stand up booth things or the beds that you lie down in? And also, how many visits would it take for me to begin to tan & not just burn. I see so many people burnt & when you ask about it they reply, "Oh, I just tanned!" I do tan easily, I just haven't done it for so long due to my own head demons. I won't even go there. I'm sure you all know what I am referring to. I recently bought a bathing suit that I just love! I have officially retired my old bathing suit (the only one I ever found that fit me in the old days). And do ya'll go buck naked or do you wear a suit? My Mom's best friend has a tanning bed that I can use. So I guess that wouldn't really be a big deal. Will I even fit in a tanning bed or booth? I'm still 270 lbs (5'4").