I'm a tanner... and I was wondering about what to do about my incisions post op. I ran across this on the internet and am GLAD I did. I will be covering my incisions with those cute little stickers. Better to have shapes all over my belly than to promote the healing of my incisions/scars...

I tan and found this to be helpful.

Sunning, Tanning Booths, & Surgery

While having a golden tan is lovely to look at - it damages the skin. Tanning is a personal choice, but it's important to know the results of doing so in conjunction with your surgery.

No one ever healed skin cancer by getting a tan. If tanning improved our skin there would be no need for sunscreens and all the media messages about skin cancer we hear daily.

Stay out of the sun before your surgery

You want your skin to be in good shape so that you can have the best chances for healing. Suntanned skin does not promote well-healed incisions.

Stay out of the sun after your surgery

Sun on your new incisions will turn them permanently red. This is not our opinion - it's a fact. Incisions need to stay out of the sun for about a year, and longer if they have not turned white. Once you sun them and turn them red, there is no going back. Only excising them and starting over will get rid of the red, sun damaged incision lines.

If you will be in the sun post-operatively (we realize we all have lives and vacations happen), please make sure your suit covers your incisions completely. Depending on how far post-op you are, you should ask your plastic surgeon if you can put sunscreen on your incisions. Sunscreens are chemicals, and it may not be a good idea to put this on your incisions if you are newly post-op, so ask your plastic surgeon. Of course, exposing them to sun would be worse, so do ask your plastic surgeon as he or she might also be able recommend the brand they'd like you to use. Some people have even put surgical adhesive tape over their incisions. This might be a good alternative to the chemical aspects of sunscreen - provided the tape stays on. Again, ask your plastic surgeon.

Have you tried mystic tanning? I'm sure it wouldn't be good for the incisions but perhaps better overall.

Actually, the place I visit has Mystic tanning but I think it looks orangy. It would be optimal for fair skinned or those who have melnoma in their family history. I usually go once a week, I'm olive complected and don't burn, and I think tan fat looks better than white and while I'm this huge, it makes me feel better about being sans clothing in front of DH. I do know the dangers of sun/tanning and try not to over do it. I get checked once a year by a dermatologist to check for spots and my DH keeps a pretty good look out for anything that might change (moles n such).

I went tonight and placed two towels over my tummy. In a couple of weeks I'm going to use big heart stickers and place them over my spots. Who knows... maybe when I drop a 100 lbs or more, I might feel better about myself and not feel the need to tan.

Have you tried mystic tanning? I'm sure it wouldn't be good for the incisions but perhaps better overall.

I've been tanning with stickers over my incisions. Now when I take an update pic they will be easy to spot cause they will be surrounded by lighter spots.

T

Thanks for posting this, I want to start tanning in about 2 weeks. I will also try the stickers on my scars.

Eficka mentioned that her scars are very red because she didn't know about it before she went on Holiday and exposed them to sunlight. Definitely cover them up!

I know about and worry about the effects of tanning such as skin cancer etc - this is HUGE in Australia being the biggest suffering country as far as skin cancer is concerned, in the WORLD. But I also kind of believe some of the counter arguments to this - such as a mild base tan actually helps prevent skin cancer due to you not burning out in the sun and that it can help prevent certain cancers etc.

So I do it in moderation - I do it when it matters to me, in the summer when bits of me are on show and I dont do it over winter (much as I would love to) when everyone else is white anyway.

I've never protected my scars and if anything its made them less noticeable. They've just about faded away.

i have been wondering about this too, because im the maid of honor in a wedding this summer and was hoping to not look like a giant ghost...i remember my sisters surgeon from another operation told her that even in clothes, the uv rays can reach your scars, so you are better off to apply sunscreen only to your scars (once they are healed enough totake it) every day even in clothes, and im sure especially in the tanning booth. unfortunately this will call even more attention to them, but the way i see it is if anyone is going to be seeing my highlighted scars, they probably already know about them. im not an expert or anything, but just trying to regurgitate what i remember from years ago...good luck!

I went to the pharmacy and bought a roll of paper tape to put directly on my scar then I bought a roll of the thick solid white tape that is hard to tear to put two layers on top. I have discovered that though it's not as much as.. the stickers still allow the light to get through.. sunscreen will as well

After watching my father die of skin cancer (a rather awful death), I've always been afraid of UV rays. When other members of the family (siblings of his) had various growths removed, thats reinforced that fear. (my hair and coloring my play a part in this as well) I'd like to point out that fake tans have come a long way. You can get the spray on stuff at a lot of places if you like, or you can get the loiton. There are tons of loitons out there actually. And look at the effects of sun on skin and what in can do in terms of aging and so forth as well. Pale is the new tan :bolt:

Iam an advid tanner, have been for many years. after my surgery I just put sunscreen over my incisions and have had no discoloring or problems

I have been using the Jergen's tanning lotion, it's awesome. No streaks and makes your legs look good too, has a funny smell, but goes away.

I tried the Hawaiian Tropic tanning lotion, it's awful, streaks and has a strange color.

I was an avid tanner. I am olive complected and I have light eyes. I got super super super dark. I only would tan in the High pressure beds. 3 years ago I had a mole removed on the back of my calf It was melanoma. Stage 1 they got everything. I have a 6 inch scar on my calf and I have to go back every 6 months to a dermatologist and be checked. I have had 6 moles removed since and they were all fine. The stress that the visit and cutting invokes isn't alot of fun but I don't want to die from this cancer.

I was told to stop tanning by everyone that I know. I loved it, I was addicted to it. I loved how it made me feel. I miss it horribly. I also think fat looks better tan than white but it may kill me and I can't take that chance. I have kids. So.... Be careful, get checked. I will tell you to stop but you won't listen. And I am insanely jealous of those of you that can still tan.