Tanning Beds: How much is too much?

NeedToImprove

Senior Don Juan
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
352
Reaction score
1
for those people like me whose skin is snow white, tanning beds are an alternative way to get a tan and get a boost in confidence. But some new studies say that tanning beds cause skin cancer.

i don't doubt the study but the risk of going to the beach and toast in the sun isn't it the same?

has anyone tried tanning beds? how many minutes and how many days per week/month?
 

PDubb75

Master Don Juan
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
984
Reaction score
43
Location
Chicago
Depends who you ask. Some say that every single minute in those beds increases your risk. You are basically getting a full days worth of sun in 20 minutes.

There are very few, if any studies that show they do not increase cancer risk.

With that being said, I've used them, and can agree they give a good tan and ca boost confidence.
 

Who Dares Win

Master Don Juan
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
7,519
Reaction score
5,896
I was used to do them as well having dark hair and fair skin, which is not exactly the best mix however I find out that your skin gets naturally darker and bronzed in other ways as well:

1)reduce body fat since fat make skin which covers it paler, no wonder the average girl is paler than the average guy.

2)Eat vegetable since many of them contains vitamins and substances which improve your skin, carots for example in reasonable quantity will make your skin a lil bit more healthy in color.

3)Try to spend time outside even if its winter, your skin will still synthetize some pigment and react to the sun.

Im not attending any tanning saloon but I can tell you in few months I notice the difference, even a drop of 5% of body fat will do wonder apart all the other advantages.
 

stephen_dedalus

Don Juan
Joined
Jul 20, 2006
Messages
78
Reaction score
0
Location
Nirvana
NeedToImprove said:
But some new studies say that tanning beds cause skin cancer.
Its not really new information that hitting your skin with UV light is bad for you. UV light is a known mutagen that has been extensively linked to the development of skin cancer. The amount is highly variable between people, but if you keep hitting your skin with UV light, your chances of getting skin cancer get a lot higher.

I used to work in a melanoma lab, and you seriously don't want to mess around with increasing your chances for skin cancer. A melanoma smaller than a pencil eraser is easily able to kill you if it metastasizes.
 

ATX1001

Don Juan
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
77
Reaction score
2
Location
Melbourne, Australia
There's a lot of misunderstanding around tanning beds. Yes they hit you with UV and yes they increase cancer risk.

However, so does going out in the sun and exposing your body to 'natural' UV. At least with a tanning bed you get a measured dose and 8 minutes in a bed is equivalent to about an hour in the sun, not all day.
 

FairShake

Master Don Juan
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
2,426
Reaction score
307
How about you get your confidence from success and accomplishment and mastery rather than the color of your complexion?

Tanning beds, just like tanning from the sun, can cause cancer. Especially if you are pale skinned. Wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Don't be a girl and fvck yourself up to live up to some other person's standard of beauty.
 
Top