Sunless tanners?

[Monel Funkawitz]

I'm trying Neutrogena Sunless spray (Medium deep) and it looks like it is kinda working. Anyone used these to sucess?

 

[Yeeny]

Yes, they work very good. Only make sure you wash your hands after applying, or they turn REALLY dark. And do not get wet anywhere you applied the lotion, for at least two hours, or you will streak like a zebra. If you follow those directions, it will work well. Another good one is Coppertone, or Ban De Soleil.

 

[Wingnut]

Didn't they use to have pills that make you tan? I think they acted like food coloring for your skin and the coloring didn't digest and was excreted through the skin...scary! :Q

 

[20_MuleTeam_Borax]

Do they work on pale SOB's like myself who do not tan at all. I burn really bad and it turns slightly tan, but that's about it.

 

[xero]

hehe..luck for me...i dont burn at all..my skin just gets hot and i turn darker

 

[Yeeny]

20_mule_team_borax: They work really good on us pale people. Heck, I am so white I glow in the dark! But seriously, they do work really well.

 

[20_MuleTeam_Borax]

If I get myself an artifical tan, will it prevent me from burning in the future? If so, watch the hell out sunblock industry! What I'd give to not have to reapply that crap all the time.

 

[ForeverSilky]

Only takes me about an hour in the sun to get tan, lucky me.

 

[Adul]

I am naturaly tanned.

 

[Topher]

I throw quite a glare off of my white body too. Thankfully it doesn't get exposed too mmuch. However, I moved to Australia a year and a half ago, and in the first three days (in the middle of a HOT summer) I ran around looking for an apartment and ended up getting mroe sun than I think I had seen in a couple of decades. Needless to say, I'm tha ddarkest I've ever been, aand nobody else has noticed (expect my wife, be she commented on the "red" color I had).

 

[Yeeny]

All right, all you tan people leave, you are making me jealous!

 

[HorB]

<< If I get myself an artifical tan, will it prevent me from burning in the future? If so, watch the hell out sunblock industry! What I'd give to not have to reapply that crap all the time. >>



Yes, you do have to wear your sunblock, everyone!

My husband just had a chunk the size of a quarter taken out of his cheek because of skin cancer. He grew up in Southern California and practically lived on the beach. 40 years later he is paying for it.

And stay out of the water, boys and girls, until an hour after lunch.

 

[GL]

My girlfriend says you have to exfoliate (sp?) the skin before you apply these. In other words, use something that removes dead skin cells - hell I have no idea how you'd go about doing that the right way... It makes sense though as you only want the skin cells that will stay on your body to get tanned, not ones that will fall off and expose untanned skin cells.

-GL

 

[Double Trouble]

Having grown up on a little Caribbean island, I know a lot more about sun(burns) and tanning than I'd like to

No, the 'artificial' tanning process does not provide you with increased protection from the sun -- you have to apply sunblock after every hour (regardless of the SPF).

I haven't ever tried any of the tanning lotions, but I guess there's no reason why they can't work.

Here's the part that I don't understand.... On the islands, nobody uses sunscreen or sunblock, even though it's right on the equator and always has plenty of sunshine. I've always heard about the need for sunscreen etc, but yet I recently saw stats from back home on the island that showed the skin cancer rate to be much lower than the average US rate. At the same time, people in the US have much higher skin cancer rates if they don't use suntan lotion or sunscreen. Hmmmmmmmmm..... is suncreen good or bad for ya??

 

[luv2chill]

Your skin cancer risk depends on your skin type (color) and your skin's reaction to the sun.

The darker you are naturally, the less damage the sun can do to your skin.

It is difficult for black people to get a sunburn, for instance. I assume that if this place is near the Equator we're not talking about a bunch of pasty Americans or Europeans (of which I am one, sadly).

God being fair-skinned sucks. I think tanned skin looks great but I don't want to get skin cancer (of which I am at heightened risk due to my fair skin).

That's my understanding anyway. Some dermatologist (or other informed person) should feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

l2c

 

[Yeeny]

People with reddish hair, fair skin and who burn easily are at the highest risk for skin cancer. (That's me!) It goes down as luv2chill said, with the darker your skin is naturally.

GL: Your GF is right, you can exfoliate first, I just do this so much it is all habit, and hard for me to remember all the tips. Exfoliation is very easy. All you have to do is soak in a tub for about 10 mins, and then use a slough (a rough washcloth works also) and gently rub your skin. It takes away all the dead skin and makes your skin look much nicer. Now if you don't exfoliate, don't worry. It is not like your skin is going to fall off in patches, leaving white spots behind.

 

[Daedalus]

Being a white Irish boy who lives in SoCal and spent lots of time in the sun, yes wear sunscreen. Had I used more sunscreen back then I would not have had some of these episodes of skin cancer. I prefer Bullfrog myself. I think the sun here is so constant it may be worse than the Carrib. At least there you get clouds.
The other factor is driving. You may think you're protected but you're not. If you live here, wear a hat, use sunscreen.