Aibu to use sunbeds instead of fake tan?

I do. I live in Australia. I have fair skin. I wear hats and long sleeves in summer. Being tanned is just a fashion thing that's been pushed since the 1920s, why risk skin cancer for that?

We're not even the only, or the first, country to ban those beds. Roasting in the sun, or on a tanning bed, is insane. Even if you (general you) don't get cancer, you can look forward to looking like old leather as you age - no thanks!

As everyone’s pointed out about sunbeds etc it looks like ( hopefully) you are going to choose a different path away from sunbeds.I have pet scans every 3 months and have terrible holes in my leg from the scarring where melanoma tumours were dug out of my leg and foot.I have severe nerve damage and pain 24/7 -I’ve also had every treatment I can and even though it has been successful for now -I’m out of options for any future treatment I’m living on a knife edge waiting gif it to reappear-which it did do only weeks after my first melanoma surgery.It took only six weeks to spread up my leg to my pelvis

i just hope that everyone understands the risks they take sunbathing or using a tanning salon..Melanoma is on the rise.

congratulations though on doing so well with getting fitter and Lodi g weight etc.

The reason is they increase the risk of melanoma.

Just because the UK has a different climate does not mean they are safe to use.

Would you take up smoking to lose weight? This makes about as much sense. Melanoma survivor here who's never used a sunbed. Don't be a twat.

Congrats on all the positive work you've been doing on yourself! It's a great achievement.

But just no to sunbeds. I had a 5mm mole that became cancerous. It lead to a huge chunk of flesh being removed from my arm and I have a hearty 10cm scar and an arm that looks like a banana. I also have a chunk out of my armpit because these surgeons only want to see you once and take anything resembling cancer out. The hardest part was putting on a brave face for my DD when I was in a huge amount of pain post op. I know that all sounds too dramatic but I wouldn't wish melanoma on anyone.

Australia has a different climate and much more intense sun. That's the reason.

@Wantachangefor2024 probably not at all
It's like if you're anaemic and you have iron tablets. Everyone should take vitamin D in winter anyway, I take it year round as I was severely deficient so high dose every day

I was a very healthy weight and looked great, until I was diagnosed with melanoma and gained lots of weight with the resulting depression triggered by a cancer diagnosis, not to mention the ugly scarring on my arm.
Seriously just use the fake tan.

I’ve had a malignant melanoma & was under the hospitals care for 10 years as I ended up having others removed & pre-cancerous cells. It not a nice cloud to live under. Stick with fake.

What is the point of this thread OP? You've been given good advice, and you keep coming up with posts which show you have no intention of taking any of that advice, so why did you bother asking?

Use a sunbed if you want to, it's your skin and your health. You know the risks and if you are silly enough to be prepared to take them for vanity reasons nothing anyone can say will change your mind.

So the skin cancer thing aside ( which should put everyone off tbh) Those i knew back in the late 90s who loved a sunbed truly look so old now… it really ages your skin. Even with botox and fillers they don’t look great…. Not just the face either!

You will regret it in later life…

I don't think it's worth the risk of skin cancer. Spray tans are good or those body lotions that build up a tan gradually.

And wrinkles!

Not worth it. At all.

news.sky.com/story/amp/package-holiday-boom-of-1960s-fuels-record-high-in-skin-cancer-cases-12916496

I was walking through a town centre a few weeks and saw a sun bed tanning salon and was surprised that they are still legal, being used and can actually manage to stay in business.

Sorry OP but it is incredibly disingenuous to say SPF has ‘many cancer causing chemicals’ as if it’s also a risk to use. The air we breathe has ‘cancer causing chemicals’ in it technically. Sunscreen has time and time again been shown to be incredibly safe and protective against skin cancer.

Don’t get your medical advice from TikTok.

I am a bit self conscious about my tiger striped belly. So I have accepted that fabulous one piece swimsuits are best for me. I look amazing, and no one except dp sees my tummy, and he loves it.

Well fake looks fake an anyone but if you want too it is your choice

I personally think it looks awful and cheap but so do lots of things

Do whatever you want - it all sounds great!

But please don't use sunbeds.

Many things do, and only you can way up if the increased risk of skin cancer is something you’re prepared to do to look good. Many women ignore those risks daily, some come to regret it hugely, and for many there’s never any come back. For me even though a tan looks great I couldn’t tell my kids I had skin cancer and they’d seen me using sunbeds and wondering why I thought it was worth risking.

You probably won’t find what you’re looking for in a fake tan in all honesty, so it’s something you’re going to need to weigh up, it’s your life and your risk to take. Good luck

Of course it does harm - from earlier in the thread

Even one sunbed session can increase your risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer by 67% and basal cell skin cancer by 29%. Even more importantly is the increased risk of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. If you have ever used a sunbed your risk of melanoma increases by 20%

I personally think the scars from melanoma removal look far worse than stretch marks but you do you. If fake tits, fake teeth, fake tan and fake hair is what will make you feel confident in your skin why not. Just be careful, and think of sunbeds as what they actually are - a tube you lie in to receive doses of radiation to your skin. Use sparingly.

Is this for real? Rewarding yourself fake teeth and fake boobs and dying your hair. Not for me, but then you would probably think I'm ugly and plain. I've come to realise my external appearance isn't as important as how I feel about myself.

My mother died of melanoma. It was a particularly unpleasant death.