Does anyone use sunbed ?

I wonder if you need a lightbox might help as a big burst of light might have the same antidepressant effect, just without the tan

Wussypants it was in response to someone saying they don't need to justify something they do.

And no I'm not really intent on justifying any of my actions just stating my reasons behind using a sunbed, there's plenty stating reasons for not which is completely fine, but because I'm opposing that then I'm intent on justifying it? What's the difference?

Save the money that you would use on the sun beds to treat yourself. Make up maybe. Or save for something you really want. Good luck

Gosh this has kicked off,

All I can say whatdoyouknow, I'm impressed by your total lack of vanity, for me the thought of looking like an extra from the series of Benidorm by the time I hit forty was enough for me to stop ( I used them in my early twenties before the consequences became apparent).

Good luck to you.

I used to, a lot. Late teens/earlytwenties.
I guess becoming a parent, more mature and responsible stopped me using them. I do have massive regrets over using them, and I have definitely paid a price as I have very old skin on my face (terrible crows feet). I also have a mole I’m getting checked out which is worrying.
I occasionally use a moustutiser tan now.
I know how you feel because I felt more attractive/confident with a tan but it’s just not worth it.

This entire thread is so sad and shows how
'Towie culture' has infiltrated everywhere.

In the 50s, do you think women gave a flying fuck what colour their skin was? Pale was considered beautiful! Now you have to have been tangoed to feel sexy or 'good about yourself' even if it means cancer? Fucking insane.

that and watching final destination, scared the shit out of me

yes! That scene stayed with me for days, I even had to look up and watch a video on how that scene was made to put my mind at rest (dramatic overthinkiner, me? Never haha)

I’ve only ever used one once - and never again, the risks are far, far too high.

waterlego Sorry for your loss

I used them a couple of times (maybe 10) in my early twenties

The blast of heat and light is very nice but the fear of death/damage is a bit high.

I also wonder if a nice SAD lamp might help you OP? Also getting out and about for a brisk walk whenever the sun is shining during the winter.

In the 50s, do you think women gave a flying fuck what colour their skin was

Actually yes they did. It was a sign of wealth and the health risks were unknown. It was hugely popular. Of course we had no sunbeds, and no proper fake tan either.

It's actually in recent years that tanning has become more frowned on due to the risks, with many products available to enable it to be gained safely and a lot of public information available about the dangers of sun exposure.

Sunbeds used to be hugely popular thirty years ago, now most of these places have shut down in comparison to the numbers we used to see years ago.

You probably feel better after due to the Vitamin D. You can get a SAD lamp which will do the same, and make sure to take Vitamin D supplements, as most people in the UK are deficient.

As for the sunbeds, please please don't do it. I used to do them and have been left with horrible dark pigmented marks on my face. I used to do 3 minutes at a time, so not even long, but still have the damage and I have so many regrets now as otherwise my skin is good, but those marks show through makeup and make me look older.

The blast of heat and light is very nice but the fear of death/damage is a bit high.

😆

Thank you e1y1. It was alarmingly quick. He didn’t even look particularly ill when he died as it happened so fast he didn’t lose weight. But his brain deteriorated completely in a matter of weeks. The decay was noticeable on a daily basis. One day he just stopped talking. A few days later he couldn’t walk or hold his bladder. A week after that he was dead. It’s a horrendous illness. We were shown the brain scan which revealed DOZENS of tiny black spots in the brain- those were the cancers.

The only thing to be grateful for was that it was so quick, and his cognition so poor that I don’t think he really had any idea what was happening to him.

How awful. Yes agree it’s a (small) comfort when you know the person would have hardly been aware what was happening.

Maybe try a SAD lamp, and also ask your GP about taking vitamin D supplements - being out in the sun genuinely does make people feel happier so try and recreate the benefits of it! Also embrace the pale, it's lovely.

I use sunbeds about 4-5 times a year. I go to a professional salon, have my skin scanned and take the one on the lowest setting for a short time. I don't do it to get a tan as such (I don't tan anyway) but just to look less dead. Basically when everyone starts pulling me away from others to ask what's wrong. I'd be sorry if they get banned because other people can't use them sensibly.

I haven't used them for years. I used to seriously over use them and now I have a seriously aged neck at 35. Use me as an example and don't do it.

and experiment with different self tans, as theyve got a lot better these days than even a few years ago. You need to find one you like, and then combine that with a good quality daylight SAD lamp, and I think you can beat this.
Unfortunately you can get psychologically addicted to all sorts of random things, but if its a genuinely unhealthy one, you need to get past it somehow. Gambling addicts convince themselves it cant be a problem because there are loads of other people doing it for instance,

Morgan, the incidence of people having skin cancer following sunbed use compared to incidence of those who consume red meat/prossessed food is incomparable , you are absolutely not being hypocritical!

I have a friend who used them for 10 years from 18yo stopping before turning 30. As well as having lots of skin cancer removals she now looks approx 20 years older than me and average women our age. She used to slather on the moisturiser constantly as well. Seriously we would even be in uni lectures and she would have a bottle of moisturiser out going for it several times a day.

Luckily it’s illegal to have them here now. I think you may still be able to buy one for personal use (not sure) but you definitely can’t use one in a commercial setting. It has been made illegal due to the health dangers but the fact you look like an elderly crocodile instead of aging normally should also factor in.

A friend used them regularly in her teens and twenties and is currently recovering from an operation to remove a large malignant melanoma.

You'd be being and stupid to use sunbeds again.

shelly0 sweetie I bet you look fab as you are. Glowing with health.

My friends tanned in Australia. I am sorry to say her skin was like a leather handbag.

If I told you I knew a black girl who used products on her skin to lighten because she felt it made her more beautiful, but those products harmed her skin and even risked cancer. What would you think?

Sunbeds will one day be relegated to the pile of obsolete items that we know to be dangerous. Please use your pregnancy to warm yourself off them and learn to love your natural shade, IMHO.

Ps once baby comes you will be too busy for cooking your skin so get used to not doing it now.

Pale, if it is your natiral shade, is most definitely interesting and beautiful just as black is beautiful of it is someone else's natural shade.

I got a SAD lamp from Maplin last year, just before they went under, which was quite cheap. They used to be hundreds of £s but you can get them for around £30ish now.

I can’t wait until the fashion moves away from this heavily tanned look. I just do not get what is so attractive about looking like a leathery old Oompa Loompa.

I use them very sparingly, about twice a month but if I don’t my eczema comes back. For some reason sunbeds clear it completely. When I go on holiday my skin is lovely for a few weeks. In winter, without a sunbed my skin would be so bad.

Try to use them maybe twice a month to begin with, getting used to a lighter look. Use sunscreen on your face to screen out the most harmful rays then wean yourself off gradually.

Fake tan is improving all the time. You can get ash based ones that that have no orange in them. They look so much more natural.

Melanoma is an awful cancer. It spreads insidiously. The speed at which it can rampage through the body, straight into the brain is staggering. The speed at which it took my Dad away from me was devastating.

This. A friend of mine was 19 when diagnosed. They found the brain tumours before they even realised she had skin cancer. She died just months later. She had never used a sun bed, but why take such a staggering risk. You have a child on the way. When it’s here, you’ll realise just how awful it would be for it to lose you.