Suntan or not?

[wickedfairy]

I am dark haired and blue eyed with very pale, Celtic skin. It freckles in the sun. I usually stay pale but am wondering if I would look a bit better with a little colour....

Should I lay off the sunscreen for a few days - not to get tanned (I couldn't anyway!) but just to get a little bit of colour.

What do you think? I realise it's difficult to say without a picture, but I'd rather remain anonymous!! TIA

Colour = sun damage = ageing and health risks, so I would say no (as someone with the same colouring as you). My arms and shoulders are covered in freckles :( I always cover up and wear sunscreen now.

Really the thread title should be "skin cancer or not"

You may look a bit better with a wee bit of colour, but you'll definitely look worse with the scarring from having a melanoma cut out. If you want to tan fake it.

No. Use a good facial tan/body self tan. Your skin (and health) will thank you. Now that the temperature has risen and it's blue skies all day, I'm staying out of it or crossing the street to the shady side.

I'm 55 and though not very wrinkly, I know as a teen, I slapped on the carrot oil with everyone else and baked. I regret that but.... it's what we did in the early 70's. Nowadays, we know better.

If you want a colour fake it. I do. Then you can wear spf on top to stop sun damage.

If you don't tan the colour will be red, and you will be a laughing stock.

Fake it all the way. Now that the sun is peeking out, I am lashing on the gradual tan at night. I have very pale Irish skin, rarely tan and have had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my neck due to being burnt in the past (I was never a fan of lying in the sun either). Now it is factor 40 all year round and a good dose of fakery on the parts of the bod that need exposing :)

I have the same colouring and it's not even worth bothering. My cheeks, the backs of my hands and the tops of my feet get "a bit of colour" and that's as far as it goes, apart from the freckles.

And I tried, oh I really tried, back in the 80s when a tan was fashionable. Developed PLE for my pains.

And, now, in my late 40s, I have a couple of small permanent patches of sun damage. I love being outdoors, but tend to only go out in the sun for as long as it takes to hang the washing out, through the middle of the day. If I'm outdoors, I tend to hug the shade. It's not just the sun sensitive skin, but the fact that it's too bloody bright, even with sunglasses on.

I have your colouring, OP. I fake tan in the summer, but never let myself tan. Its not worth it. Our skin type is especially sensitive to sun damage and skin cancer.

You're all correct - the heat must be getting to me! I wear spf 50 everyday, so I do look after my skin. I did have a lot of exposure as a child but have been pale for a long time.

I don't really like fake, I always think it looks orange on me, even the light ones. I may try a little mixed with moisturiser in my face.

Thanks all!

If a fake tan goes orange it's too high in dha.

St Tropez goes orange on me because it's too dark.

Stay white. my fair celtic skin that never saw sunscreen as a child of the 70's and 80s... also has a scar of my face from removing the skin cancer...
I can't do anything about the old damage but I'm trying to avoid it as much as I can now.

I'm pale, ghost white. I use Dove light gradual tanner or rimmel instant tanner. Never look orange.

OP I have exactly the same colouring as you. Your skin wouldn't look nice and sunkissed even if you did let it tan - I accidentally got mildly burned at the beach last summer (despite tons of cream - there was just no shade!) and my skin looked awful, Celtic skin just isn't made for tanning. It affected the texture as well as the colour.

I've been staying ghostly white, but with just a light touch of bronzer across the cheekbones and think it looks nice. Also if your freckles pop out even with SPF on I think that looks lovely too.