Tanning

This is for all of you trying to get a tan to show off all that muscle you've worked so hard for.

Before I say anything else, I feel I should warn all of you that UV radiation seems to be the cause of all three common skin cancers -- basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

Now that I feel less guilty, us midwestern girls are known more than anyone else for our use of tanning beds, and, if you're going to do it, try this.

Start light - go for no more than 10 minutes your first 2 weeks of the season and no more than 3 times a week ever.

Use browning lotions - stay away from anything that says Hot or Fire or anything else related to heat. It opens your pores and greatly increases the chance for skin damage, along with purposefully giving you a sunburn.

Moisturize - even though you'll feel all greasy from the sweat and tanning lotion, wipe yourself off and immediately apply a moisturizer with vitamin E. Coco Butter and plain old aloe vera are great.

Please please please be careful and tan as little as possible. With lotions at $10 a bottle and lasting 2 weeks or so, they are often cheaper than the beds, just make sure to moisturize knees and elbows before applying (the dryer skin will absord more pigment, making those areas darker) and wash your hands really carefully or you'll have to explain your orange hands to everyone.

More about safe tanning alternatives

Hope this helps!

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woohoo tanning listens lol j/p

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. - Jimmy Carter

Hey, nice post. I have a question for you. Could you recommend a tanning lotion, gel, cream, etc that works and looks decent? I have fair skin and I've been looking into alternatives. I can't bring myself to regularly visit a tanning bed, because of fear long term effects and even those burn me. I've seen all those tan in a bottle products but I've been reluctant to try it for fear that i't will turn me orange or something. Know any of them that'll really work? Thanks.

-Neutrogena Instant Bronze is a good bet at less than $10. I personally use Bain de Soleil Dark, but it's a little more expensive. You can pick up both of those at a drugstore.
-If you have deeper pockets, go for Lancome Flash Bronzer in Medium $26 at department stores. The color appears instantly and helps you know what you've already done, plus it has a built in moisturizer and vitamin E.
-Also I wouldn't use a dark tanner right away or it will look weird and every mistake will be really obvious. Try something in light (if you are pale) or medium (if you are normal) and layer on your tan gradually.
-And make sure to exfoliate (with a loofah or grainy scrub) before applying if you want it to last and guys should shave and moisturize their face before applying as well. P.S. a q-tip works great for blending around hairline and eyebrows (so your not the guy in the brown mask.lol)

If all of this fails and you have bad streaks or orange hands, try St. Tropez Self-Tan Remover, $14.99 at department stores.

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Well, I did a couple tanning sessions this week to try and clear up some acne. I have a pretty olive complexion, so I tan really well. My partner claims I just think about the sun and my skin darkens.

Anyway, I can say that I get a buzz off the tanning session, it REALLY elevates my mood. People who tan have more vitamin D in their blood and denser bones because of it, too. Our ancestors for millions of years lived outdoors and without sunscreen, so believe it or not, we're kind of engineered to get some sun.

I suspect that the skin cancer risk is being overhyped. Yes, people with very fair skin, and especially people under 18 need to be very careful about getting sunburns, but for someone like me with a darker complexion and nearly 35, the risk from skin cancer might not be more than the risks that come along with never getting enough UV. The "put on SFP 999 and live in caves" advice makes me feel like recommendations that apply to a small subset of the population are being given to everyone.

"Eat Less, Exericise More"

Where's MY book deal?

See, it makes me sad that you say that, because there are many many many other people that think like you. And it's just because there's so much crap out there to sift through to get some honest, medically researched answers. To address our ancestors, its called directional selection and allopatric speciational evolution, meaning, our ancestors mated sympatrically or with each other (sym) and lived in the same country (patric). Because of this, they created similar offspring with similar traits. When they began mating with other humans from different countries farther from the equator it began allopatric speciation or different (allo) people from different countries (patric) began to make a new breed of people (speciation). These people are not like our ancient ancestors who are believed to have begun in northern Africa and the Middle East-near the equator. Resistance to sunlight is diminishing throughout the entire race due to adaptations our bodies are making and those adaptations are out of our control. A good way to tell how resistant you are to sunlight is you heritage. Are you southern? Italian? Middle Eastern? Central American? These play into your skin's ability to safely absorb UVA and UVB rays but don't dictate it. People in general in our time are less resistant to sunlight and everyone should be careful with damaging rays, regardless of heritage, skin tone or age.

I'm definitely not saying you should stay out of the sun. But I'd rather you tan outside than in a tanning bed, where UVA and UVB rays are stronger and more penetrating, increasing your chances of skin cancer.

About the vitamin D. That is basically a lie that tanning companies started to fight their civil cases and protect themselves. The sun damage you would recieve trying to get enough vitamin D in your blood would be detrimental to your health.

I really hope I gave you a little more information so you can make better educated decisions about yourself and the sun.

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Hahaha, hear in Texas the light skinned people get a tan just by walking outside. Haha, i'm a bit dark so....I have protection from the sun, or at least that's what my biology teachers tell me.

yea. I know what you mean I grew up in the south.

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*Phew* thank god im brown lol

Clive Clutton HH. BSc.
P.I.C.P. Strength and Conditioning Coach
Biosignature Practitioner
cclutton@gmail.com (important emails only)

damn i came in here thinking i was going to see a girl showing off her tan. good info though. come march or april tanning is going to be my top priority next to cutting up. i am the whitest white boy to ever walk the earth. think conan obrian white.

good post..

hot/fire lotions are tingle lotions..they dont necessarily "purposely give the tanner a burn"..the tingle action comes from the ingredients contained within the product increasing blood flow to the skin, which aids in the oxidization process. Your pores always open when you sweat/the body temperature is elevated..the tingle can just be so intense that a skin irritation can occur, resembling a (VERY TEMPORARY) "burn"..which is why tingle should ONLY be used by tanners with a serious solid tan..forget base tan..you need a GOOD tan to use a tingle.

I've used tingle for a long time with great results, although I prefer to tan minimally now, and use a product called Magic Tan (in an aerosol spray) in between visits..its the only self tanner that looks remotely bronze on my skin..

as far as finding a product that wont give you a slight orange tint in terms of a self-tanner, forget about it..they will all have that hue to a certain extent because they all contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA)..every last one of them on the market "new and improved" or "old and junk".. . DHA is a sugar that darkens the skin by staining the layer of dead skin cells (aka your skin's surface). Essentialy it is no different than a dye.

BUT..

if you start out with a solid base tan from a bed/sun, you can minimize the orange effect with the self tanner. Your skin will dry out a LOT faster after several years of repeated exposure, speeding up the aging process so its a good idea to stay moisturized everyday with a quality lotion, like oatmeal by Aveeno! It will also prolong your tan and allow you to use self tanners more often with better results since you are extending your base by nourishing your skin.

It's thought that tanning beds increase your risk of skin cancer, so my two cents is if you do it, just dont do it everyday..uv isnt the only thing in daily life that is dangerous..the water you drink, the polluted oxygen you breathe, excessively drinking fruit juice..can all cause serious health risks too..so..

If tanning makes you feel good..do it.

..in moderation.

Our ancestors for millions of years lived outdoors and without sunscreen

Yes, but they each lived for less than 35 years on average.

I'll take the sunscreen

thanks for the added info 3DAYS. I use a hot sause during the summer too, when I'm trying to get really dark, but I wanted to make it clear that it's not a good idea for new tanners.

oh, and I love aveeno!

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Aveeno kicks ass!

i am the whitest white boy to ever walk the earth. think conan obrian white.

OH!! Do you mean (GASP!!) Nav's BUTT white?!?!

RIP 2004-2007

taking this a tad off course.

but im curius if a tan doesnt allow you to blush ?
tan meaning once a white kid to a tan kid.

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. - Jimmy Carter

LOL..shy, are we?

is blushing something you need to be able to do well?lol. That just seems like an odd question. anyway, you can usually still tell when someone is blushing even if they do have a tan but its not like bright pink on white like when you don't have a tan. Did that answer your question?

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RippedChick..you are quite intelligent for your age..

Kudos to you again for the informative post!

Bet I can make you blush even if you're the blackest Brutha from the MuthaLand.

RIP 2004-2007

Since this is a bodybuilding forum, it would be useful to discuss an important element of tanning. Tanning for a competition. The earlier emails were very helpful for those looking for a good tan for the beach, or for general appearance, or to just show off you muscles at the gym. The tips on lotions and after-tan moisturizers were excellent. But, tanning for a bodybuilding contest is a different matter. Competitive bodybuilders will tell you that you can never be too dark on stage. Under the bright lights, a well-tanned body shows off the cuts and rip while a less than well-tanned body looks flat and uncut. The wise word is, if you think you are dark enough, put on two more coats of lotion. Bodybuilders use a combination of direct sun (when available), weekly sessions in tanning beds several weeks before their contest and application of a tanning cream, like Pro Tan or Dream Tan during the last few days before their event. At eight weeks out from my competition, I am doing two tanning bed sessions a week. This week, I had a session on Tuesday and Thursday. Tonight, I am going for a spray to test for color and darkness on top of the tanning bed sessions. You have to experiment to see what works for you. On Saturday I will have some photos taken to see how the combination of tanning bed sessions and spray looks. I'll share some of the shots with you on Monday and ask for your opinion. Regards, Old Navy

You raise a very interesting point, Old Navy. When I was 19 I entered a competition in San Diego relying only upon my natural tan. Being a fresh new kid from the midwest I tanned very well at that time. However, it appeared on stage that I was severely lacking, particularly next to my competitors who were obviously not relying on their natural tans. One guy looked like a bronze statue. Another guy was very white (see above post) during the posing, but that night he was miraculously dark for the freestyle. Even though he got first, you still don't want to be that guy. And you definitely don't want to be Nav.

RIP 2004-2007

Here is a shot taken two weeks ago. I'm not nearly tan enough to compete. Regards, Old Navy

[image]local://upfiles/3102/A0C4873DE1DA4D3CAD50747EAF554E02.gif[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Whatever happened to Jan Tana? Is it still on the market for competition?

3DAYS2GLORY, It is, but these days, the most popular are ProTan, both spray-on and brush on and Dream Tan, in two shades, brown/bronze and red/bronze (darker) The ProTan costs about $30.00 a can (www.protanusa.com) and the Dream Tan costs about $25.00 a jar, two for $45. For a 200 lbs. man, a jar of Dream Tan lasts for one show - pre-judging and a re-application for the night show - (www.beyond-2000.com). The ProTan method requires several applications three-four days before a show, while Dream Tan can be applied just before pre-judging. And, since it has a oil base, you don't usually need any posing oil on top of the tan. In both cases, though, it's better to have a really good tan base before using the products. Regards, Old Navy

Umm my quistion did'nt get answered...

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. - Jimmy Carter

I think it did. You had 2 responses.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

urgh I guess not really what I wanted. but ok

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. - Jimmy Carter

sorry Andy..

you wont see the "pink" in your skin when you blush..but usually you can tell when a person is blushing anyway by body expression.

Old Navy..are those competetion products a stain that washes off or are theyt actual self-tanners? Thanks for the info

my mistake..just read the one about pro tan needing to be applied several days prior..theres my answer