[Closed] Do you actively seek a suntan?

I don't try and get a tan, as in sunbathing etc, but I don't avoid the sun and don't wear sunscreen

How could someone in Strathclyde get too much sun??

Ho Hum pictured reclining at home yesterday:

[img] [/img]

Get the factor 40 on. We're British, for Gods sake man! Its not natural for us to be exposed to direct sunlight

Not really. I do expose myself a bit gradually to encourage a light tan and a bit of resistance. I don't like the idea of sun cream - it's a bit chemically. I usually just cover up though.

However thanks to iDave I now look pretty good in a sleeveless jersy, so that should be seeing the blazing continental sun as soon as it warms up.. by this weekend hopefully 🙂

Binners has a farmers tan as he won't get his 'moobs' out in the garden..... 'jus sayin'

(Is very smug)

Surely even as a person of ethnically dark skin you can still get sunburned?

Surely even as a person of ethnically dark skin you can still get sunburned?

They certainly can, not sure about in UK conditions though! An old, very dark, indian friend of mine used to complain about getting sunburned when going home for a few weeks.

Incidentally I rarely wear sun screen of any sort, sun clears up any skin issues I happen to have and makes my life much better. Build up the tan without burning and all is good. If I'm more wrinkly when I'm older - who cares, I'm not winning any beauty contests.

Cooking yourself alive and it raises your self esteem 😯

If that's the case, imagine what a pair of gympsy earings in your nipples would do for you!

Or even better, a my little pony tattoo on your left breast, or even better x innit and dashing and infinately more awe inspiring for the general public, than a mere poxy tan, a 10" cucumber stashed down your speedo's, remember to stash it down the front 😉

I'm dark anyway so I tan quickly and I agree with the OP it feels better. I like a tan but I won't sunbathe as it's boring so I get the standard UK tan below the knees and above the waist.

Yes, but it takes a LOT of sun for me to be 'burned'. Like when I fell asleep in the garden on a lounger, and woke up several hours later with a pink chest. Can only really get burned if I spend several hours in the direct sunlight around midsummer time.

Unlike my ginger mate Jason, who would burn if he looked at a holiday brochure. And Sean, who would never ever use any sunscreen, then have to suffer when I slapped his back in a very cruel and sadistic manner, knowing it would cause him acute pain.

Both of them wore shell suits. 😐

Joking aside, it ages the shit out of you, not for me I woulde rather be pale and look young for my age, than be tanned and end up like a human raisin!

a my little pony tattoo on your left breast

I want this:

[img] [/img]

I don't tan very much (particularly my legs) and burn very easily when outside on holiday in spain!

When in the UK, I'll put on sun cream if I'll be out in the sun for more than an hour, don't actively sun bathe, but its nice to not have the usual chemistry student stuck in lab pastiness!

I don't actively look, it just kind of happens.

Both of them wore shell suits.

Aha... I think I know what your real identity is now Fred. I suspect that THIS is you and the two friends of which you speak...

[img] [/img]

Joking aside, it ages the shit out of you,

Some people. Doesn't seem to have aged me much, I got ID'd the other day, I'm 30. 😆 By the time I'm 40 it might catch up, but who cares - guys look better with scars and age, otherwise you just look like a boy 😆

Yes, but it takes a LOT of sun for me to be 'burned'. Like when I fell asleep in the garden on a lounger, and woke up several hours later with a pink chest. Can only really get burned if I spend several hours in the direct sunlight around midsummer time.

Snap, and I'm white 🙂 Walked for 12 hours in pure blue skies the other day, not even a hint of burn, but nicely tanned. 🙂 That said, I have spent most of my youth working and playing outdoors, often on the beach for 12+ hours a day. I check my moles often!

I do when I get chance, but there's normally something calling me back indoors.

Apparently some people in Scotland are not white, but a pale blueish colour. What does this mean? Is it due to a sunlight deficiency?

And what is it with some Scandinavians; y'know, the propperly blonde blue-eyed ones what go really brown?

Aryan Master Race? If I weren't me I'd like to be one of them.

Naively googled 'tanned blonde' for an example of what I meant, and it's mostly just utter filth, so I best not. 😳

Aryan Master Race?

Wasn't that the phrase coined by the squat little dark haired bloke with a funny tash

OMFG! a my little pony storm trooper! I wants it, MY PRECIOUS!!!!!

No, but i do tan from being outside cycling/running/spending time outdoors as much as possible. I generally always wear factor 30 on my body and factor 40 on my face and reapply it lots.

I couldn't lie on a beach and seek out a tan for a week though.

I hide from the sun, lot's of memories of being really badly burnt as a child, I burn horribly fast, so it's factor 30 for me and even at that i'll wear long sleeved tops in the sun alot.

(Is very smug)

Racist.

I use factor 50 sunblock. Not because I'm worried about skin cancer (I have never heard of one single case of it in anyone I know), but 'm not interested in tanning and don't want to get burned.
My mum has always been a sun worshipper but I don't see the point.
As for fake tan and sunbeds, they're just frickin [b]weird[/b]

I had skin cancer at 27 from too much sun as a child, so no.

Don't do sunbathing, but do actively try and get a tan early in the year. Not for aesthetics, but for the protection from burning so that I can do long races in the sun without having to worry about sun cream. Have the advantage like several others on this thread of tanning rather than burning - I very, very rarely use sunscreen in the UK - but I do (did) also race abroad where it's more of an issue.

My oldest son is blonde haired but has my complexion - he still gets slathered in the sun cream (just like his little brother who is very blonde and has lighter skin) as he doesn't need the tan and any sun exposure isn't actually doing him any good.

I cremated my face on a ski trip a few years ago. It was so bad that they gave me some cream to make the skin peel off quicker and tablets to make the swelling go down! It started cracking and bleeding everytime I moved my mouth. Worst of all the cream meant I couldnt go outside to ski and the tablets meant I couldnt drink any alcohol, not cool at the British Universities Ski Champs!

Im always a bit more cautious especially when abroad in strong sun.

Hence, "crispo" ?

😆 No but i like what you did there.....

(Is very smug)

Racist.

It actually is, No use denying it really. 😳

I am blonde (kind of) but tan. If I roast myself I'll get a bit red and maybe peel a layer, but that hasn't happened since I was a teenager out on 4 hour mtb rides in the blazing sun with no shirt.

As a kid (before sunscreen was popular) I used to spend all day on the beach digging holes which meant my back to the sun. I went so brown my Mum said I looked Indian. Although she is prone to exaggeration - light Indian maybe.. plus my hair was quite blonde then and tended to go white in the sun. That and my small size at the time probably meant I looked like some kind of old Indian guru of some kind who'd meditated his way to smooth skin.

Unless I'm in a pool or the sea I always stay covered up. I don't really like the sun anyhow.

dont use suncream but dont sit in the sun unneccesarilly either

did 4 months in west africa - never burnt , colleagues burnt to a crisp...one fell asleep outside on a surfer from the rig and had to be put on light dutys inside for 3 weeks - couldnt sleep , couldnt wear a hard hat etc ... worse still his missus is the skin care guru at boots ...

did 4 months in NZ - burnt once , fell asleep by the pool at the hostel after a long day on the bike....

did a month in australia - had to limit my exposure there but made sure not to burn my self

a friend has had melanoma on the leg - he carrys a sun meter thing around now and reckons the sun in scotland (when it gets out) is more dangerous than in auz according to this meter of his

did 4 months in NZ - burnt once

Ozone layer hole innit.

I don't sunbathe as such, but 8 hours of biking a weekend means i can't avoid it really. I've already got 'better' tanlines this year than i had last September. Madness.

White bits!!!

Seriously though sunbeds are vicious ( but fake tan does stink). I seem to go pink then straight back to white. Sunbathed topless a few years ago on a beach and got really sick (throwing up all over the shop) the sun was really strong but there was a lovely breeze. You could peel me in long strips! Kept the skin for a while as well LOL!!

MC1R Homozygous#, childhood spent on the beach (in white shirts), basal cell carcinoma (benign skin cancer) by 30. I use factor 30 spray and have never sunbathed. At least the kids have better genes and olive skin!

For those avoiding the sun, I have found the clear sprays excellent. Started a few years ago with Factor 10 and can now get up to 30. I think these are better than creams, because when suncream is tested, you'd be surprised how much you are supposed to use. The sprays give the right concentration without rubbing.

#Pure ginger

EDIT - Oh and you only ever have sunburnt feet once. The spray works wonders with the Tevas.

as someone who works at a cancer institute heavily involved in melanoma research I'm sad to say I do try fortunately I have no patience for just sitting around but should try and use sunscreen more
smoking and sunbathing both increase cancer risk by about the same level,
skin pigmemtation is not the great defence people often think especially once even a small amount of eoropean genes have been introduced to a family

Always avoid the sun - but have a t shirt tan from biking year round - not good

No. When I ride I use sun cream, but over the year I get tanned.
Missus would leave if I had a cyclists tan, and my lad calls them paedo tans.

However I do currently have four tone legs. Normal, shorts tan, 3/4s tan and ankle tan from roofing last week.

When in hot climates I never sunbathe, always seek the shade when I'm not doing anything specific outdoors. But when windsurfing, biking, etc. I'm happy to be out all day in the full sun just in a pair of shorts.

I do, however, coat myself with Riemann P20 as soon as I get up in the morning which gives full protection all day, no matter how much I'm in the water or sweating. Tops of ears and tops of feet especially.

I’m absolutely paranoid about skin cancer – my friend was diagnosed at 18 after a mole went nasty on his arm. He ended up having a chunk of his forearm cut out, and most of his armpit (as it had spread to his lymph glands). He was on chemo for two years, then in remission for five. Throughout his treatment and remission he remained a relentless party animal, always joked about his illness and if he was ever suffering he never let anyone know it. He was given the all clear in June 2005… then started having back pain in the November. They sent him for scans just to be on the safe side, and discovered that the cancer had returned and was in his spine, kidneys and liver. He died January 2006, at the age of 26. RIP Roy. 😥

So whenever I go on a beach holiday I always use factor 50, hide in the shade during the hottest part of the day and even in the UK I tend to use factor 15 - 25. I still end up with my arms tanned but my shoulders and hands pasty white. You can even see it on our wedding photo. 😳

P20 for me - apply once and forget it all day. it doesn't sweat off or rub off. I never burn but it still allows a gentle tan (in my case I don't really tan very easily anyway)

Easy peasy 😀
I just slap on a bit of fake if I want some more colour!

OOh snap BigJohn!!

As others, I don't look to get a tan and really don't like to burn, but being outdoors a lot and taking part in watersports (no, not those kind 😉 ) means I can heartily recommend the following, they're pricey but they go along way. They truly are 'put them on first thing in the morning and forget about it'. As tested over the years in Egypt, Cape Town and the Caribbean 8)

[url= http://www.p20.co.uk/ ]P20[/url]

[url= http://www.prosportsunscreen.co.uk/ ]Prosport[/url]

PS. Also use P20 on sunny UK bike rides, its definitely sweat-proof

smoking and sunbathing both increase cancer risk by about the same level,

Define sunbathing, with or without lotion, what strength sun at what times of the day, duration of exposure, skin type, genetic predispositions etc? That's a seriously misleading headline! Working in a scientific field I'd hope that you can back that up and have details on all of the above factors before releasing such statistics into the wild, so to speak! Fry all day daily without lotion, or fry occasionally (worse) without lotion is going to be totally different to the jo blogs who goes out with factor 10 on for 2-3 hours in the afternoon.

Just sitting thinking of ClareyMorris standing on a beach, just in a pair of shorts...

What's the advantage of Prosport over P20, Headfirst? Now that P20 doesn't stain white Tshirts, I can't think of anything wrong with it, but there are always scary stories about the UV types getting through.

dont sunbathe, never have.
never used cream, which i now know is stupid.
never burnt tho.

someone once told me that all us kids born in the 60's, it was no good us using sun block now to stop skin cancer, cos all the damage was done when we were kids and it wasnt used then.

Elfinsafety - Member

Apparently some people in Scotland are not white, but a pale blueish colour.

Myself I got a lot of sun when younger and now have a huge amount of skin damage. Nothing dangerous but I have to keep an eye on my hide. moles all over my body and my feet are turning brown permanently as all the moles and freckles run togethe . ( who ever thought to put sunscreen on their feet FFS!)

I'll be surprised if I don't develop some malignant melanomas at some time

I don't avoid the sun but will limit the time I spend in it without sun cream on.

Personally I can't see the fun in increasing your chnaces of getting cancer and the irreversable ageing effect that sun gives you.

I dont purposefully tan, But I tan easily so I dont need to.

Olive Skin though.

i know coffee king it was bad!- infact there was a daily mail story based a review carried out at my work

the study i was talking about was a comparison of the in increase skin cancer rates compared to lung cancer -lung being linked to smoking and skin cancer rates increasing with affluency as more people can afford foreign travel
(genetics obviously being a massive factor in all cancers)
ill dig it out

in australia its already overtaken lung as the 4th most common cancer and its 5th iirc in this country

malignant melanoma kills 1 in 5 people diagnosed with it

the media,lawmakers and the public are obsessed with protecting us from smoking and cancer
yet you still hear the phrase 'healthy tan'

I used to love sunbathing now I hate it, put cream on whenever I remember (even if just working in the garden) and wear a hat.

Big john, prosport is very waterproof so really good for windsurfing, surfing etc and its higher spf than p20 when its 35c or hotter!
Oh and ultrasun is good too, like p20 but comes in different factors

Always try to avoid the sun, not easy when I lived in South America. Tan quiet easily i just don't handle hot temperatures well.

Aren't certain types of sun cream as carcinogenic as going into the sun anyway?

Never been a sun bather but I do believe that your appearance should reflect what you do so let myself get brown and a bit singed from time to time.

One of my kids goes brown almost instantly when the sun comes out. Gypsy and Spanish blood on his mother's side.

I can burn badly in a lunch hour but love the sun, used factor 15 for years. Have a slight tan but don't care if I don't. That P20 stuff looks good I hate the reapplying/greasyness.

Do you actively seek a suntan?

Definitely - love the feel of a bit of sunshine too. I do burn initially but soon go brown - not worried about ageing - heck I'm old already 😆 . Hate daft suntan marks though which is a bit of a nuisance when cycling - brown arms/ white hands and (as my current fave pair of cycling jeans have one ripped knee) one brown knee 😕

I've used P20 in the tropics so it's pretty effective. And these days I burn quite easily if not protected, but I've never even itched when using it once a day.

I was diagnosed with skin cancer two years ago which came as a very big shock as I was completely unaware I had it. I was very fortunate when a mole on my shoulder blade bled a little just before I went to the Docs about a sore throat. I mentioned the mole & I was referred to a consultant who said they would remove it 'to be on the safe side' & I had the minor op a few weeks later.

I went back for a follow up appointment & my Chinese consultant opened my file & said (in very comical Chinese accent) 'Agh that mroll we trook off was a marignant merranoma' ........... **** me I thought that sounds bad, I asked if he meant I had skin cancer? & he said 'Ress you got skrin Kranca'

Anyway I then went back a few weeks later where they did another op to remove a strip of skin where the original mole was. I was left with a rather impressive large Zig Zag scar on my shoulder. I used the scar to my advantage telling the kids in the pool on holiday that I was bitten by a shark 🙂

My advice to everyone is please please please take care in the Sun & wear a high sun factor cream, I don't use anything less that 20 & often use 30+. Sunburn is not big or clever and you really don't want to catch skin cancer believe me you really don't. If anyone has a mole which is an irregular shape or flaky or bleeds or is getting bigger please get it checked out. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if my skin cancer hadn't been removed, I could be sitting here today typing this completely unaware that it was getting a hold & things could have been a whole lot more serious.

I am now two years into remission & I'm very grateful for every day I have. I am also very grateful to the friends I have made due to my condition & in particular to two people off STW who gave me invaluable information & support when I was at my lowest point. When you think you are going to die anytime soon it sort of fries your brain & the emotional turmoil is a nightmare, but they kept me sane & pointed out that what I was experiencing was all part of the Cancer journey.

Just thought I'd share my story of the danger of too much Sun on the skin & I hope it might make others think twice before going out to 'fry' themselves without any SPF on.

No I don't sunbathe and am not bothered about looking brown. But I like to allow gentle melanin build-up on the normally exposed parts of my body to protect them and to promote vitamin D which is needed for good bone and mental health.

Hill walking was quite bad for sunburn risk so I wear hats and cream. I find that much of my cycling is in the woods where the exposure is relatively low.

My advice to everyone is please please please take care in the Sun & wear a high sun factor cream, I don't use anything less that 20 & often use 30+. Sunburn is not big or clever

thats a very strange way of wording your last question - ambiquous- like you want us to say yeah get tanned you will be fine
Your argument fials on some fundamental points
1. you dont need to burn in the sense you mean to get skin cancer the two arenot related- see below- though both caused by the sun
2. Sun tan lotion does not stopping you tanning - it reduces the amount of UV absorbed whihc prevents burning but not tanning - se ebelwo
3. you produce small amounts of melanin [ gives you your tan] so the best way is short regular periods of exposure not a full days blast which damges the skin - red , peeling etc without creme] but does not give a great tan afterwards. Hence why lotion does not stop it as you still get peak production

Just looking for information - sorry for the phrasing. Though you're still mentioning reddening which I don't get, and I do seem to tan more when I have a full day in the sun rather than just a few minutes.

I assume the reddening is the bit that damages skin ie burms it and causes the increased risk of cancer but tbh I dont know I just googled 😆

I don't really seek it out and I'd never sunbathe to get tanned, but for some reason it does make me happy to have a farmer's tan just from being out and about doing stuff. I do use sunscreen though, especially on my arms if I'm going out on my road bike.

There's been some interesting reports lately of people not getting sufficient sun, I forget the exact figures but it's something like 30 mins over 25% of your body daily to produce the correct chemical/vitamin/hormone balance. Apparently those who habitually cover up and use SPF30+ suffer with other illnesses related to this.

All in moderation IMO.

[i]Surely even as a person of ethnically dark skin you can still get sunburned?[/i]

A work colleague recently brought his girlfriend back from the Philippines, she got fairly bad sunburn on the first 'hot' day this year.

'Different type of sun' apparently 🙂

I have found the clear sprays excellent. Started a few years ago with Factor 10 and can now get up to 30

They do a factor 50 now. Brilliant for me for surfing as it seems really water resistant too.

+1 for Factor 50 and generally avoiding the sun. Malignant Melanoma for me too around 6 years ago. Never really been a sun worshiper, tan fairly easily, dark hair, etc. Scared the crap out of me and changed the way I act in sunshine - always wear a hat, stay covered up, heavy factor sun screen on the visible bits...

It does concern me a bit knowing how I got roasted as a kid. However I rarely got anything other that slightly pink, going dark instead. Hopefully this was some degree of protection.. hopefully 😕

I might have to seek out a bit, since I've skillfully tanned massive stripes into my forearms with my elbow pads 😳