Anyone tan before the cruise?

[TammiMcMan]

Normally I'm an spf 45 person, but I was thinking of trying out a tanning booth for our upcoming cruise. I've seen prices of $25 for one-month unlimited tanning and I thought it was pretty good. Anyone have any experience with this and if so, does it give you a good enough base tan that I could cut back on the spf without burning?

Thanks

 

[lotsofboys]

Tammi.......here is a link to a segment that was just on the Today show:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4741472/

 

[WCMouse]

Had the same idea.. wanted to get a base before we went to Hawaii a couple of years ago. Went to a tanning place, but did not like it too much and never really got the base I wanted. End result for me was wasted time, as within a couple of days in Hawaii I had a good base....

 

[TammiMcMan]

Thanks for the link. I guess I should be glad I have stayed away from tanning beds and I think I'll just stick with my spf 45.

 

[kaykels]

I am a snowbird with very white skin. I usually burn, peel then turn white again so before my cruise I did a sunless tan in the spray booth. It was great (if you know how to take care of it). I was on the 4 night so I was nice and tan for the entire cruise. If I was a sun worshiper I would have had a REAL tan by the time we returned.

 

[mickey minder]

Try the spay tan booths. You get a sunless tan in 60 seconds. It will last about one week. It does not provide any protection from the harmful effects of the sun. You will still need to wear a good sun block, but you will look like you have a tan and avoid the risks of the tanning bed. The cost is $25 -50 depending on where you live. I recommend taking a friend to make sure that you are evenly coated and not smeared. It is like washing a car. You can't see when you have those little areas that get missed, but they show up when it dries. We took a bottle of sunless tanner with us on the cruise as well, just in case we missed anywhere and needed to even out.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Have the sunless tanners gotten better over the years? I remember in the 80's when, I think it was Coppertone, had that foamy stuff that turned you a burnt orange color.

I don't mind having my normal light skin on the cruise, I just thought that maybe having the tan ahead of time would lessen my risk of sunburn. I'm a little concerned with the Caribbean sun, but I guess if I'm careful with my sunscreen and hat, I should be okay.

 

[dbond]

Mystic Tan at Palm Beach tan locations is a spray on tan. I am a fair skin redhead. A Mystic tan is the only tan I've ever had. I've tried all of the lotions & foams, none of them look natural on me and I can't seem to avoid the streaks. I don't even bother with tanning beds, so I can't help you there, but I highly recommend the spray on sunless tanning if you don't tan naturally.

 

[Ellay]

Hi,

Do you guys get St. Tropez over there? This is a product that celebrities use and a couple of years ago they started marketing it for us 'ordinary' folks. It's now widely available here in the UK. It gives a lovely subtle tan and promises no streaking. I'm fair and it gives a realistic tan.

 

[tanner]

What I don't like about self tanning lotions is that the color rubs off on your clothes even after it dries. Does the spray from the tanning booths do the same?

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I am pretty pale and do the Mystic Tan. As long as you follow the instructions, it should not be streaky or orange. It looks good on my fair skin, but it does not make me look like I have a deep tan.

The Mystic Tan inlcudes an instant bronzer that will come off on your clothes until you shower. (I think you are supposed to wait 6 hours or something to shower.) But that does not affect the underlying color--it actually makes your skin change color.

 

[webray]

Hubby and I are very pale and tend to burn. We don't spend much time in the sun at all. We decided, before we did our 7 day western caribbean last september, that we would try a tanning booth out. You wouldn't believe how well it worked.

We started with just 5 minutes for a couple times, moved up to 7, then up to the full 10 minutes. We tanned for about 2-3 months before we left. It made all the difference in the world. We spent a ton of time in the sun..on the ship, in the ports and we did not burn once. Not even at Castaway Cay. This is the first time I have not burned, spending so much time in the sun. It was excellent.

Now..flip side of that..we booked a last minute cruise..the 3 day bahama as a surprise for our daughter. We didn't have time to tan, because we booked two days before we left. Lets just say...we burnt and burnt and burnt...really bad. We were miserable for weeks. And, yes, we used a high spf lotion..not our regular brand..also a big mistake.

I highly recommend tanning before you go. Start slow, work up a good base and you will be good to go.

 

[hydster]

We always hit the tanning beds a few times before we go. We like the Ultra Ruva or high pressure beds as they tend to take out more of the "burning" rays than a regular wolfe bed. I am very prone to burning and no matter what I do I always burn the first time either in the salon or outside. The best thing to do is to start very slowly at first. I'd go minimum amounts of minutes on the bed you choose. If you do ok then add a minute or two to it until you get the base color you want. The mist on tan stuff is really good but it will wear off within a week especially on your legs if you shave them. They tend to be not as streaky but if you don't exfoliate your knees, elbows, ankles they tend to collect a little more color there. They give you a hair net and some lotion stuff to put on your nail beds and it's good IF you can do it evenly! I've had great ones and not so great ones! If you decide to do the mist on stuff I'd suggest doing it a couple of weeks before you go so you make sure you know what you are doing! My friend did it the day of our friends wedding and she came back all colored funny because she screwed up the lotion stuff and she also touched the hair net and her hands turned a funky shade of brownish orange. Also we've found that we take a whole array of sunblock. We start at 45 for the first day, then 30, then 15 for each consecutive day..it helps your skin get accustomed to the sun but you still get a tan slowly.

Heidi

 

[Cuzisayso2]

I am a swim instructor and spend the majority of my summer in a pool during the hottest sun times of the day. I have always gone to the tanning bed to get a base tan. It does help to keep you from burning...this doesn't mean you wont burn, but it will help to "toughen" up your skin a bit. I know they say any sun is bad, but I've also heard that burning is worse.

 

[Goofy Girl]

I know that the rays are danderous, but I had heard the same as cuzisayso2, that buring is worse. I used to burn badly everytime I went to the beach (and I am not one with the patience to lay in the sun for long periods of time)...so several years ago(we were going to St Martin), I decided to tan ahead, and it was the first vacation I went on where I did not get burnt at all! So, and I know many of you are flinching, I tan ahead of all of my caribbean vacations.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Thanks everyone. Lots of great information in these threads. I hadn't thought about the fact that burning would probably be even more dangerous than a few hours in a tanning bed. I'll check out the local salon and see what they have for brand names as I wasn't even aware that there are different kinds. I only have a month before the cruise, but I will take it slow and hopefully get enough of a base that I can enjoy some time in the sun.

 

[Lisa62064]

I am a fair skinned redhead and here's how I do it.... I am cruising in mid-October, so I will start tanning in the tanning bed oh, probably around mid-late August starting out at 5 minutes 4X a week, then slowly moving up to the maximum of 20 minutes 3X a week. The thing that makes me really dark, (my hair turns blonde & I look like an alien I get so dark!) is the tanning bed lotion accelerators, use them about 3 weeks into your tan......I have used Caribbean Gold in the past and it is simply amazing!!!! I dont do this every year, just for special occasions, maybe every 3 or 4 yrs....and yes, I will be slathering on the sunblock, even tan I will burn with my skin.

Takes time & patience but if I can get dark, anyone can!

 

[buzz&woody'smom]

I want to share that if anyone wants the info on skin cancer visit mpip.org and read the discussion boards about melanoma skin cancer which is known as the beast.

Not many in the USA take melanoma seriously and pay dearly for it with their lives. The age group of men and women between 25-35 year of age is the fastest growing group of people diagnosed with melanoma.

Though it is true over 60% of damage done before the age of 17 will be a huge factor in if you develope melanoma everyone needs to be aware this cancer is nasty and is not a joke.

I am blonde with green eyes and in my early 30's. I was diagnosed 6 years ago when my oldest son was only 5 weeks old. I grew up in the Middle East and went to college in the South and used tanning beds for many years and I really never burned....I tan very well (use to tan).

Just be careful. If I can save one person from going through the hell I have been through in the last 6 years then I have done my job. Trust me I can refer you to a 1000 people who never thought it would be them.

It took awhile for me to even go outside but slowly I have regained my confidence and want to live but I do so with a SPF over 30 (with the Parasol ingredient). I re-apply every 1.5 hours, avoid the middle of the day sun and wear a hat and UV sunglasses.

I actually use a self tanner lotion and it works like a charm AND I know I am safe.

It is your decision but just know once you have melanoma it is a bumpy road with the worry, surgeries, treatment and guilt knowing you could have helped prevented this cancer.

There is also a possible genetic link so watch your children too. There is a common misconception that melanoma does not effect children which is false. It is rare but the average age is 9. Melanoma can occur in people of all races, skin color, eye and hair color.

Just some info. Melanoma is real, it does kill and it can be prevented. You can still have fun but visit mpip.org and just at least have the knowledge.

B&W Mom

 

[TammiMcMan]

I just wanted to follow up to my original post. We sailed on May 27th and enjoyed perfect weather. The sea was calm and we had sunshine everyday. I ended up not visiting a tanning salon before we left, instead I went with an spf 50 sunscreen. This ended up working perfectly for my whole family. A few tips that I can pass along are, to apply the sunscreen before leaving your stateroom. We helped each other with those hard to reach spots and it just seemed like we had better absorbtion. We also used sun visors, hats, sunglasses and coverups when necessary. For the snorkeling excursions, we used t-shirts to keep our backs covered and with DH's thinning hair, he wrapped a bandana around the top of his head. It didn't intefere with the snorkeling equipment and kept his scalp from burning.

We all ended up getting some color, but not one of us had any redness. It did surprise me to see how many people didn't take care of their skin. My husband pointed out one gentleman on Castaway Cay who's back was as red as a lobster. Instead of covering up, he had someone applying more suntan lotion on him.

 

[SCOTTOHIOCPA]

We like to be outside enjoying the sun as much as possible when we go on vacation. While we try to keep our total UV exposure down with SPF30, we think that getting a light base tan is healthier than getting burned.

Living in Ohio, our overall exposure to UV is pretty low over the course of a year.