Tanning for Disney

[ZoZo]

I am one of those rare broads with a crazy ethnicity. I have pale skin naturally but if sunlight hits me for a very short period of time, I become very dark. So you can imagine that my arms and face are pretty different looking from my tummy or chest. Living in a state like Oregon where it rains something like 9 months out of the year I don't get to see natural sun very often but when I do the tan lines from tank tops and such last for nearly half a year.

Essentially what I am getting at is that I tan, using the tanning beds. Without it, I'd be very funny looking. I've tried Mystic Tan once and will not do it again, I hated the process, it looked uneven because of my weird skin tones to being with and I felt dirty. For someone who likes to take showers sometimes twice a day, feeling dirty is an absolute no-no.

Luckily for me though, I tan very easily and don't have to go more than once a month. I feel sorry for those who go more than 3 times a week, which A LOT of people do. I know it's bad for me, but I also wear SPF 4 when I go in there! There are different kinds of beds, all of which aren't great in general but there are some that are very very very safe in tanning bed standards. They're just like spending 10 minutes in the sun.

Lol, I'd like to know if anyone who has said not to tan because of it's dangers if they smoke? If so, then well...........

Nope, I don't smoke. I'm the previous poster who has two relatives who had melanoma in their mid-20s (and my brother-in-law died from it). I just worry that so many people don't realize the dangers of tanning (whether it's outdoors or in tanning beds). Wearing an SPF 4 in a tanning bed is like smoking "light" cigarettes. There's very much a "it won't happen to me" attitude out there. It's just not worth it.

Here's another benefit of not tanning: I stopped seeking any kind of tan in my late 20s, use sunscreen every day, and at the ripe old age of 46, I have absolutely no wrinkles. As another poster said: tanning is sun damage, pure and simple. That's where 90% of wrinkles and age spots come from. People often remark how good my skin looks for my age. I ran into a high-school classmate the other day - deep wrinkles! Even if you're not afraid of cancer, keep yourself from getting wrinkles!

 

[AKBAFB]

Like some of the other posters, I prefer the Mystic tan with the jergens during the trip to maintain the color. For me, I usually do two applications of Mystic before I go - one to get the base color and another to add another layer as well as even out any areas that I botched with the barrier cream. I have very pale skin and burn easily, so tanning beds, or building a natural suntan is out of the question for me. Try as I might to embrace my natural color, I really think I look skinnier and sexier with a tan! (Does anyone else find that seems to be true?)

 

[CinderellyCinderelly]

Like some of the other posters, I prefer the Mystic tan with the jergens during the trip to maintain the color. For me, I usually do two applications of Mystic before I go - one to get the base color and another to add another layer as well as even out any areas that I botched with the barrier cream. I have very pale skin and burn easily, so tanning beds, or building a natural suntan is out of the question for me. Try as I might to embrace my natural color, I really think I look skinnier and sexier with a tan! (Does anyone else find that seems to be true?)

FOR SURE! Dark = slimming! And it hides cellulite! If I can't make my cellulite go away, then I at least want to cover it up any way I can! I also get highlights in the warmer months and feel that they look better when my skin has color.

I leave on Friday for Disney and as my roommate has been going tanning all month in preparation for her own trip, I just applied my first coat of self tanner and ALREADY look as dark as she does!! Can't wait to see her when we are 50 and she has wrinkles and I don't!

(Edited to add) BTW, just because you use a self tanner and are darker doesn't mean you are protected from the sun. Always make sure you are wearing some SPF when you are outside - even if it isn't sunny! I am 20 and I do this b/c do NOT want wrinkles!!!!!!!!!

 

[wiggles02]

I have tried Mystic Tan twice. The first time I was blotchy, second time perfect. They key is to exfoliate and moisturize before you go. The formula sticks to the dead skin better and that is why you get blotchy. The second thing is to use towels after you are done and rub the stuff in. That will help with the blotchiness. Remember it is a bronzer first and a self-tanner. You look darker because of the bronzer which stains you. The self-tanner will develop over the next hours. The bronzer can make you blotchy. When I took the time to rub it in evenly, my tan was better.

 

[IHEARTNY]

Howdy neighbor! I'm in West Linn! Hey, didn't the sun come out for about 10 minutes yesterday!

Yes, you are lucky that you tan easily, because I think that I burn so easily that I'm probably the perfect candidate for skin cancer! But it still not good for you my fellow Oregonian! Naughty girl!

SPF 4...I always wear SPF 30!

Hello!!!!!! I could probably yell it to you, lol! I know SPF 4 is no good, it's my own personal vice so saying it's ok that I tan occasionally.

Lucky yes, in that I don't have to spend too much time tanning. Lucky no, in that I feel like I need to tan to even out my color...

You people should see it, we're talking ivory and honey! It's really wrong. Although, I didn't tan during the last 7 months because of baby but I went yesterday!

 

[CampbellScot]

Wearing an SPF 4 in a tanning bed is like smoking "light" cigarettes. There's very much a "it won't happen to me" attitude out there. It's just not worth it.

I COMPLETELY agree!

I realize that people are going to do what ever they want to do...but the "it won't happen to me" attitude is deadly. It really is. It CAN happen to you and it WILL if you are not more careful with your skin.

When a person quits smoking, their lungs go to work repairing themselves. This IS NOT THE CASE with skin. Damage done to your skin can take years to manifest itself. A bad burn received as a child can show up years later as skin cancer. A few random hours here and there "laying out in the yard" adds up.

I just have such a hard time swallowing people having such a "devil may care" attitude about the sun. With all the research done on skin cancer, how deadly it is...and how to AVOID it...and people still bake in the sun...or believe the garbage about "safe tanning beds" and how they are actually "good for you"...not true. It just isn't.

it's deadly. Malignant Melanoma is a vicious ravenous cancer. Once it takes hold it eats the person alive.

why would anyone subject themselves to this? I just don't understand.

okay. that's all I'll say about it.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

it's deadly. Malignant Melanoma is a vicious ravenous cancer. Once it takes hold it eats the person alive.

why would anyone subject themselves to this? I just don't understand.

okay. that's all I'll say about it.

Amen

I am very lucky to be alive since my cancer was so advanced. I found out afterward that I had only been give a 25% SURVIVAL rate. That's right...I beat a 3 out of 4 chance that I would not here to warn others!

 

[PinkTink63]

Like some of the other posters, I prefer the Mystic tan with the jergens during the trip to maintain the color. For me, I usually do two applications of Mystic before I go - one to get the base color and another to add another layer as well as even out any areas that I botched with the barrier cream. I have very pale skin and burn easily, so tanning beds, or building a natural suntan is out of the question for me. Try as I might to embrace my natural color, I really think I look skinnier and sexier with a tan! (Does anyone else find that seems to be true?)

FOR SURE! Dark = slimming! And it hides cellulite! If I can't make my cellulite go away, then I at least want to cover it up any way I can! I also get highlights in the warmer months and feel that they look better when my skin has color.

I leave on Friday for Disney and as my roommate has been going tanning all month in preparation for her own trip, I just applied my first coat of self tanner and ALREADY look as dark as she does!! Can't wait to see her when we are 50 and she has wrinkles and I don't!

(Edited to add) BTW, just because you use a self tanner and are darker doesn't mean you are protected from the sun. Always make sure you are wearing some SPF when you are outside - even if it isn't sunny! I am 20 and I do this b/c do NOT want wrinkles!!!!!!!!!

Tan fat looks better that white fat, I always say!
Oh well...I can use a little self tanner and try to make it look better!

 

[PinkTink63]

Hello!!!!!! I could probably yell it to you, lol! I know SPF 4 is no good, it's my own personal vice so saying it's ok that I tan occasionally.

Lucky yes, in that I don't have to spend too much time tanning. Lucky no, in that I feel like I need to tan to even out my color...

You people should see it, we're talking ivory and honey! It's really wrong. Although, I didn't tan during the last 7 months because of baby but I went yesterday!

Okay...I just noticed you were only 22 and that is about the time I tried my "trying to tan couple of years"! My skin felt like boot leather after that and that is when I began to embrace my paleness! You might change your mind in about 23 years!

 

[Melanie98]

I always start the spring by purchasing a Mystic tanning package to get me through the summer months. I went for my first tan of the season this morning, and it reminded me of some tips I have learned along the way.

First of all, try to find a place that has the "fancy" booth. There are two (at least) different booth models used for Mystic (and some knock-offs too). The fancier booth talks to you, and the quality of the misting is WAY better. Also, with the fancier booth you can request the color without bronzers. I personally hate the bronzers. They are just temporary color that tends to rub off on your clothes. I just get the clear spray and wait a few hours for it to show up.

Also, go to the Mystic tan website before your first session. They have great instructions about how to prepare your skin so that your tan will last longer. I think they even have a little video there that shows you what to expect.

Also, if any area is slighty darker than the rest you can use aerosol hairspray (or acetone polish remover I've been told) on a q-tip or cotton swab to lighten to the desired shade. And, be sure to apply the barrier cream liberally around your fingernails and toe nails.

Although the time in the booth is only 30 seconds you do have to allow some prep and clean up time. After showering and exfoliating it usually takes me about 15 minutes at the salon. Of course, the tan doesn't begin to appear for several hours (unless bronzer is included in the spray, which I hate).

For those that really don't care about having pale skin then all of this talk about tanning probably seems pretty silly, but for those of us who really prefer a nice summer tan I really suggest trying Mystic. It is the guilt-free way to have a nice glowing tan. (However, I do want to add that it is not meant to actually "protect" you from the sun. I still use sunblock when I am planning to spend time in the sun.)

 

[4 mickey]

Hi
Have a few questions
1st do the tan ( from mystic tan ) fade alot faster when you swim in pools ( chlorine ?)
2nd some of you say you put sunscreen but does it also fade the color ? do you have to buy special sunscreen specilay made for mystic tan or other kind of tanning lotion ( jergens .....)
thanks

 

[Augustheather97]

Does the Jergins have that weird post tanning smell like all teh self tanners seem to omit.....YUCK

 

[Augustheather97]

bumping...........Does it stink too????

 

[D&R love Disney]

I used to tan in the beds before vacation but stopped a few years ago. Now when I need color I go to my spa where they air brush tan. It's more expensive than the mystic that they also offer but it's a much better result. I've used before Disney and my last cruise and it held up pretty well even with going into the water quite a bit.

 

[Melanie98]

I love the look of airbrush too, but that is reserved for special occassions. It is just to pricey for me.

As for the Jergens, no it does not smell bad. I actually think it has a nice smell. It is really on the best (and affordable) tanning products I know of. I always get a free "starter" set of lotions when I buy a tanning package at the salon, and I honestly prefer to the Jergens over that expensive stuff.

 

[Melanie98]

I have heard that chlorine can make the tan fade faster, but I haven't noticed myself. However, I don't usually spend long lengths of time in the pool when I go swimming.

You really don't have to have any special kind of lotion for the Mystic tan. of course, they do offer special lotions at the salon, but they are not any better than Jergens. As for an SPF, anything is fine.

 

[Melanie98]

Oh, and California tan now makes an odor neutralizer that you spray on 30 minutes after tanning. I haven't tried it yet, but I just got some in my starter kit.

The smell doesn't bother me a bit, but my SO always tells me that i smell like crackers! (weird, I know)

 

[KatieIsSoPR]

I have been going to the tanners recently to prepare for a trip to florida in a few weeks. I know everyone always bashes the tanners because of the risk for skin cancer, but if you are extremely pale like I am, having a base tan (not a really dark one, just a little bit!) isn't such a bad idea, a tan is your body's natural defense, after all.

You really can run into problems with excessive exposure to UV rays, but if, like me, you burn through spf 50, buliding up a little bit of a tan really helps, because burning your skin is so much more damaging and dangerous than building up a tan. If you don't really burn when you wear high spf, go with mystic tan, but if you fry every June on the beach like I do, a base tan+high spf is not such a bad idea.

The most important thing to protect your skin is not letting it burn. While tanning isn't the best thing for your skin, especially if you do it excessivly, burning is so much more damaging and much more dangerous, since it ups your risk of getting skin cancer by quite a bit each time you burn really badly.

 

[PinkTink63]

Does the Jergins have that weird post tanning smell like all teh self tanners seem to omit.....YUCK

I like the smell of it! That was one of the reasons I tried it in the first place! I bought the one with the original Jergens scent.

 

[ZoZo]

I have been going to the tanners recently to prepare for a trip to florida in a few weeks. I know everyone always bashes the tanners because of the risk for skin cancer, but if you are extremely pale like I am, having a base tan (not a really dark one, just a little bit!) isn't such a bad idea, a tan is your body's natural defense, after all.

You really can run into problems with excessive exposure to UV rays, but if, like me, you burn through spf 50, buliding up a little bit of a tan really helps, because burning your skin is so much more damaging and dangerous than building up a tan. If you don't really burn when you wear high spf, go with mystic tan, but if you fry every June on the beach like I do, a base tan+high spf is not such a bad idea.

The most important thing to protect your skin is not letting it burn. While tanning isn't the best thing for your skin, especially if you do it excessivly, burning is so much more damaging and much more dangerous, since it ups your risk of getting skin cancer by quite a bit each time you burn really badly.

No offense, but thinking that a "base tan" isn't damaging your skin simply isn't true. Any type of UV exposure is bad for your skin, whether you burn or not (or whether you get it from the natual sun or a tanning bed). There's no such thing as a "base tan" - tanning is just accumulated sun damage, and will lead to wrinkles, sun spots, and possibly skin cancer. Talk to any dermatologist - they'll tell you never to deliberately expose yourself to any kind of UV exposure (especially without sunscreen)! My brother-in-law who died of melanoma in his mid-20s lived in Florida, and rarely used sunscreen because he never burned - he simply didn't worry about it.