My first ever tanning bed session! WEeeird!

[b fold the truth]

That white spot on your tail bone is probably from where you are laying on your back and you are not getting good circulation in that area...hence it is not tanning. Lay on your side or on your stomach a few times...see if that helps.

B True

 

[SteelWeaver]

Update: So, I went to the nice professional looking place. They had spacious private rooms (a LUXURY in Japan - the space), big fluffy white towels, spotlessly clean, gentle music piped in, very much more high-tech looking machine than at my gym - altogether a MUCH nicer atmosphere. They had a special on for March - 30 mins for 1500 yen - not bad.

Before I knew it, I'd been in there 20 and my skin was prickling, now my tummy's burnt

Yes - I'm the fool - you all told me so ... but I just wasn't watching - I had the towel over my head.

This is weird, though - my back, back of legs, sides (obviously) and arms are still white as sheets, but my butt cheeks, stomach and upper thighs are burnt.

Should I turn over and lie on my stomach to tan my back? (After I wait a week or so for the burn to go away, grr). And lie on my side to do the sides? (For now, before I do the stand-up machine).

 

[Temple]

A lesson that it seems we all must learn for ourselves LOL.

yes, I use the rotiessre (sp) method otherwise my back is always darker than my front. At first do one session tummy, one session back but when you get to going longer do half tummy half back and you should come out even. I can't stand to lie on my side in those things but you may be able to.

 

[SteelWeaver]

A lesson that it seems we all must learn for ourselves LOL.

Ha ha - yes - I'm a firm believer in the learn by your own experience school of thought. OW! heh heh

Mmm - your back gets darker? But my front got more exposure? How odd - is it not related to the distance your skin is from the lights? You'd think your case would be more common, simply because the back is closer to the lights on that side ...

But spatterson gets white spots on her bubble butt, yet my butt cheeks are the parts that burnt in that area - do I have an odd body? Hahhahh ha ha ha.

Would it be stupid to try and take advantage of the cheap special they have on by just turning every 5 minutes? Or keep the whole session short and just do one part at a time, like you said?

 

[BigEasy]

And now, for the unwanted dissenting opinion.....

I know that you were ALL just waiting to unload all those UVA and UVB rays on somebody! So, without further adieu, I present a number of links touting the skin damaging effects of tanning beds.

<CLICK! Flame retardant suit on!>

First, a message from the US FDA and your neighbourhood dermatologist:

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/tanning.html

Next, the National Cancer Institute. (note the use of the word MAY)

http://jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/jnci;94/3/155-a

Melanoma Melodrama:

http://www.healthwatcher.net/ISCAN/ishazard.html


Physicists For Responsible Irradiation aka The Health Physics Society (This is actually quite good!)
http://www.hps.org/documents/ultravioletradiation.pdf

Anectdotal Speculation: (remember Reefer Mania?)
http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/cancer/tanning.htm
http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/cancer/handbook/uvlight.pdf

The WebMD speaks:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/2946.941

and

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.81051



Of course, if your a betting person, you could wager your potential for NOT getting skin cancer eventually.......

 

[The_Monster]

I thick towel folded over should cut the ultraviolet rays out for you. I t-shirt will not. Ultraviolet light can travel through the cloth of a cotton or cotton blend t -shirt! Oh, and your eyelids definatly do not provide protection of any sort to your eyes...

As for the warnings against tanning... I know we've all heard it before, but I feel like if someone is going to do something, they might as well do it the safest way possible. Go slow, tan a little at a time in increments, dont burn. Burning isnt tanning.

I had a woman stand in front of me, puffing on a cigarette, chastising me about abusing my skin and how her good friend ended up getting skin cancer from tanning... I'll take my chances, thanks. I told her that when I get done having my skin scraped I'll stop by and oil her iron lung. We dont speak anymore...

Be sure to exfoliate often, moisturize after (and after showers and such) and be aware of how your skin looks. Be on the lookout any sort of discolorations on your skin that could potentially be tumors... dont forget to look at your back in the mirror, or have someone else check it.

As for burning your back, the way I avoid it is I dont use tanning lotion on my back. It seems to work.

 

[Temple]

BE - quit raining on our parade LOL

Actually, my mom, grandpa and dad have all had skin cancers removed. My gpa had to do 6 weeks of heavy radiation on his nose as it was so deep and it looked pretty damn unpleasant.

I have spent the first 37 years of my life lilly white so I figure by the time this catches up with me I will be too old to care.

If anyone is going to do this I can't say it stronly enough
SUNBLOCK YOUR FACE, EARS AND NECK - tan in a bottle is the only way to go on these places!

 

[SteelWeaver]

OK, HuMPPPHHHH!!!!! For all the smart alecs who keep popping into this thread to say we're all gonna get skin cancer ... here is my disclaimer:

THE ONLY REASON I AM DOING THIS IS FOR A COMPETITION !!!!

OK, is that clear enough? I don't NEED a tan, or necessarily WANT a tan, but none of the doomsayers has yet come up with a viable alternative to tanning for the deep brown competition look, and until Ben and Joe Weider change the unofficial requirements for displays of muscle on stage, I (and all other BB'ers) ARE STUCK WITH IT.

For the second time, the particular venue my show is in doesn't alloow dream-tan, pro-tan etc, and even if it did, I have yet to hear of a bodbybuilder who ONLY used those products, without tanning, so can we quit with the annoying comments, please? I'm perfectly aware of the risks.

 

[SteelWeaver]

No! The CHEEKIES tan, it's the the 1 inch margin on either side of my crack that's stark white.

OOoooohh, I seee! Ha ha - so I don't have an odd body - I have a bubble butt too!

 

[b fold the truth]

Yes...roll over. There is no circulation going there...that is why you are not tanning there. I get the same spots on my back...around my shoulder blades...well...when I was smaller I did.

B True