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Tanning VS. Sunless Tanners

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Date: 4/10/2008 2:10:14 PM
Author: violet02
So I had this same dilemma last year then I went back to the tanning salon, where I was paying $35 a shot to get the fancy high pressured 'blocks all the bad rays' sun tan super booths. I always look GREAT with a tan. Anyways this year with the wedding coming up and the fact that I'm getting older I notice more than ever the wrinkles I'm getting from my skin drying out because of the tanning. Particulary on my chest and neck areas. I totally see the freckles and sun damage now in my mid-30s. I vowed this year to not go back to tanning and I won't. I don't want to be pruney when I'm 45.

Anyways, I hate using those sunless tanner lotions. I used to use clarins all the time but gah... applying that stuff is such a time suck.

I AM somewhat interested in Mystic tanning though, so Delster it sounds like you know what you're talking about there. Does it really look natural at all after a couple of days or do you wind up overly tanned looking like those dancing with the stars folks? A friend of mine did one shot in the mystic tanner last year before a trip and she looked barely any darker. I'm wondering if she just got a light spray or what. How much does that stuff rub off as well? Just after one day? What's the cost as well?

I really don't want to go back to 'real' tanning ever again.
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violet I am super pale so the spray tan does makes me a lot darker. All the salons over here ask you to go back the next morning for a second application to deepen the colour and to even out the application, and I never do. I'd look ridiculous! I tell them to do it right the first time and leave it at that. After a couple of days it starts to wear off and I look very stripey to be honest. I always end up exfoliating the whole thing off after about the fourth day. Although the arms and legs usually aren't so bad, it's more the big expanses (back, tummy etc) that end up patchy. So once you're not flashing the flesh it'd probably do you for a few days more. The day of the tanning I always wear long sleeves and pants to bed and those end up destroyed. The next morning you shower and after that your clothes and sheets are safe. So it's just that first night and I just use old pyjamas, I don't find it a big hassle. In terms of cost, I guess there's really no comparison because everything in Ireland is so pricey. I usually pay somewhere around €35 (about $55) and that wouldn't be the most expensive. You really can't compare - Elmorton is saying below that $30 is expensive! Rip-off Ireland in action again
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As to the colour, I think it makes me look like a person who tans easily who has been on a week's holidays. I don't think it looks orange in person and it comes out more brown than orange in photos so hopefully I'm not deluding myself! It definitely eliminates all that blotchiness I was describing in the earlier post and that's why I do it for special events. Anyway, so you can see, I'm attaching photos of me wearing the same dress (oh, the shame!) with the spray tan and without, so you can see the difference. The first one's a bit overexposed so it masks the blotchy factor but you can see my natural skin tone. The second one is very obviously the spray tan photo! In both photos though BF's hand is right beside my skin so that might be a good reference point as to the 'naturalness' of it. The photos are from the same time of year so he doesn't have a natural tan in one and not the other (he gets a tan just from walking to the shops!). The photos are a year apart with the tanned one being older - I haven't done the spray tan in a long time now as I think the pale look is in so I've been embracing it!
 
Date: 4/10/2008 8:49:53 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
The acne clearing up is largely because the UV rays contain radiation that damage oil producing cells. They actually used to use x-rays to cure acne in the 20's on the same principal. Of course, it gave them cancer later.

As for SAD, they are only exposed to the light very briefly, usually about 7 minutes to reset their system. In combination with vitamin D this treats most cases with minimal UV exposure.

Anyway, the active ingredient in almost all sunless tanners is dihydroxyacetone or DHA. Unfortunately, this is also what causes the skin irritation. There is atleast one tanner that does not contain it, Decleor Auto-Bronzant SPF 6 Self-Tanning Age Prevention Cream. Their Autobronzant Lumiere does have some DHA, but it has less since some of the coloring comes from henna. Either or both might be worth a try. They are also perfumed so they don't smell like tanners.
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Dreamgirl I wonder could it be the perfume that's irritating your skin?

Anyway I think you said you tried Lancome already? I keep a tube of their Flash Bronzer for legs and use that if I feel I need it. It's tinted so it's easy to apply without streaks, and it's got a light shimmer in it. It says it's for legs but I use it all over. It's the only one I've found that doesn't streak on me.
 
Date: 4/10/2008 8:49:53 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
Decleor Auto-Bronzant SPF 6 Self-Tanning Age Prevention Cream. Their Autobronzant Lumiere does have some DHA, but it has less since some of the coloring comes from henna. Either or both might be worth a try. They are also perfumed so they don''t smell like tanners.
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I have never heard of these products. Where can they be purchased?
 
Date: 4/11/2008 7:20:14 AM
Author: Delster

Dreamgirl I wonder could it be the perfume that''s irritating your skin?


Anyway I think you said you tried Lancome already? I keep a tube of their Flash Bronzer for legs and use that if I feel I need it. It''s tinted so it''s easy to apply without streaks, and it''s got a light shimmer in it. It says it''s for legs but I use it all over. It''s the only one I''ve found that doesn''t streak on me.
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I don''t think its the perfume because I wear perfumes without any problem. And as I said, I have never had skin reactions to any other types of lotions, just sunless tanners. Yes, I have tried Lancome and it irritated me the most.
 
Actually I just remembered the Victoria''s Secret Bare Bronze in the pink tube was really good. Shimmery and tinted. I should get some more of that...
 
In a recent magazine, there was a list of the "best" sunless tanners. But for the life of me, I can''t remember what mag it was in. Maybe Instyle or Lucky. It was just recent, past 2 mos. Anyway, I remember one tanner that was expensive but seemed to be a favorite with all the magazine editors. I want that stuff! But I think my best friend has my Instyle issue, so can''t check that one.
 
I just got off the phone with my mom and she said the latest issue of Real Simple had a bunch of sunless tanner recs (I love that mag!).
 
Sorry, but I'm about to get preachy here. I was always in the sun, from childhood on. I went to a tanning salon because I looked and felt better with a tan, or so I thought. I've had had three nasty skin cancers removed from my face and numerous precancerous lesions biopsied and removed. The worst was a squamous cell CA on the side of my nose. It took two years of reconstructive surgery to put the pieces together again. I have developed a condition on my arms and legs, which is made worse by exposure to the sun. One of these lesions was recently removed--precancerous. It is just not worth it. No one could have convinced me at the time I was tanning. Now I have to be so careful all of the time. I'll be high risk for the rest of my life. Just don't...please.
 
Date: 4/11/2008 1:05:24 PM
Author: Dreamgirl

Date: 4/10/2008 8:49:53 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
Decleor Auto-Bronzant SPF 6 Self-Tanning Age Prevention Cream. Their Autobronzant Lumiere does have some DHA, but it has less since some of the coloring comes from henna. Either or both might be worth a try. They are also perfumed so they don''t smell like tanners.
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I have never heard of these products. Where can they be purchased?
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Sephora carries Decleor and I am sure you can find them online.
 
Okay, so I am going to jump on the preachy bandwagon here, but being from a medical background, I can''t help myself. DON''T TAN!!!! All of your sun damage is done at a young age, it just shows up later and you are just going to keep compounding the damage. So, all of that tanning that you have already done and are thinking about continuing to do is going to haunt you later. I don''t know if there is a good alternative to sunless tanners or tanning for you since neither of them are good options for you, but I do know that it would be well worth being pale if it meant that you were healthy skinwise for a long time.
 
Thank you everyone for your comments. You have helped me decide that I AM NOT going back to the tanning salon. From what I already knew to what everyone has said here, it just is not worth it to me. Thank you for being preachy because I needed to hear from someone else what I already knew.

So I plan on trying another sunless tanner, I am going to the mall this weekend to decide on which one to try. I will speak with the Clarins woman and go from there. I think I will also buy the Aveeno Continuous Radiance Lotion and I was thinking what I will do is try the sunless tanner about 2 times a week and the Aveeno the rest of the week to maintain the tan since that should be less harsh on the skin. If not, I will return it and try try again.
Im going to try these things out and I will let you know if it works for me. I hope so! Thanks for your help everyone.
35.gif
 
^^^You are doing the right thing!!
 
UPDATE:
So I read several reviews of sunless tanners online and decided to try the Chanel Soleil Identite self tanner. This is quite expensive btw, but I figured I would try it because I read that it is a light formula and it has very low sunless tanner "chemical smell" to it. I guess the cost isn't really a factor when it cost so much more to go to the salon, as well as my skin getting irritated.

The woman actually gave me a sample to try before opening the bottle I bought. I applied it today to the areas where I get irritated. So far, it seems to be ok. But I will try it again for the next two days to be sure of it (it seems sometimes to take a day or two before I notice.) Oh, and it definately is lightweight and I put it on this morning, I really dont smell any chemical smell which would be wonderful if I could continue to use this product. I will update later with if it will work out or not........

Thanks again everyone!
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Date: 4/15/2008 11:54:10 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I just wanted to post a couple of articles in response to so many posts stating that sunscreen must be worn at all times. It is causing huge vitamin D deficiencies and may be causing more serious cancers.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/19/il/FP610190309.html

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=60380
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Agree with you oobiecoo about the importance of Vitamin D! On the other side of that debate, here''s another article from Cosmetics Cop, that cites some journal articles that state sunscreen doesn''t completely block UVB rays and thus sunscreen doesn''t completely block Vitamin D production:

"There is also the issue that no sunscreen, regardless of active ingredients or how often or liberally it is applied, can provide 100% protection from UV radiation. The tiny amount of UVB light that sunscreens do not shield is enough to begin the synthesis of vitamin D (though depending on your skin color and climate, supplemental vitamin D will likely still be necessary)."

Another important thing about Vitamin D is that you need UVB rays to manufacture it, and while UVA (the cancer rays) can come in through windows, I believe UVB can''t and that you need to go outside to get UVB rays. When you have skin as fair as mine you only need 15 minutes of sunshine to get enough Vitamin D (and that''s 15 minutes of Irish ''sunshine''
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) but I take a dietary supplement just in case.
 
Date: 4/15/2008 11:54:10 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I just wanted to post a couple of articles in response to so many posts stating that sunscreen must be worn at all times. It is causing huge vitamin D deficiencies and may be causing more serious cancers.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/19/il/FP610190309.html

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=60380
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Sorry oobie, I don''t get my medical knowledge from sources such at "Nutra Ingredients" and "Honolulu Advertiser"
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This is not to say that Vitamin D is not important. It certainly is! However, one does not need to bake in the sun in order to have enough Vitamin D. I stick by SUNSCREEN, always!
 
I just wanted to second Sunnyd- Victoria''s Secret Bare Bronze is great! I have used probably 4 different brands of self tanners, and this is my favorite. Also, I''d suggest checking out reviews on makeupalley.com, they have just about every kind you could ever think of.
 
NEW UPDATE:
For those who are interested anyway lol. I've been using this Chanel for a few days now and decided today to open up the bottle and apply more. The sample that was given to me to try first wasn't very much and I couldn't apply the true amount that I normally would. Today I applied a better amount to the areas. So far from the past few days, I have had only a minor itching on my legs where I normally would get itchy, but nowhere else. I also thought that it might be the old Clarins that was still on my legs from last week (because it lasts a week) Today there is no itching at all. The color seems to be good but Im still not sure how much color it gives, seems like a good amount of color though. I think I will have to wait until next week to judge how the color looks on my skin as well as any skin irritation. Still no "chemical" smell to this product.
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Dreamgirl,

I just found this thread. I am So Happy that you are not going to a tanning salon anymore. They are so bad for your skin.

I am now getting spots on my skin for laying out in the sun in my teens, until my early 30''s. I am now 58. If I could do it over again I wouldn''t. They aren''t bad, but they are their.

My best friend, lives in Florida. She went to the tanning salon a couple of times a week, plus laid out in the sun. she is my age and I hate to say it, but she looked like a wrinkled old prune. She looked twice her age.

She called me yesterday and said she is scheduled for an eye lift and a facelift, due to all of the sun damage.

Plus, she had a skin cancer removed. I felt so sorry for her, but she learned a lesson the hard way.

Linda
 
Yeah, I think I have made the best decision as well. Thanks!
 
Date: 4/11/2008 7:10:46 AM
Author: Delster

violet I am super pale so the spray tan does makes me a lot darker. All the salons over here ask you to go back the next morning for a second application to deepen the colour and to even out the application, and I never do. I'd look ridiculous! I tell them to do it right the first time and leave it at that. After a couple of days it starts to wear off and I look very stripey to be honest. I always end up exfoliating the whole thing off after about the fourth day. Although the arms and legs usually aren't so bad, it's more the big expanses (back, tummy etc) that end up patchy. So once you're not flashing the flesh it'd probably do you for a few days more. The day of the tanning I always wear long sleeves and pants to bed and those end up destroyed. The next morning you shower and after that your clothes and sheets are safe. So it's just that first night and I just use old pyjamas, I don't find it a big hassle. In terms of cost, I guess there's really no comparison because everything in Ireland is so pricey. I usually pay somewhere around €35 (about $55) and that wouldn't be the most expensive. You really can't compare - Elmorton is saying below that $30 is expensive! Rip-off Ireland in action again
38.gif


As to the colour, I think it makes me look like a person who tans easily who has been on a week's holidays. I don't think it looks orange in person and it comes out more brown than orange in photos so hopefully I'm not deluding myself! It definitely eliminates all that blotchiness I was describing in the earlier post and that's why I do it for special events. Anyway, so you can see, I'm attaching photos of me wearing the same dress (oh, the shame!) with the spray tan and without, so you can see the difference. The first one's a bit overexposed so it masks the blotchy factor but you can see my natural skin tone. The second one is very obviously the spray tan photo! In both photos though BF's hand is right beside my skin so that might be a good reference point as to the 'naturalness' of it. The photos are from the same time of year so he doesn't have a natural tan in one and not the other (he gets a tan just from walking to the shops!). The photos are a year apart with the tanned one being older - I haven't done the spray tan in a long time now as I think the pale look is in so I've been embracing it!
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Delster thanks for the photos, the spray tan actually looks great in those photos. I"m curious to try it now! I'd like to have a slight bit of color for my wedding but not be super tan. I hope it will work. I will try to go experiment with that soon.
 
I am totally against tanning- artificial light and real...anyway, with the mystic tan- does your face come out looking even?
 
Date: 4/17/2008 10:49:29 PM
Author: golden
I am totally against tanning- artificial light and real...anyway, with the mystic tan- does your face come out looking even?
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The only problem I have ever had with it is the tip of my nose. It tends to get a little darker. I''ve fixed it by making sure I exfoliate extra on my nose before I go. And if it still doesn''t look too great, I rub in some bronzer :)
 
Oooooh, SDL, that sounds great! I''ll have to try that spray.

Anyways, ladies, I found the most amazing thing today. Neutrogena makes a sunscreen (SPF 30, broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection) that has a sunless tanner in it! So you get the (safe) colour you want and protection you need. I''m in love.
 
I just wanted to give another nod towards a spray tan. I got it done several times last summer and LOVED it. To me it looked very natural.

Pros:
*I loved the look
*It did not bother my super sensitive skin
*My salon only charges full price for the initial application, and then it is half price for each additional visit
*although a little did end up getting on my clothes the first day, it all washed off.
*NO damaging rays from the sun or icky bulbs


Cons:
*The salon I use does tanning by hand, so you basically have to be naked in the room (aside from this little disposable thong thing. BUT, they do a good job of making sure the application is even.
*you can''t touch water or wear any kind of products (make up, lotion deodorant) for at least 8 hours after, so you kind of need to clear the whole day of anything that requires looking particularly nice. AND you have to wear loose fitting clothes too to avoid rubbing it off or anything (and old clothes are better just in CASE the stuff stains, though I''ve never had it happen so far.)
*It needs to be retouched at least once a week.
*It doesn''t always fade evenly. My arms and legs stay nice and even, other places seem to get a bit streaky.

Really, I would do it every week if I had the time/money too. Maybe someday.
 
Does anyone have experience with the Solerra brand of sunless tanners?

I found some info on EDS, but not quite enough to make me run out and buy it.
I am curious about the soray tans. They sound so easy, but how do you get the spray
to go on evenly?
 
Date: 4/18/2008 1:30:21 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady

Date: 4/17/2008 10:56:20 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady



Date: 4/16/2008 11:52:23 AM
Author: anniee19
I just wanted to second Sunnyd- Victoria''s Secret Bare Bronze is great! I have used probably 4 different brands of self tanners, and this is my favorite. Also, I''d suggest checking out reviews on makeupalley.com, they have just about every kind you could ever think of.
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Is this sold at the stores???
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I bought it tonight actually.. I sugar scrubbed myself first and then put on the bronzer.. I bought the mousse one because they said it would build up and last longer. We''ll see how the color is in a couple days.. BUT.. the spray one? OH MY STARS! Gorgeous color, I sprayed my forearm in the store... the color is perfectly natural and not at all orange. I loved it. I may get it just in case for when I go to Arizona, the coverage is great.
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*eta~ The mousse is 17.00 and the spray is 18.00.
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There''s a spray? Hmmm I''ve only used the lotion stuff. Is that the mousse you''re talking about SDL? Maybe we''re talking about different things because I thought this one was just a tan lotion that didn''t tan you just made your color darker...okay that makes no sense. Off to the store with me to find some!
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Hey! Can you tell me about the Chanel tanning lotion- I would like to go pick it up. I am very fair, I would say on the lightest side of the olive tone as possible...I have a birthday party tomorrow and would like to do it, is doing it the day of a bad idea? Does color show immediately? What color should I get? I am just going to do my legs to start.
Thank you!!!
 
Aw Golden, Im so sorry I didn't see this thread until now! I know Im too late, did you try it out? For me with my fair skin, I don't notice an extreme amount of color the first day, although I do see some color. As I said, I apply about 2-3 times a week. How did it work out for you? Do you like this product?
 
I haven''t read this whole thread, but I have to say...no offense but...

... are you nuts?!? I mean, we know that sun exposure makes you age way quicker and that it GIVES YOU CANCER!!!!!!

CANCER!

And just in case you didn''t hear that time

C
A
N
C
E
R

Your best option is to go to a salon that will give you a mist on tan. Then it''s a nice professional job. No muss no fuss.

No hideously early-aged skin
No C-A-N-C-E-R.

OK, rant over.
 
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