I have never tanned before, not in a tanning salon and not in the sun. If I am in the sun and get a tan, then so be it. I think when I was 13 one summer I spent some time in a bathing suit in the backyard tanning with my BFF at the time, but there were so many cute young boys coming in and out of her backyard (she had a pool) that I felt it was my obligation to spend as much time fully exposed, if you know what i mean ;-)
What I have discovered, is that tanning is an extremely controversial topic. there is a whole culture surrounding tanning, and I think that a lot of people who tan definitely hide it from their friends. What's scarier is that after this week, when I went to the tanning salon for the first time, I would definitely do the same (hide my tanning from my friends). Some people are hostile. Others offer friendly advice. Even more give you "the look" of disgust. Some people want you to go with them. No matter what, though, if you tell people you went to get a 5 minute tan under a lamp, count on someone saying something to you that makes you question the decision. I wish I had never gone. I have beautiful skin - it is super pale, that's for sure, but there are barely any spots on it and it is soft as a baby's ass and at 30 I have barely developed a laugh line. I couldn't handle the thought of destroying my skin, and I would never do anything to damage it. I never intended on tanning permanently, I just wanted to be tanned for once in my life.
Considering I live in Ontario, Canada, and it is well into the cold and snowy month of December, I have opted for the salon method of tanning. There are two ways to do this: artificial sun or spray-on tan. The spray on tan is honestly the most vial thought I can imagine. Having some sort of pigment stuck on my skin for 12 days sounds more disturbing to me as a toxicologist and chemist than the idea of getting some UV-A for 15 mins. What is in the spray that makes the pigment stay on after you shower for days at a time? How can the exposure to what ever chemical is present in the spray possibly be good for you? I, however, also believe that most skin creams and perfumes are bad for your skin. It would be better to minimalize all exposure to personal care products that are not necessary and even then to use products that have minimal ingredients (i.e., fragrance-free, no dyes, bleach free, etc...) I could be nuts, but it's one of my little idiosyncrasies.
Either way, I would never have expected so many people to feel so strongly about an issue that seems like the last thing people would care to lecture about. I smoke and I get less flack for it. My cigarette packages come with warnings that tell me smoking causes lung cancer - the sunlamps in the salon have instructions that suggest that minimizing total exposure to UV will minimize risk of skin cancer. I don't dispute the evidence that UV causes skin cancer and melanomas (that would be silly) but I do question people who can't see the forest for the trees. I have probably been exposed to less UV in my entire lifetime (including my recent salon experience) than many people of the same age. No-one has asked me about that. When I buy pop and chips at the store people don't question me about how many other calories I have consumed that day and if I should really be adding the extra caloric intake. Even though it would be more logical than telling me that chips are bad for me and I should not buy them, either way no-one would say anything to me because it is rude! I think saying anything to me about tanning is also, rude.
I believe it is especially rude, however, when people have not taken time to find out what my previous risk and exposure is and therefore shoot their mouths off suggesting I'll get cancer as if they are more expert than I about my tanning. People don't get how serious Cancer actually is and how it really affects peoples' lives. It is not cool to tell someone they will get cancer because they spent 15 mins under a sun lamp. I take the diagnosis of cancer very seriously and I do not see how people can just talk about stuff they have read in a magazine as if they are experts.
I may be sensitive, but I heard from more people than I wanted to about tanning this week. So for all of the tanners out there, I won't judge. I know there are good things and bad things about tanning - believe me I've heard it all this week. I don't care, however. I think that anyone can do whatever they want to their body. I wanted to tan - and it was an informed decision. I am not an idiot that hasn't heard of the effects of UV radiation. Regardless, even if i were an idiot, I don't need lectures. I smoke - and I know I could get lung cancer. I have been trying to quite for years. I definitely would go back in time to that same year by the pool if I could and pull that cigarette out of my "super cool" hand. If I made a mistake it was the cigarettes. I still won't lecture another smoker. I don't know if a spray tan is bad for you but I wouldn't lecture a spray-tanner. People are allowed to make their own decisions, good or bad. People need to be less invasive with their opinions.
Anyhow I have ranted long enough.
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