This is certainly going to get a huge reaction from some of you but I also think that on any skin forum it needs to be discussed. As a tanorexic I have very mixed feelings about tanning. I really have to say that I envy people born with brown cocoa colour skin (light black people or darker hispanic people, Indian people etc). Many of these people fight to get whiter but I would be so happy to be darker by nature. I think my only ally here will be Momof2Girlz but the reality is that while we all have heard and know how bad tanning is for you, it is still a multi-billion dollar industry for indoor tanning, still has a huge following outdoors (I see people baking on the beach every day and using BABY OIL something even I long since gave up) and the industry to correct and block the damage is also a multi-billion dollar industry.
In my heart and head I know that tanning is bad for me and I have recently given it up completely. That said, I hate how I look white and despite all the recommendations for "self-tanners" I HATE THEM! I despise them and nobody has yet to recommend one to me that will not stain my clothing, sheets, come off unevenly, require I turn totally white between applications, stain my hands, wash off my hands before anywhere else, tint me rather than tan me, etc. This is just a reality and I know many people swear by these self-tanners and have their "favourite" but for me nothing beats a natural, deep dark tan--as bad as I know it is for me.
Logically someone who is fighting the aging process should shun the sun completely but previous sun-damage in itself creates what I call the "sun-tanning paradox". The paradox being that in order to conceal damage done you need to damage your skin more. Years of tanning cause discolourations, sun spots, permatan (I call that semi-permanent tan/damage) etc. which only are actually concealed when you go back into the sun and achieve a tan. For those who have been smart with the sun their whole lives it is very easy to reprimand people like me and lecture us on the fact we caused the damage with the sun and should thus avoid it and point out how foolish we are but this does not take into account the pyschological impact the sun has on some of us.
On the latter issue I want to point out my own issues with the sun and the psychological impacts it has on me. Firstly, I am an outdoors person. I love the outdoors especially the beach. I find nothing more relaxing than being at the beach and listening to the waves, doing watersports such as jetskiing, waterskiing, swimming etc. For me though the ultimate in relaxation is laying in the sun. This is something many people do not understand but it is a mood elevator for me. I love being exposed to sun not only for the tan but more for the mood elevating effects. It is PROVEN the sun and sun exposure elevate moods and this is why it is prescribed in many countries as therapy for seasonal effective disorder (I suffered from this, especially in Sweden where our nights lasted all day where I lived in the North of Sweden for most of the Winter).
Now I know the logical answer people will now all say which is that there is no reason for me to NOT enjoy all this with a maximum protection sunscreen. OK--here are my issues--I never liked putting sunscreen on. Not only do I like being tan, but I also hate being greasy on a beach. Nothing detracts from the enjoyable effects than having sand stuck all over me, feeling greasy and sweaty, having to re-apply lotion constantly during my time on the beach and worrying about missing a spot and getting blotchy sun exposure.
For many these things are just "the price" you pay for saving your skin but in the end I do sometimes question at what price youth? I have friends my age who have abstained from sun-exposure their whole lives and their skin looks much older than mine. I also know that NO MATTER WHAT one does, skin-aging is inevitable at some point. The best example I have is an older friend who is now 50 and considerably older than me, who never went into the sun as a child, never goes into the sun now, avoids it like the plague and had great skin which I did notice UNTIL this year when suddenly, despite doing everything right, her skin aged considerably and she looks more or less her age--maybe 5 years younger.
All this is not to mention that many of us born WHITE as in caucasion, light-medium toned with an ability to tan, feel much better about ourselves, more confident and happier, when we DO have a tan.
Now I am not advocating tanning, I DO know it is bad for me and at present I am abstinent but it is truly hard for me. It is like an alcoholic abstaining from a drink which I recognise in myself. My life has always been so centered around tanning and looking "young and bronzed" as well as enjoying the sun, the beach and using it as a relaxation method as well as an activity. Living on a beach does not help me at all. What I want to do with this post is to open up a conversation about this as I know I am far from alone.
I also feel that there is still a great divide even among dermatologists and plastic surgeons. For example, I went to a consult with a PS about doing laser for some scars and a TCA peel on my neck and decollatage for sun-damage and was told by the PS that my skin looked VERY young for my age despite my tanning obsession and that the sun "IS NOT ALL THAT BAD AND SOME EXPOSURE IS GOOD FOR YOU". Likewise my dermatologist, who I openly blamed myself and my tanning with for my dehydrated skin, immediately vetoed me and said that my over-exfoliating and use of a high level AHA was more likely the culprit and that tanning "GETS A BAD RAP BUT CAN BE HEALTHY AND IS OK IF DONE MODERATELY".
These comments are not what people expect from dermatologists or plastic surgeons but I have read a lot of similar articles even in very popular women's magazines. I also have heard many dermatologists slam the sun-block industry for many reasons! Firstly there has been controversy over some ingredients being ineffective, the industry makes creams that have to be repeatedly re-applied to maximise profit, SOME EVEN CAUSE CANCER and are worse than the sun! Clearly there are also good sunblocks but none that are exceedingly practical for someone who loves to be at the beach.
Then there is also a huge disconnect between those doctors and researchers who say NO sun-exposure and those who claim there are legitimate health benefits to moderate sun-exposure.
Finally the one thing that really annoys me is that there is a very effective treatment for people like me which is both protective and offers the benefits of a tan without the risks--*********. It is a synthetic substance which was discovered in USA and for obvious reasons (white British ancestry and extreme sun-exposure) is being developed in Australia. The substance actually triggers the hormone in the brain that tells your skin to release melanocytes (melanin) which in turn tans you. This substance gives a natural tan without sun-exposure and also as a result offers direct sun protection. The issue with ********* is that, as always, the industry is blocking the necessary research and legitimatisation of the substance, its use and benefits, to forward the "no sun" agenda. This is, for me, almost criminal as so many people are going to put themselves at risk of photo-aging and skin cancer anyway! It is sold in an injection form but with the right research, which was underway but due to lack of funding seems to have come to a halt, it could have been available in a pill form. I do not support rubber stamping anything but as with AIDS drugs, Cancer drugs and new addiction treatments I do feel for some people these drugs are the lesser of two evils and if prescribed by a doctor and monitored can save lives.
I know this is long, will hit many as insane, but I also know as a person fighting both my tanorexia for cosmetic reasons as well as my enjoyment of the beach and watersports I am not alone and this is a legitimate skin issue! I have been abstinent from the sun and have decided NEVER to use indoor tannning salons again but I am still reeling from not being tan and the summer being upon me and more over, I miss going to the beach something awful!
In my heart and head I know that tanning is bad for me and I have recently given it up completely. That said, I hate how I look white and despite all the recommendations for "self-tanners" I HATE THEM! I despise them and nobody has yet to recommend one to me that will not stain my clothing, sheets, come off unevenly, require I turn totally white between applications, stain my hands, wash off my hands before anywhere else, tint me rather than tan me, etc. This is just a reality and I know many people swear by these self-tanners and have their "favourite" but for me nothing beats a natural, deep dark tan--as bad as I know it is for me.
Logically someone who is fighting the aging process should shun the sun completely but previous sun-damage in itself creates what I call the "sun-tanning paradox". The paradox being that in order to conceal damage done you need to damage your skin more. Years of tanning cause discolourations, sun spots, permatan (I call that semi-permanent tan/damage) etc. which only are actually concealed when you go back into the sun and achieve a tan. For those who have been smart with the sun their whole lives it is very easy to reprimand people like me and lecture us on the fact we caused the damage with the sun and should thus avoid it and point out how foolish we are but this does not take into account the pyschological impact the sun has on some of us.
On the latter issue I want to point out my own issues with the sun and the psychological impacts it has on me. Firstly, I am an outdoors person. I love the outdoors especially the beach. I find nothing more relaxing than being at the beach and listening to the waves, doing watersports such as jetskiing, waterskiing, swimming etc. For me though the ultimate in relaxation is laying in the sun. This is something many people do not understand but it is a mood elevator for me. I love being exposed to sun not only for the tan but more for the mood elevating effects. It is PROVEN the sun and sun exposure elevate moods and this is why it is prescribed in many countries as therapy for seasonal effective disorder (I suffered from this, especially in Sweden where our nights lasted all day where I lived in the North of Sweden for most of the Winter).
Now I know the logical answer people will now all say which is that there is no reason for me to NOT enjoy all this with a maximum protection sunscreen. OK--here are my issues--I never liked putting sunscreen on. Not only do I like being tan, but I also hate being greasy on a beach. Nothing detracts from the enjoyable effects than having sand stuck all over me, feeling greasy and sweaty, having to re-apply lotion constantly during my time on the beach and worrying about missing a spot and getting blotchy sun exposure.
For many these things are just "the price" you pay for saving your skin but in the end I do sometimes question at what price youth? I have friends my age who have abstained from sun-exposure their whole lives and their skin looks much older than mine. I also know that NO MATTER WHAT one does, skin-aging is inevitable at some point. The best example I have is an older friend who is now 50 and considerably older than me, who never went into the sun as a child, never goes into the sun now, avoids it like the plague and had great skin which I did notice UNTIL this year when suddenly, despite doing everything right, her skin aged considerably and she looks more or less her age--maybe 5 years younger.
All this is not to mention that many of us born WHITE as in caucasion, light-medium toned with an ability to tan, feel much better about ourselves, more confident and happier, when we DO have a tan.
Now I am not advocating tanning, I DO know it is bad for me and at present I am abstinent but it is truly hard for me. It is like an alcoholic abstaining from a drink which I recognise in myself. My life has always been so centered around tanning and looking "young and bronzed" as well as enjoying the sun, the beach and using it as a relaxation method as well as an activity. Living on a beach does not help me at all. What I want to do with this post is to open up a conversation about this as I know I am far from alone.
I also feel that there is still a great divide even among dermatologists and plastic surgeons. For example, I went to a consult with a PS about doing laser for some scars and a TCA peel on my neck and decollatage for sun-damage and was told by the PS that my skin looked VERY young for my age despite my tanning obsession and that the sun "IS NOT ALL THAT BAD AND SOME EXPOSURE IS GOOD FOR YOU". Likewise my dermatologist, who I openly blamed myself and my tanning with for my dehydrated skin, immediately vetoed me and said that my over-exfoliating and use of a high level AHA was more likely the culprit and that tanning "GETS A BAD RAP BUT CAN BE HEALTHY AND IS OK IF DONE MODERATELY".
These comments are not what people expect from dermatologists or plastic surgeons but I have read a lot of similar articles even in very popular women's magazines. I also have heard many dermatologists slam the sun-block industry for many reasons! Firstly there has been controversy over some ingredients being ineffective, the industry makes creams that have to be repeatedly re-applied to maximise profit, SOME EVEN CAUSE CANCER and are worse than the sun! Clearly there are also good sunblocks but none that are exceedingly practical for someone who loves to be at the beach.
Then there is also a huge disconnect between those doctors and researchers who say NO sun-exposure and those who claim there are legitimate health benefits to moderate sun-exposure.
Finally the one thing that really annoys me is that there is a very effective treatment for people like me which is both protective and offers the benefits of a tan without the risks--*********. It is a synthetic substance which was discovered in USA and for obvious reasons (white British ancestry and extreme sun-exposure) is being developed in Australia. The substance actually triggers the hormone in the brain that tells your skin to release melanocytes (melanin) which in turn tans you. This substance gives a natural tan without sun-exposure and also as a result offers direct sun protection. The issue with ********* is that, as always, the industry is blocking the necessary research and legitimatisation of the substance, its use and benefits, to forward the "no sun" agenda. This is, for me, almost criminal as so many people are going to put themselves at risk of photo-aging and skin cancer anyway! It is sold in an injection form but with the right research, which was underway but due to lack of funding seems to have come to a halt, it could have been available in a pill form. I do not support rubber stamping anything but as with AIDS drugs, Cancer drugs and new addiction treatments I do feel for some people these drugs are the lesser of two evils and if prescribed by a doctor and monitored can save lives.
I know this is long, will hit many as insane, but I also know as a person fighting both my tanorexia for cosmetic reasons as well as my enjoyment of the beach and watersports I am not alone and this is a legitimate skin issue! I have been abstinent from the sun and have decided NEVER to use indoor tannning salons again but I am still reeling from not being tan and the summer being upon me and more over, I miss going to the beach something awful!
