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Old 07-22-2008, 03:04 PM   #12 (permalink)
soltanner
 
Join Date: Mar 12 2006
Location: MD
Posts: 44
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Re: Is tanning in "moderation" dangerous?

Oh, and on topic, I am very fair but can get VERY tan- Irish to start, French to finish.

I tan for a week every other day at 3-5 minutes a pop - honestly. This is extreme, but I burn VERY easily. I move up by 2 mins the second week, but I keep my tans 2 days apart as long as there is no burning.

I don't tan more than 3 days apart, or else I really have to start over. At that little amount of exposure, you lose what you have rather quickly.

I usually increase by 2 mins each week, and once I get up to 14-16 cut back to 3 or 4 days apart.

One *trick* I use is to throw in a Bronzing Bed (low UVB/high UVA) every 4th or 5th tan (although I never go the maximum time), so that way I look more tan while I'm still building my base and I don't feel so much like I'm wasting my time. You have to remember though - YOU DO NOT HAVE A BASE (or protective) TAN - that is, you can/will still get burned if you are over-exposed, be it outside or in a bed.

And I always use a really nice bronzer. I only carry Cal Tan for now, so I started using Cypher Step 1 Bronzer when it came out, and after 1 tan in a regular bed (I did 5 mins because it's July) and 1 tan in a Bronzing Bed, I really looked like I'd been tanning for a while. Not super tan, just sun-kissed as my husband put it.

Sorry - I am verbose. If you got this far, I hope you have a great tanning experience and don't ever burn again.

My last words of advice are always:
Use the S.Y.S.T.I.M. - Save Your Skin Tan In Moderation (tm)
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