tanning question

[plaza200]

Some tanning questions, maybe you guys know better then anyone.

I went tanning maybe 2 years ago and it was a very bad experience, but mostly due to stupidity.

I used to live in a tropical climate, so this was never an issue until now.

2 years ago i went tanning at a tanning place, it was a high pressure (level 2 i think bed). It was a stand up bed, booth i guess.

It had a 10 minute max timer.

The place was not very helpful and she said to go 5 minutes my first time. I am very pale, type 2 skin possibly, not like red head skin, but very milky. some freckles none on my face a few on my arms, if you get super close and look there are some small ones but nothing crazy.

i went 4 days in a row, at 5 minutes and then 6 minutes on the final day. I was stupid the people there were stupid. It was nothing but my fault.

I did get a minor base tan I guess you could say, but I also got a super super super bad itch, oh yea I have dry skin as well very dry skin, I dont know where I got it from but I do and I hardly never use lotions like i should.

Now about this itch, absolutely one of the worst experiences I have ever had, it was horrible, took about 2.5 days to go away.

I am 90 percent sure my skin got dried out, oh it was only my back by the way. It was the same feeling i get after taking a hot shower my back sometimes will get that itch like for a second. So im pretty sure thats what it was.

When i went tanning in the booth i didn't wear any lotion or anything, again my fault, but they didn't exactly mention it too much either.

I think my mistakes were this, maybe going in a level 2 when i should be in a level 1, if level 2 is a must a laydown not a booth, as I have read the booths are stronger, and more then that, i went 50 and 60 percent of the power when I had no base no lotion and too much time in too short of time with no lotion with my already dry skin.

So i think i have answered my own questions, so here my plan.

1. take better care of my skin with lotion 2 times a day.
2. use a lotion next time i go tanning
3. a level 1 bed (maybe level 2 laydown? )
4. maybe level 2 after i get a base etc?
5. dont go 50 percent and 60 percent power of the bed maybe 20 percent power?
6. give atleast 48 hours in between


There is my plan. To top this off I was on acne medication an antibiotic says can make you photo sensitive ,my dermatologist said it can but not likely, but with all those other facts and it just made me 10 percent more sensitive it would have mattered greatly.

If you could help me out a bit here and answer any of they following it would be great.

Maybe I shouldn't be tanning at all, but the advantages outweigh the risk I think if done in a responsible way. My goal is not to get brown just some nice color, my father can get pretty dark my mother is very pale, i got dark hair and light eyes well a mix between blue and hazel ish, so I think in a responsible manner I should be able to achieve the color I want.

Btw as a kid my mom always kept me outside, I was pretty dark.

One last thing about my skin, is I have never burned, i mean maybe here or there but very minor I think i had a small little red thing on my shoulder once, but I have never got burned badly, if I am out in the sun for a while I can get a pink tinge that goes away in 2 hours? Some people say its a burn some say its just heat in combination with light skin, I'm not all so sure myself.

Anyways any help would be great, I'm male as well, I miss living in a tropical climate where the women had very beautiful skin tones, dont get me wrong most women 18-35 are tanned atleast ones I see, but I kind of miss having that tan myself.

thanks again and sorry for the long post.

[engfant]

"There is my plan. To top this off I was on acne medication an antibiotic says can make you photo sensitive ,my dermatologist said it can but not likely, but with all those other facts and it just made me 10 percent more sensitive it would have mattered greatly."

This is EXACTLY why you were getting itchy. Also, if you are on birth control (one of the newer ones) you will get CRAZY HIVES.

Get off the acne meds and get back to tanning in the stand up booth. Use lotion and stick to like a 3times a week deal until the acne/color is achieved. Then down it to 2times a week.

[unity]

I doubt a level 2 was a high pressure. High pressure do not have long lamps in them. They are small and at the center of a reflector. Sorta like a spot light, just less visible light.

Second, high pressure puts out more UVA in proportion to UVB. UVB burns more. Thus the higher the level usually the more tanning power but not necessarily burning power. There are too many factors to say this is for sure at that salon, but its sort how it works.

And never go back to back days when starting out. Space em out to every other and start slow and work up. You can start out in higher level, thats fine.

You probably had a heat rash combined with a reaction to the meds.

If it was a heat rash, lotion can help BIG time, so lotion up!

I think the advice you gave yourself is the best, you obviously educated yourself MUCH more than 99% of the tanners out there.

The key is moderation.

[engfant]

If you are on the birth control pill Ortho Tri Cyclen
GET OFF OF IT!!!! It's a NIGHTMARE!

[plaza200]

Thanks for all the replies.

btw engfant,

it was tetracycline i think i still take it i will be getting off it soon very soon.

Did you ever get that itch, nightmare can't even explain it, it was like lotion on top of lotion and more lotion and it never seemed to do anything just time (2 days) but man those 2 days were horrible, its like if you dont itch it it turns into an un beareable almost pain

i will for sure wait unti l i am completely off of it 100 percent, again i can't even explain how bad that was i really can't.

thanks for the replies I think I will do it way better this time around.