No I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole! I don't want to end up looking like a prune when I get to 50, I'd rather use something like fake bake instead.

No, I dont care how safe they say they are, I just don't beleive it and think they can increase your chance of skin cancer.

lynwestie wrote:

What's a sunshower mersey. ??

It's like a sunbed, but you stand up and are surrounded 360 with tubes....

Stardust2000 wrote:

Yes I use sunbeds(stand ups)

But there's no actual contact between you and the tubes... at least not in the ones that we use...

ATB,J.

Guilty I'm afraid. Stopping now would be a bit like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted in may case. I started using 'sunbeds' long before they were like they are now. 30+ years ago.

Any damage has been done, and was probably done long before that, as I remember getting burnt as a child - no suntan cream in those days!

Just for the record I am nearer 60 than 50 and I don't look like a prune!!! I actually get people saying 'I hope I look as good as you when I get to your age'

went on yesterday for 3 mins at lunch I couldn't believe how busy the place was had to wait. I was not prepared for how hot it was though.

I normally start off with eight minutes but being a total idiot the other day there was an offer on which was 12 mins for the price 8 and yes i took the 12. I am paying for it now i am burnt Note to self........ start off slow

I have never been on a sunbed before, last year I had a mole removed because it had changed colour and shape, I am only 24 so it is a scary thought, luckily it was OK. I had used SPF70 on the mole, SPF50 everywhere else and still had the mole off, so I'm now considering using one just for 3 minutes this year now that I have no moles left. I'm also moving my SPF down to 40 working down to 15.

If you're going to get anything nasty, then you'll get it, whether or not you sunbathe and use sunbeds.

dramaqueen wrote:

If you're going to get anything nasty, then you'll get it, whether or not you sunbathe and use sunbeds.

Incorrect. Why do you think Australians suffer from one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world. Almost 2000 Australians die from skin cancer each year and 2 in 3 of it's citizens will develop a skin cancer before the age of 70. It's certainly not fate but in almost all of the cases the result of overexposure to the sun which could have been prevented.

I didn't mean it like that, but I know people who have never touched a sunbed in their lives and who have been careful and still got skin cancer. Maybe it does speed up the process of cancer developing and maybe my mole would have turned cancerous if I'd have used a sunbed. Suppose my scare has made me want to stop avoiding the sun a bit. Some of it may be down to fate.

I have to agree with you though, my mum is 2 years older than her sister, mum has never used a sunbed, my auntie has used one in her early 20s, both are in their 60s, my mum has very few wrinkles and my auntie has loads.

I have to agree with you though, my mum is 2 years older than her sister, mum has never used a sunbed, my auntie has used one in her early 20s, both are in their 60s, my mum has very few wrinkles and my auntie has loads.

Well there you go, you've answered your own question, if you don't get cancer you'll have a face like a road map by the time you reach 60....been there, done it and got the wrinkles as big as a motorway through not taking care in the sun and using sunbeds BEFORE we knew what damage they can do, and under the illusion that because you don't burn because they filter out the burning UVB rays, it's "safe", when we didn't know what damage the UVA rays can do.
Sunbeds are NOT safe, you can pay a few pounds to be bombared with damaging UVA/UVB rays.

Maybe it does speed up the process of cancer

Sorry but there's no maybe about it.....with prolonged use, they do ! and if you've had a dodgy mole surgically removed....do yourself a favour love and keep away from them, and don't even think about dropping the SPF down to 15 because SPF15 is an absolute waste of time and I don't know why they still make it.

Sanji x

Thanks Sanji/Judith
I was only thinking of trying it but as you've both highlighted the cons definatly outweigh the pros. The SPF is only a guide as to the length of time you can stay out in the sun? Maybe the 70 would be the best bet again lol

My theory is whats worse...going on a sunbed for a few times 6 wks before you go and getting a base colour, or frying in the sun for 2 weeks and goin red and blistering, I think its over tabloid rubbish, sunbathing full stop is bad for you..sunbed or real sun...atleast I dont burn when I get to resort. and look like Ive got some colour rather than bein a pasty horrid white...i see lots of women/girls at the airport already tanned so im not the only one.. sorry no sunbed peeps..:O(

i see lots of women/girls at the airport already tanned

Maybe they've heard about the safe tan in a bottle.?
Yep definitely tabloid rubbish when sunbeds have been linked to two types of skin cancer called basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Why is skin cancer the fastest rising cancer in the UK.? all those statistics of 10,000 cases diagnosed each year, must be rubbish.

The problems lies in the fact that sunbeds are/were unregulated and in many cases operated by untrained people or unmanned and coin operated, and without regular maintenance they can emit more intense harmful rays between 10 and 15 times higher than the mid-day sun, so when you use a sunbed, do any of you actually know the intensity of UV rays that you are being exposed to.?
Nope, my guess is that you don't and yet people come out with silly statements like "they're safe" and they'll just give me a base colour.

At long last government legislation has come into place from the 8th April 2011 in England and Wales to stop anyone under the age of 18 using them or being anywhere near the UV radiation, and now you've got to wear goggles because believe it or not the skin is so thin and just closing your eyes is not enough protection and you can get melanoma of the eye ...a £20,000 fine for the 'owner' of the sunbed if you don't adhere to the legislation and are caught.
Good is what I say, vanity isn't worth dying for.....each to their own.

Sanji

I'm so glad they have brought in the under 18 ban. My friend was really upset the other month when she found out her 16 year old son had been on one, she went down the tanning salon to find out what was going on and why they had allowed it and they just said there was nothing she or they could do to stop it. He was all pink.

Makes me laugh how they have to now hide cigarettes under the counter and all the various bits of legislation around to stop lung cancer/smoking, but for some bizarre reason the government don't seem to treat skin cancer with the same respect (sorry gone too political). Tanning places seem to pop up all the time.

I know quite a few people who before they go on holiday either have a spray tan or use something like Johnson's Holiday Skin so perhaps that's why people at the airport look like they are tanned.

I have used sunbeds before because I thought it would be ideal to give me that 'boost of colour' before a holiday abroad cooking in the sun. I used to own an 8 tube one which I thought seemed to take an age to give colour so I would often ignore the book and just turn the dial round again for another 30 minutes not thinking it would do any harm. I would do this at least 3 times a week probably spending at least 3 hours in total under a sunbed.

I have also used the 360 sunbeds after a salon opened up close to work and a few girls tried it out and said how great it was. The salon was offering something like 60 minutes for just £20 as a special offer to new customers so I tried it out. The woman gave me a questionnaire to complete and recommended starting out for 3 minutes each time building up to more if wanted. She showed me a range of accelerators to use on the beds which would speed up the tanning process. I didn't use these; I thought it would be better to go on the bed if my skin was 'clean'.

I am dark haired and dark eyed, tan fairly easily but am quite pale (if that makes sense) however I started out with 3 minutes but wanted to speed up the tanning because I didn't get 'instant results' so decided to go for 6 minutes. Big mistake! My stomach and legs felt like they were on fire for days after! I couldn't believe how in such a short time (6 minutes!) the bed affected my skin.

I think having tanned skin does look alot nicer and makes you feel better than sporting the bottle white leg and blue armed look! So I can see the appeal of looking tanned however some do go to the extreme with their tans whether it is fake or not, like the girls from that Essex show or Madge from Benidorm. That is not nice and just looks daft.

I am 32 and can see skin damage on my face already with small patches of discolouration. I have only used factor 50 for holidays abroad and wouldn't use anything less because I don't want to burn and feel the sun is more powerful abroad. I still came back with a good tan. I won't use sunbeds anymore and have tried several fake tans. Some of them smell awful but I do like Rimmel and Ambre Solaire creams and sprays. The Johnsons holiday skin one gave a nice colour but smelt the worst out of all that I have tried.

I can see from both sides in this thread about the do's and don'ts of using sunbeds because I have used them myself and you can only do what you choose for yourself. I suppose it's a bit like smoking and drinking; we all know the dangers but some will be unlucky and get the bad stuff and some won't get anything. As Sanji said 'each to their own'

I use sunbeds from the start of May. I use it to get a base before i go and once I come back i use them as a top up. Each to their own I say. i don't smoke or do drugs so having a cheeky few sunbeds during the summer is my vice.

If you're looking for a good self tan with no smell, try L'Oreal Sublime Airbrush Tan. They do one for face and one for body. Wide diffuser and no streaks. Still prefer the real thing myself though!

As stated...you can go on a holiday and sit in the sun for 2 wks and burn...I dont I use a sunbed 2 months upto my hols in aug ive been on 3 times in the last 2 weeks, using my elemis tan accelerator, and my skin is a good colour already, and Im using the xen fake tan and fake bake tan..i dont over do it, I do smoke and yes I do use a sunbed, and thats my vice...media is a pain in the rear, just look at the media over eating processed foods, smoking, drinking..etc you cant do anything...Im 40 and been told I look in my 20s look after my skin, use the best creams and potions...so I am aware of what Im doin but Im not a sunbed junkie..

and my local sunbed place was packed these past two weeks...I agree with the under 18 policy though..