Hi Jackie

I used to, but when a mole I had started to get very big very quickly, it put the beejaysus up me so I stopped.

(I'll never forget it, it was a Friday when I noticed it, so rang the GP's, couldnt get an appointment till the Monday,
by which time the mole had fell off!
I kept the appointment and doc said it was ok, so...
It's back again now but hasn't gone any bigger. I just put total sunblock on it to be on the safe side.)

I've never used a sunbed since, although I must admit, I used to love them.
(You feel so much better when you have a tan don't you?)

for the last 4 years i have gone on the sunbeds, especially prior to me going abroad, but after being diagnosed with cancer in jan this year...(not skin) and undergoing months of chemo and radiotherapy, i darent go near them.... not even allowed to sit in the sun... gonna look pretty pasty this year in marmaris!

Oh Mitchellclr, I'm sorry to hear that.
I hope things are going well for you now.

And going away isn't all about getting a tan is it?

My husband has had a few cancerous lumps and moles removed over the years,
and got a really bad chemical burn a few years ago which has left his skin thinner were the burns were,
so he's not allowed to sit in the sun either.

Because of his dad's history, and because he is also covered in moles, my eldest won't sit
in the sun at all either. He comes home the same colour as he went - white.

But going away gives us a chance to unwind, relax make new friends etc doesn't it?

And God knows, I bet you need to relax this year.

You just concentrate on relaxing and enjoying the break with your grandkids!
You'll all have a ball I bet!

hey millymolly... im looking forward to every minute of my next holiday... all the more enjoyable for having my grandkids there... never needed a holiday as much as this one...yes your right, its not all about getting a suntan!

clare x

And, like us, you could always drink copious amounts of alcohol

Just to help you relax of course!

I've got red hair and pale skin so gave up trying to get a tan years ago after quite a few hols in pain with sunburn.Just use factor 50 now and try to sit under the brolly as much as possible.

The dangers of sunbeds are too well documented for me to ever consider using one. My wife who is a Beauty Therapist and knows more about these things than I, says that even using them once a month increases the risk of getting melanoma skin cancer by more than half for people over 35 and 75% for people under 35. Her advice is to use fake tan instead prior to a holiday as a safer option.

No need for a sunbed here, I work outside so always have a slight tan before going away. As long as the sun shines over here that is

Darren

oh jesus, You have all really scared me now , and I will definately pack the sunbed in after my hols, and youre right, having a tan isnt what its all about, enjoying yourself is

Living and working in Qatar (Middle East) I always have a tan people never belive we have just arrived,and my wife gets the darkest tan ever she will have a better tan than me just sitting in the garden for a few days in the UK so no need of sunbeds.

I don't. I think I give enough damage to my skin with my fortnight holiday per year without making things worse with a sunbed. Did you know that the rays from a sunbed are equivalent to 10x the strength of the midday sun? I think that is the non burning rays.

I am a lot more careful than I used to be and whilst I've never badly burnt like some people I did tend to get red bits. I also have burnt slightly on my chest in the past and there are freckles there now, which I check all the time for changes, plus the mole on my shoulder which really I should take a photo of because I am paranoid that it has changed (when it hasn't!).

Skin cancer can take many years to come out and is frequently related to being burnt at a younger age.

I no longer sunbathe and I rarely even sit in the sun, my skin now shows the results of too much sunshine from when I was a sun worshiper years ago. No amount of creams can get rid of the brown patches on my face that have appeared recently, a direct consequence of sun exposure. 40-50years ago we weren't really aware of the damage that exposure to the sun could do to our skins, but we are now and despite all the warnings people still insist in ruining their skins and risking cancer for the sake of a few weeks of being tanned. .
A sun tanned skin is not a healthy skin.

Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole I'm afraid.....the risks are just too high IMO

Years and years ago I used to use them at my local authority swimming pool very occasionally, however when all the councils started removing them from their lesiaure facilities for fear of claims further down the line it made me think long and hard and I stopped right then.

I have many friends who are a big fan and that's their perogative.....but it's not worth the possibilies that could happen healthwise. I suppose it's like smoking, you know the risks but you have to decide yourself whether that's enough to stop you doing it, I feel sunbeds are in the same vain.

I think these days with the ever advancing fake tans available there's no need for them.

And anyone who argues "but you sunbathe on holiday and that's just the same" I'm always miffed by that one, your getting a days worth of harmful rays blasted on you in a matter of minutes on a sunbed.....most people don't wear any cream as such on them so it's hardly the same as being slathered in Factor 20 and staying out of the sun at midday on a holiday

Each to their own though.

Never been on a sun bed in my life.

I have to confess i have skin the colour of Fozen chicken and am one of those that burns very easily ( was a proper auburn/redhead when born) and have really fair skin. I tend to cover up with factor 1 zillion and still manage to burn a little.