Are You Going To Get A Tan This Summer?

[petunia_843]

I haven't had a tan since I was 15. I've been outside in the summer, but not a concerted effort to get a tan. I don't get a tan unless I work at it. I'm kind of fine with my pale skin the way it is, but I would sure like my white legs to be a little more beige. I've tried self tanners and darkening lotions without a lot of success. In all honesty, I probably won't get a tan. I just like toying with the idea. I'm going to be 40 this year and I probably don't need to start trying to get a tan at this stage in the game.

Are any of you planning on getting a tan? Is anybody the kind of person that can easily get a tan just doing yardwork or taking that occasional day at the lake? Anybody totally anti-tanning?

[gemma]

Nope. I've already had a bunch (6ish) of pre-cancerous skin issues that had to be removed, and I am constantly scared of getting skin cancer. I used to love getting tan, but the little bit I will get despite wearing super high spf is fine with me.

[ashular]

YESSSSSSSS

i grew up at the beach, and when i was little i'd literally spend the entire day at the beach (like 8am-6pm) the entire summer, so i was tan as hell. i was totally beach barbie, with my long blond hair.

i moved to new york city 8 years ago, and now i find it muuuuuch harder to get a good tan. who likes sunbathing in the park? i mean, i totally do it, but not quite the same as laying out on the beach.

i've been on vacation in brasil for a little over a month now, including two weeks in rio, where i went to the beach every day. i'm here for a few more weeks and am trying to soak up as much sun as i possibly can. i am definitely more brown than i was when i got here, but i'm still wearing SPF 30 every day, so it's not soooo much. glad i got a little jumpstart though, since i feel like i don't tan nearly as well as i did when i was little.
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[Nemesis]

I tan incredibly easily. Like, on a cloudy day, wearing SPF 60 and hanging in the shade will give me a tan. It's not even remotely summer here yet (it snowed yesterday) and I already have a dark enough tan that people ask me when I got back from a down south vacation.

I don't purposely set out to get a tan, but I really enjoy being outdoors and really enjoy the heat of the sun on my skin. I wear SPF on my body if I'm going to be outside for anything longer than a going from my house to my car to my workplace and always wear SPF on my face, even in the middle of winter or when it's raining.

The funny thing is that I have naturally light blonde hair and freckles. Typically, this combo means that you burn like no tomorrow, but I've only had a slight sunburn once - I spent all day at the beach in Hawaii, trying to learn to surf and didn't wear any sunscreen at all.


I'm hoping this thread stays respectful...I like to hear about everyone's experiences, but I recall a time many, many years ago when this topic was posted and it devolved into people who are tanned being called ompaloompas and people with really light complexions being touted as the only ones who cared about their skin.
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[daysleeper]

I can tan pretty easily. When I was in FL last spring I was careful to not spend too much time outside, but I was pretty golden when I came home. When I was a kid, sheesh, I was cooked.

When I do get some color, I really like how it looks, but I've got aging-phobia and I don't want to get that leathery look as I get older.

I won't pursue a tan this year, but if I find myself on a beach holiday (sometimes I get a free trip to FL to house sit) I'm sure I'll indulge.
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[Chupacabra]

I will not be tanning, and I actively try to avoid the sun. Of course I walk around but I seek shade as a default. I wear SPF 40 or higher and I am constantly reapplying to protect my tattoos. When I was a kid I would get really dark. Then in my teen years I started burning instead. I get pretty freckles on my nose from being out in the sun and I don't mind that, but I actually don't love the way I look with a tan. Right now, the tops of my feet are three different colors due to different shoes & long days walking around in the sun. That is pretty silly.

Oh, my husband is quite possibly the most intense tanner I've ever met. His skin turns dark brown if he's out in the sun for long enough. It is quite the departure from his normal fair skin tone. When we first met he was a roofer and I had no idea how light he actually was!
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[Lady_Stardust]

I hide from the sun because I don't tan, I burn. The past few summers I've worked at a 3-day track meet & two years ago my scalp got sunburned so bad that I couldn't wash my hair for a week & a half.
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[bookselves]

Yeah I also basically get a sunburn right away. I don't like the way that I look with a tan, anyway...
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[Crumb]

I'm totally anti-tanning. My SIL, who tans like it's her job (and subsequently looks about 15 years older than she is) once said that I'm the only person she knows who comes back from vacation paler than before I left. I use the same sunscreen that I put on the Crumblette (SPF 70, broad-spectrum). I wear a broad-brimmed sunhat if I'm outside for longer than, say, 10 minutes at a time. I'm particularly protective of my décolletage and my hands with the sunscreen.

Even with sunscreen the Crumblette browns like a rotisserie chicken every summer so I'm constantly running after her with more sunscreen. She is not a fan of that but she knows it's non-negotiable. If we lived somewhere with summer weather that didn't hit 100 in May and stay there until September I'd make her wear sleeves in the summer, but it's just too hot for that here. So I just spend a lot of time re-applying.

[town hall]

I won't set out to get a tan, but I tan very easily (~olive skin) and am shamefully slapdash about remembering sunscreen, so I'll probably end up fairly brown. We had a warm spell in March and my feet got tanned from wandering about for an afternoon in open shoes. I always forget to put sunscreen on my feet if I'm not on a beach.

Not particularly on-topic, but I have become more prone to mild sunstroke over the last few years. I don't burn easily (well, not in England, anyway), but I will often feel quite grim after a day out in the sun, so I am quite careful about wearing a hat.
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[PurpleDoor]

Probably not. I have fairly pale skin to start with, and on a daily basis I wear a minimum of SPF 30 on my face/neck, usually SPF 45. If I'm going to be outside for the whole day, that goes up to SPF 70 with a reapplication at lunchtime. This year I also got myself a couple of lightweight breathable long-sleeve tops, so I can wear those for extended outdoor activities like hiking. For hiking/backpacking I am usually sporting a hat as well.

I had several very bad burns when I was a kid and my parents have both had a LOT of suspicious growths removed, so I tend to be pretty cautious. I was pleased that the dermatologist told me my skin looked excellent for my age the last time I went in though :)

I do tend to look a little bit more "glowing" at the end of the summer than during the dead of winter, but I'm never sure if that's the result of inadvertent tanning or just more activity and a tendency to eat more fruit/veg in warmer weather.

[checkersumthing]

I will definitely get darker. I have olive-y skin, and even if I put on sunscreen, it's inevitable since I spend so much time walking around. I like to think that my skin feels the warmth and changes shade, but I know its more likely that I don't put on enough sunscreen, or high enough spf. I have thought about wearing long sleeves, but when it's hot . . . it's hot. I do try to remember to bring a hat for my walk to and from work.

I don't set out to tan. If I go to the beach, I will try to find some shade to hang out in, and always wear a higher spf then.
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[artichoke]

I don't. My parents have both had suspicious stuff removed (maybe even been diagnosed with basal cell?), and my mom's sisters are all so leathery now, that tanning doesn't seem as appealing as when I was a teenager. I think I would probably look a little better with more color, but new freckles make my hypochondria kick in.

[checkersumthing]

Also, I thought I should probably add this: despite having olive skin, and arms and legs that tan really easily, my face is generally pretty pale. To the point where my doctor is constantly prescribing Vitamin D because he thinks I don't get enough sun, and telling me to spend some time out in the sun without sunscreen everyday (not tons, more like have breakfast outside before putting on sunscreen). I find that this is pretty interesting, since it seems like I am constantly being bombarded with messages to always wear sunscreen. I haven't seen him in awhile (oops), I wonder what he would say now that easily spend at least 60 minutes a day outside, year round, and my face is closer to matching the the rest of my body.

Also, I unexpectedly got a sunburn (on my face and chest) in March (sunburn/March/Montreal just doesn't make sense), and OUCH! For sure I'm going to be slapping on the sunscreen any time from now on there's the remote possibility of spending time in the sun.

Do those of you who tan ever worry about sunburn?
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[tinyrock]

I avoid tanning - oxford shirt at the beach, rashguard + shorts if I'm swimming, sun hat, sunscreen. Mostly I burn nowadays, anyhow. I also don't like that tanning means my complexion is different and some colors that ordinarily look fine on me look weird.

I do usually get a chaco (sandal) tan anyhow, and I kinda enjoy it.