SPF Sunscreen Question

[love2fish]

Sorry if this should have been posted on the Cruise Fashions board.

 

I'm leaving for my Western Carribbean cruise in two weeks. I'm wondering if I use a SPF 30 sunscreen if I can still get a tan using a number that high? I've been told that the sun in the caribbean is a lot stronger so I'm trying to take precautions to not get burned. I even went and did some tanning sessions to at least get a base tan.

 

Thanks for the advice! :)

[scubapuss]

I always get a great tan and I use 30 and up. The worst thing you can do is get a sun burn on a vacation. On the last day or so I drop down to 15 or 8. ;)

[love2fish]

Great advice, thank you. ;)

[TMarie]

You should always use a SPF 30 or above.

 

Why dont you use spray tan and then use a high SPF to prevent burn? You will also get the added bonus of maintaining the color since you are keeping your skin hydrated.

 

My dermatologist told me that getting any tan is harmful to your skin. Tanning causes cancer, not just burns.

 

Also, be sure to reapply atleast as directed to prevent a burn. Thats the worst thing you can do to your body. Besides increasing the risk of cancer, you also end up with not so lovely wrinkles...

[scubapuss]

You should always use a SPF 30 or above.

 

Why dont you use spray tan and then use a high SPF to prevent burn? You will also get the added bonus of maintaining the color since you are keeping your skin hydrated.

 

My dermatologist told me that getting any tan is harmful to your skin. Tanning causes cancer, not just burns.

 

Also, be sure to reapply atleast as directed to prevent a burn. Thats the worst thing you can do to your body. Besides increasing the risk of cancer, you also end up with not so lovely wrinkles...

 

My girls got a spray tan last year before our cruise. The sun screan and sweat will streak it. Not a pretty picture. also a pedicure done after will make it look like you have socks on. The tan will be gone on your feet and ankles:eek:

[Worn out mailman]

Sorry if this should have been posted on the Cruise Fashions board.

 

I'm leaving for my Western Carribbean cruise in two weeks. I'm wondering if I use a SPF 30 sunscreen if I can still get a tan using a number that high? I've been told that the sun in the caribbean is a lot stronger so I'm trying to take precautions to not get burned. I even went and did some tanning sessions to at least get a base tan.

 

Thanks for the advice! :)

Hi there. My personal experience.....30 pretty much keeps me from an OBVIOUS tan...the kind you can see while you're on your vacation. You then return home and realize next to other people that you did get a little color.

 

By the third day of my first cruise I was frustrated at my lack of OBVIOUS color, so I sat on the (most beautiful I've ever sat on) beach at Antigua and used 15. By the time I got back on the ship I realized my stomach was watermelon red. My point.is..at least if your pigment is similar to mine, see if you can find a 20 or 25. Those numbers are rare and hard to find. If you do use a 15, please, limit your exposure, or apply thickly and reapply frequently. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!:)

[exarche02]

If I am outside in the summer for more than 4 hours I use SPF 50 and can still burn (I have lived in S. FL my whole life until about 6 months ago!). It all depends on your skin pigment, but ANY sign of tan or burn means you received skin damage which later leads to cancer. Be careful and you should always re-apply every couple of hours or after swimming.

[TMarie]

My girls got a spray tan last year before our cruise. The sun screan and sweat will streak it. Not a pretty picture. also a pedicure done after will make it look like you have socks on. The tan will be gone on your feet and ankles:eek:

 

You have to research before you do those kinds of things. I have used a daily moisturizer by jergens that gave me a decent color. However, you do need to do a bit of scrubbing before hand to keep the color even. AND of course you have to use it daily and shower daily. I am going to a salon that does air brush tanning by hand not machine like mystic tan. And i am getting my pedi and mani done BEFORE hand. And I am also planning to get my legs waxed so i dont have to worry about shaving and fading my tan.

 

I would rather be slightly streaked than have to worry about premature cancer. I had a recent scare with that from my former dermatologist. I now go to a specialist every 6 months.

[love2fish]

Thank you everyone for your input. I think I've figured out a plan for a tan!;)

[mollyeilis]

Just wanted to mention that we use 30 or above...I'm very pale, and I reapply often, and will turn pink in almost any sunshine, with the spf. (though when I lived in CA I used spf 5 and got the most beautiful tans, sigh) My son is mixed-race though he doesn't really look it (DH is Korean, Portuguese, and Welsh, and tans deeply in a MINUTE of sun, it's crazy-making for me), and he has red hair, amber eyes, and pale skin in the winter...then with the same applications of sunscreen turns this incredible golden color with the same (or even less) exposure than I get. Even more crazy-making. :)

 

I personally don't think sun is horrible, and I think saying that tans are bad is, um, a bit strangely negative towards those who tan easily and naturally, and those who have darker skin to begin with...makes my hubby feel weird when I tell him what people say in these sorts of threads...he couldn't stop himself from darkening if he tried (the one and only burn he received was when he used a tanning machine for 7 minutes when he was embarrassed to go shirtless to even out his farmer's tan), and sometimes he does try...he says it feels weird to be darker complected, hearing that darker skin = skin damage and cancer.... almost prejudiced-feeling, or at least being pale-races-centric....

 

I also am conflicted about slathering our skin with chemicals, in order to avoid skin color changes...

 

Lastly, I like comedian Lewis Black's advice, use Crisco, and when you hear a sizzle, go inside. ;)