i keep hearing about this new thing called tanorexia and i think i have it. basically its being addicted to tanning because u always feel pale. its not that i feel pale, i just enjoy the whole experience. people always comment on how good of a tan i have, so why would i stop? it makes me feel pretty about myself, isnt that important? i started tanning a couple years ago when i was in high school for proms and formals but now i do it all the time, even in the winter. my parents are on my back though because they say ill get cancer, but if i lay outside to get a tan isnt that the same thing? does anyone else feel this way

i know how you feel. i tan all the time too. its beginning to become a problem for me though because i spend so much money and time on it, but i seriously cant stop doing it. i used to wait a month in between starting up a new tanning month, but my tan started to fade so fast so now i buy a month every month

If it weren't for my paranoid boyfriend making me stop tanning, i'd definitly still be tanning all the time. Usually I only do it for formal/prom but it honestly gives me a lot more confidence when people admire my tan. So many girls at my school are like burnt tan because they go so much, but I think it looks great lol being tan makes you look a lot thinner, but the truth is it is really damaging to your skin. I don't want to regret later in life that I tanned so much because my skin will have sunspots all over and I'll be covered in wrinkles. Tanning isn't meant for every month, it says on the warning lebel on the beds I go to that the after a month your tan won't get much darker. And it's a proven fact that tanning in beds is more damaging than laying out in the sun because the ultraviolet rays in the bed are so much stronger. I love tanning too, but it's not worth it for anyone to damage their bodies just to look tan.

I finally stopped tanning after this last month because for my last day I figured I'd go for extra long so I told the girl twenty minutes, and after about sixteen minutes, my legs were stinging so bad so I flipped over, and when the bed turned off I came out and I looked white! But not because some freak tan lol, my skin had dried out so incredibly much in those 20 minutes than I was almost flakey all over, it was so gross I had to put on tons of lotion and for the next few days I was so itchy! That just turned me off from tanning for a long time because I heard you can actually die from tanning because it dehydrates your body so much...SCAry!

You can die from tanning? I never heard of that. I've only gone tanning maybe 5 times for formal and i liked how it gave me a tan while it was dark outside and in the middle of the winter. But in the winter you're allowed to be white, everyones white in the winter. And the ones that are tan obviously isn't natural. I love laying out in the summer though, i love the sun, and the smell of the tanning oil and the water everything, so i think thats the best way to get tan. Plus it gives you a much nicer color :)

itsme24 wrote
You can die from tanning? I never heard of that.

Yes you can.

Your chance of contracting skin cancer is directly related to the amount of UV light you have been exposed to. UV light is what makes your skin change colour. It is a defence against the damage. Very tanned skin on a normally pale person is not a sign of health but of damaged skin.

I had a friend in college who had this problem. Her skin literally made her look 15 years older than she was. She was a beautiful woman, and in great physical shape. But her relentless tanning turned me off. Looking back at it, I wish I could have looked past it. But I was young, and probably made a bad decision. I was, however, very worried about her health, and I didn't think she really cared. I guess that is what turned me off, that she was numb to the consequences of her actions. I hate to say it, but I am sure she has suffered from skin cancer by now.

i started my new month of tanning. i know its bad for me but i have an event to go to in a couple weeks and im so white. im trying not to tan every day, but its so hard and i thought i wouldnt have time to actually go there and tan but somehow every day i find time to do it. i dont want skin cancer and i know its kind of materialistic but i think it makes me look better when i have a little tan. im trying to cut back, but its hard.

But even if you are pale or tanned skin and you don't spend too much time in the sun , nothing will happen to you , you should not be on the beach all day long