Mari, although I like to get a tan whilst on holidays, I've never been on a sunbed in my life. I've been put off by too many horror stories, I'm afraid.

yes im guilty of using a sunbed before a holiday, although i didnt do it last year and am not planning on using one this year.

I have to admit that i do feel better going with a tan, putting a swimming cozzie on pale skin isnt something i relish!!! I am lucky that i tan really quickly so within 3 days im a nice colour.

Lily. x

I always use the sunbeds before i go away as i am fair and if i dont i just burn, but after going on the sunbeds my skin seems to take the sun better. We only had a UK holiday last year and i didnt bother going on the beds and we had fantastic weather so i burnt to a crisp, mind you i was wearing maxi dresses all week so when we went the beach my hubby was in stitches watching me walk down to the sea with these little whiter than white legs . So am off to the sunbeds in a few weeks cos i am planning on wearing shorter skirts this yr and i dont want everone to see my legs coming before me

the price we pay for vanity eh alsbaby!!! I can pick out all the people around the pool who have used a sunbed before going on holiday-they have the telltale white creases under there bum cheeks I should know-i get them too if i use a sunbed

Lily

Yes I do but only on the run up to a holiday where I will be sunbathing . I do 2/3 sessions of about 5 mins for 3/4 weeks before I go.

I sound sinmilar to you alsbaby It's not the feeling white when I get there that bothers me . I don't get much of a tan anyway , just a healthy glow but for me it stops the burning I would get otherwise, no matter how much cream I put on and get's my skin ready evenly and yes it does help me take the sun better and get a little colour .

Ha ha Lilly know what you mean about the bum lines, I also have a spot on my coxis ( spelling ) that just doesnt tan. Maybe just me but who cares the cossie hides that anyway

I did use them a couple of times, many years ago, but stopped when I took stock of what I was really doing to my skin. My dad has had many moles e.t.c removed because they have been cancerous, so I'm not prepared to take the risk. I stick to the St Tropez fake tan, which gives me a light base before I go. I do sunbathe, but most of the time I'm still under an umbrella, and always come back with a nice colour.

Hi
I dont use a sunbed, used one years ago and didnt like it.
I always use a fake tan before I go, just gives me a base so I dont look too pale when I first arrive.
M

I did use them a few times before we went to Greece for the first time , but didn't like the experience of it being unmanned and was scared that the lid would fall down on me , but then i used the stand up one at my local hairdressers and that was much better knowing there was somebody to hand if needs be . but have not used them since

gulity as charged 6 weeks before I fly out I use sunbeds and my tan accelerator by elemis stops me burning whilst away, and I get a deep brown tan, if I didnt use the sunbed as my skin is yellow before i go away I wouldnt get the tan without my sunbed sessions...dont use it any other time though..

Have never used one. I use a moisturisor with a tint in it as soon as I start getting my legs and arms out so it gives me a slight colour. We usually holiday in June so im out in any sun that we have here catching the rays. I grin and bear the whiteness on my first day or two but I do tan really quickly so it isnt for long. One of my favourite games around the pool is spot the newcomer you can always tell them

never been on a sunbed in my life..

I burn very easily anyway..I don't actually tan, I just go various stages of red..but then after that, I get the healthy look.

I have never used a sun bed and never will, they sound too dangerous to me!

I usually catch some sun in the garden before I go away but if not I will use some Dove with a hint of self tan. I'm quite dark anyway though so I don't have a pasty look at the start of a holiday

Never have, never would - even though I'm Scottish and don't really tan anyway. I'd rather stay pale and interesting. I'm usually the one at the airport for the return journey home who's paler than those just arriving!

Almost 30 years ago I had a few sessions on a sunbed, like many members on HT I have an extremely pale skin and thought that using the SB would help protect my skin against burning before I went to Florida for a month. Shortly afterwards I read about the dangers of sunbathing both out of doors and sunbeds, even when wearing high protection and I realised how stupid I had been.
Getting a suntan is no longer of any interest to me, I wear a high factor cream and a hat, sometimes I may gain a small amount of colouring to my skin when on holiday but usually like blondiescot I return home as pale as when I left.

Just a little observation about suntans. For most of my adult life I worked with Americans, from just about all of the 50 states. Almost always you could tell which of them came Florida, California or other southern states as they looked far older with their leathery, wrinkled skins than fellow workers from the north. Prolonged exposure to the sun I would guess. In the last few years knowlege and skin protection creams have increased and I can't believe that anyone would still risk their health by baking on a machine for the sake of a suntan.

ive never used a sunbed before although this year i will be doing, i suffer with prickly heat, or did till i started using oil free piz buin but i burn in blotches so i will try the sunbed as a few people i have spoken too have said it helped them

Yes I use sunbeds(stand ups), I use them for three minutes a session to build up a slow tan. I used to suffer from prickly heat and am basically a walking milk bottle without them and would just burn on holiday(been there done that).

The tanning shops here are very busy indeed but like many things I think that admitting to using them is a very taboo subject.

Sara and I each have 3x6min sunshowers starting about a week before we go to the Caribbean every november... helps start the tanning off and builds our anticipation of our holiday...

ATB,J.

What's a sunshower mersey. ??