Tanning Beds, Do I Need an Accelorator or Would Regular Lotion Work?

Have you seen the commercial on TV where the tanning bed is made to look like a coffin? I think it is from the American Cancer Society. Tanning is just as deadly and leads to skin cancer whether you do it on a tanning bed, your backyard or the beach.

Added:
Just to let you know I have vertiglio. My skin is losing all of it's pigment, so when I do get a lot of sun my arms resemble a leopard. Dark in places and totally white in others. My legs never did get tan even when I was in my 20's. I don't let it other me. I modeled a lot when I was in my 20's and my appearance is very important to me. My skin is also Eastern European decenant white. I know right now it's important for many young people to get a nice bronze tan but seriously skin cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer because so many people don't recognize the signs and symtoms. The cancer cells spread into the bloodstream and lodge in all of the organs of the body. Do yourself a favor and dress beautifully, style your hair nicely and walk tall and proud. Smile and be friendly, people will notice the beauty in your heart and soul and whether you are tan or not tan will not be so important. Take care of yourself now so that when you are in your 50's and older you will still be a remarkable and beautiful woman.

Tanning sucks, you should quit. What's wrong with being white anyway?

Just read your what happened response and only want to say that you are incorrect....it is NOT a small risk but a very large one. Those who use tanning beds are 74% more likely to develop melanoma than those who don't. That is HUGE. You are better off in the sun.

Please do NOT listen to the poster who said there is no proven fact that these beds cause cancer because in fact there is plenty of evidence that they do.
SEE BELOW FOR JUST ONE OF MANY ARTICLES ABM. It is as indisputable as smoking and plutonium. I can only ownder if you don't own a tanning parlor for your ignorance on this subject. And to the original poster....there are some things that I will jump in to comment about regardless of it is asked-esp when there is significant risk involved. I will take my chances on upsetting a poster b/c it didn't answer their question. Its just a risk you take when posting on a public forum.

July 29 (Bloomberg) -- Tanning beds are as certain to cause cancer as smoking, according to a new risk assessment.

Sun beds and all types of ultraviolet rays are now ranked in the highest risk group by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, putting them in the same group as plutonium and radium, researchers said in a paper published today in the medical journal Lancet Oncology.

Sun beds and UV rays are now considered “carcinogenic to humans.” Using a tanning bed raised the risk of developing the type of skin cancer called melanoma by 75 percent in users that started tanning before the age of 30, researchers led by Fatiha El Ghissassi of Lyon, France-based IARC said in the study.

“Some people feel the need to tan to compete. My advice to them is: don’t do it with a sun bed, don’t even go get the tan outside,” Vincent Cogliano, the head of the IARC Monographs program, a World Health Organization unit, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Melanoma originates in a type of skin cells called melanocytes that make skin tan or brown and protect the deeper layer from the sun, according to the American Cancer Society’s Web site. In 2009, the ACS estimates that 68,720 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed and 8,650 patients will die from it.

The researchers also said UV-A rays are now deemed certain to cause skin cancer. UV-B rays had already been classified in the most dangerous category.

The radiation and the beds were reclassified to reflect new scientific evidence, Cogliano said. Tanning beds were previously classified as “probably carcinogenic.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Eva von Schaper in Munich at ____@____.com.

This doesn't have to be a gamble. My father has just died from melanoma which manifested in his brain. I also worked for the Cancer Society. Just know that every single time you expose yourself the harmful UV rays could cause your cells to mutate. It could be next time. Don't end up like my father. Just use a fake tan.

Get your 6 min or peace and quiet in the shower with a loofah sponge. Then apply a light-toned self-tanning cream if you don't want to add much more color. Even a spray-on tan is healthier than that cancer bed.

We all care about the mamas on here. If you are not aware of the risks of tanning beds, please check out these sites.
http://www.sunsmart.com.au/campaigns/dark_side_of_tanning...
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer...

There is no proven fact that tanning beds cause cancer but so many people like to think that they know what they are talking about because they have listened to all of the scare tactics out there.

You do not need an expensive accelarator and the more expensive lotion isn't any better than the cheap lotion as far as color results. The only difference, is the more pricey lotions usually have ingredients in them that are great for your skin. The $100 bottle of lotion does not tan you any better than the $20 bottle does. The only thing you are doing is making the salon more money (lots of money!!) when you buy the pricier lotion. :)

The best thing to use on your skin is just plain baby oil. Apply it at home and let it soak into your skin a little bit so your skin will be nice and moist. Do not apply it at the salons, as the oil will break down the acrylics and ruin the beds. Moist skin tans much better than dry skin, and that's why young people get better color than older people, because their skin is healthier.

Happy tanning and enjoy your 6 mins of relaxation. !!!! :)

@ mallory P. No there is not any PROVEN fact that tanning beds cause cancer. There is scepticism but not any facts!

While I wouldn't condone the use of a tanning bed due to the fact that it puts you at a super high risk for skin cancer, you do not want to use any sort of lotion or product that isn't designed for a tanning bed because it can ruin the tanning bed and then it'll be your responsibility to pay for the repairs/replacement.

(Sorry to sound so negative about tanning beds; I lived in them in college and am now paying the price for it with bi-annual skin/mole exams and living with the risk of when, not if, I will get skin cancer. I'm not sitting up here on my high horse and judging you, just sharing my experience.)

I go to tanning beds from time to time. Yes, I realize the risks, but I also realize the benefits. Part is the cosmetic benefit and how much prettier I feel, but part is the legitimate health benefits. I have seasonally affected disorder and bipolar so in the winter months I get into a severe depression. Tanning beds release vitamin D into your skin so that it elevates your mood. It also forces me to be still for 15 minutes or so, to just *be* without being able to run off in 20 directions at once. Is this worth the risk for me? Heck yea! Now, that being said. You can use any lotion you want after the tanning session but during it you have to make sure you get a lotion that's made for tanning beds. Regular lotion like Jergens and such will break down the coating on the beds. You can buy the tanning lotions in walmart and such places though so it's cheaper.

You can use an accelerator if you'd like, it depends how easy you burn. Just remember to use a good moisturizing lotion after you tan, every morning to keep your skin moist. The fried old ladies are the ones who didn't use moisture lotions after they tanned to help keep moisture in their skin :)

Wow, your responses are pretty typical, sorry about that.

You can get good color in about 3 weeks, you could go every other day. The salon you go to can advise you on how long you should go. I would just buy one of their decent, cheaper lotions, like Australian Gold Iced Cream is pretty good and not too expensive.

I know I know its a horrible thing to tan but...I've donr it for years and I feel so much better tan! Regular tan lotion you buy at walmart doesn't work in the bed. You've got to buy the ridiculously exspensive lotion at the salon. It will bronze you alot faster!

Diana P. has a great suggestion! :) Have a wonderful time at the wedding!

You can't really have thought that you wouldn't get the skin cancer talk if you posted on here, now did you? Now, if you can't handle what responses that you get on a public forum, then don't ask it.
As for your question, I would not do it every day. Tops I would and have done every other day. I would just do the lotion, Once you go brown, you wont really notice it. Or if you want, try putting the accelerator just on the spots that need it.