I'm a caucasian 24 year old male, with a fairly light, pale, and thin
(see though thin) skin that is super sensitive to the sun, but does
not tan (almost) at all..

Although tanning is not one of my primary concerns, it is something
that I'd want to have for atleast this summer. I'm perfectly
comfortable without being tanned, but for some reason I made it my
goal to enjoy the "tanned" look this year. Oh, and as an addition,
this is not a medical condition, its just a personal "problem" that I
wish to tackle this summer. BUT, you MUST notice something IMPORTANT:
for people like me (with light skin, that burns easily and is
sensitive to the sun), the exposure to the sun creates a triple (if
not quadriple) risk to get skin cancel from the harmful rays. Thus
please remember this when you consider my situation.

Thus if you now have a small overview of my story, let me start with the specs:

Whenever I attempt to tan under the Texan, Florida, New York or
Michigan sun, I get burned pretty quickly, and the amount of burn,
areas on the body, level of the burn, longetivity and healing time
depends on a strange (mathematical?) formula that includes factors
such as : time of the year (summer=hot, late spring & early
fall=moderate, time of the day (8:00am-1:00pm & 3:30pm-9:00pm =
general safe zones, 1:30pm-3:00pm = danger zone),  sunscreen
availability, sunscreen strength (2SPF to 50SPF), longetivity of the
sun bathing (from 20 minute walk to 4 hour attempts to tan + have fun
at the beach), and so on.

Whenever I get under the sun, either of the following happens:

1. I get a small burn (feels quite ok, doesnt hurt much, just itch a
bit and somewhat red) which after two days is replaced by a very mild
tan that I enjoy for less than a week, after which my upper skin peels
off, taking away most of the tan away with it. This usually happens on
hot sunny days if I go walking around for a couple of hours with a
light "wife beater" that exposes skin.

2. I get a moderate burn (somewhat red, itchy, irritating) that heals
very slowly and doesnt really leave a tan, but more of a red "tint"
that goes away as the burn heals. Ofcourse the skin peels off again
and the tan (what tan?) goes away with it. This happens usually if I
would go to the beach for 3-4 hours, apply sunscreen and not "bathe"
under the sun (just go swimming, then stay under a sun-umbrella).

3. I get a severe burn (thankfully years of experience taught me how
to avoid it) which gives me bumps, cracks, extremely inflamated and
irritated skin, etc (your regular "extreme" sunburn) which goes away
in a two week period, leaving (ofcourse) no tan and skin as white as a
baby (my original color). This wouldve happened if I were to literally
sun bathe under the sun for atleast an hour after going for a swim,
without putting any sunscreen on whatsoever.

Now, lets go through the few things that popped right into your head.

1) Did I try to use different sunscreen strengths ? 

Yes, the sunscreen strength is inversely proportional to the degree of
my burn -- the higher the SPF is, the less of a burn I get.

2) Did I try to determine how much time I need to be exposed under the sun?

I did, and it either gives me a "no burn", a small burn, a medium or a
heavy (which has not happened for years because I made sure that it
wont)

3) Did I try to go "sun bathing" in the morning or late evening to see
the difference on the effect that the sun makes?

Yes and its the same, either I dont get tanned/burned at all, or a
very moderate burn.

4) Did I try tanning salons?

I'd rather tan under the sun. Tanning salons is something I'd like to
leave as a backup.

5) Did you try the "sunless" tanning creams/sprays/powders ?

Actually? Yes, and as funny as it may sound, barely any worked (is it
a Hoax?) I've tried 4 different kind, two made absolutely no effect,
one made my skin orange for a week, the other made a brown tint (which
I liked) that washed off when I took a shower (Do tans actually wash
off?? Hehe) If you would recommend me a superb title, I will
definately try it out.

So, if you are one of the researchers that doesnt just research to get
paid, but actually makes it a challenge task to help the customer, I
would like to request some assistance in getting a tan that I can
enjoy for atleast a few weeks.

Perhaps there's some certain schedule I must follow ? Perhaps I need a
few small tanning sessions that will gradually tan my skin ? Perhaps I
need to use some special cream? Perhaps I need to remember a few rules
or so on and so forth? Perhaps I should try tanning a differen way?
And so on and so forth.

If you are knowledgeable in this field, or had some experience, or are
very light skinned just like me, or just wish to research this
subject, then thank you friend in helping another human tackle this
little problem thats been bothering his mind for years.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 08 Jul 2004 17:32 PDT

From your Did I try..." list, it's a bit hard to tell whether you did
the obvious thing or not.

Did you try a regimine of repeating small doses of exposure over the
course of a few weeks?

I would suggest something along the lines of:  10 minutes of exposure
every other day for a week; followed by 15 minutes every day for the
following week; and if it seems warranted, 20 minutes every other day
the third week.

No sun block.  No early mornings.  Just direct sun in small, controlled doses.  

Mind you, I'm not a doctor or a tanning expert, and you should take my
suggestion (and all the suggestions here) with the appropriate grains
of salt.

Nonetheless, if your skin is tannable, the slow and steady approach should tan it!

Let me know what you think...and have a great summer.

pafalafa-ga

As a 56-year-old redhead who has never once been able to acquire a
tan, I can't offer any positive advice. But I do have a bit of
negative advice: if someone tries to sell you "tanning pills," please
don't waste your money.

A pale-skinned friend of mine spent a ridiculous sum on some imported
tanning pills that she ordered online. She isn't any more tan, but she
has acquired a healthy skepticism about stuff that's advertised on the
Internet.

More info here:

http://www.sunless.com/safe/tanningpillsdontwork.php

I've found an article that may interest you:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/GMA030520Self_tanning_tests.html

Thank you for your comments pinkfreud,

I will try the following sprays:

Banana Boat Vitaskin Instant Sunless Tanning Lotion
Estée Lauder Fast Tan Quick Dry Sunless Spray, SPF 15
Neutrogena Instant Bronze Sunless Tanner and Bronzer in One Lotion

and will keep these in mind:

-   Self-tanning gels and sprays dry faster than lotions and creams.
But lotions, creams and gels are easier to apply than the sprays
because you are less likely to miss a spot.
-   The darkness of the "tan" that you get from self-tanning depends
on the base color of your skin.
-   Self tanners will not discolor your hair, but manufacturers
recommend that long hair be pinned up during self-tanning to prevent
hair from removing tanner from your body.
-   If you apply more product containing a bronzer, you get
"temporarily" darker by applying more, but it won't affect long-term
color.
-   Wash hands after applying self tanner to avoid "tan" palms.
-   When using a self-tanner, exfoliate first. The products work best on new skin.

and it was never my intention to ever believe any of the tanning pills
(or any kind of "super pills") ads on the Internet, but thank you for
your concern.

Thank you once more

Try a tanning salon. Most are run by "tan professionals" who can
advise you on number of days per week and length of tanning sessions.
Most also sell tan accelerating creams and oils that will speed up the
tanning process.

I don't think 4 hours of midday sun at the beach is safe for anyone
except with hourly applications of 45 sunblock, especially not the
fair skinned. For shorter periods of exposure, try a very thin coat of
45 sunblock on the areas most likely to sun burn. This keeps the cost
low, and you will feel less greasy and the little tan you can get will
be more uniform. The stuff will spead to places you did not put it so
you have some protection there also. You likely need to reapply every
1/2 hour for continued protection to the most exposed surfaces. Cloudy
bright, and open shade increases exposure to parts that don't usually
get much sun, so don't think you don't need sun block. If you don't
get much sun for a week, you will have to start over with very small
doses of sun. Even a slight sun burn slows your adapting to the sun. 
Neil

I also have the same problem. I have naturally strawberry blonde hair,
blue eyes, & very fair skin.
I found a tanning product called "Swedish Beauty". It is very
expensive but it works wonders. I apply it & lay out for one hour a
day. If it is raining I do go to a tanning salon though. Usully within
1-2 weeks , I have a rich , golden tan. This product does include a
bronzer . But it enhances the tanned look instead of dying your skin
that horrible orange color.
Good Luck! I hope this helps.

It is disheartening to know that so many people are uneducated on what
a tan means, how it occurs and the like. After just finishing up the
integumentary (skin) system in my Human Anatomy and Physiology class,
I think I can offer some basic assistance.

Everybody's skin has a number of layers. The utmost layer is called
the Stratnum Corneum (which is the uppermost layer of epidermal skin).
The Epidermis is made up of several other layers of skin, following by
the dermis which is made up of a couple layers of skin, followed by
muscle and fat tissue underneath. Everyone's body has the same number
of something called melanocytes. These are cells which actually
produce the pigment that you see in people's skin. The pigment is
called melanin, and the cells are turned on either by genetics or UV
light (ie the sun). Darker skinned individuals (ie african or hispanic
decent) genetically produce more melanin, without sun exposure.

For those of you who have paler skin and do not seem to tan easily,
your body lacks the ability to produce a lot of melanin. The melanin
doesn't actually seep up into the top layer of skin, so when your skin
peels it is actually ridding the body of damaged tissue, which can be
discolored. You have various particles throughout your skin layers
that trap the melanin pigment and direct it up toward the surface.

When you go out in the sun, some people's body genetically produces
more of this melanin in response to the Sun, other people's bodies
dont.

WE learned that having a tan actualy protcets you from the UV A and UV
B rays (which can lead to cancerous cells) b/c the pigment stops the
light from hitting the cells with the skin genetic material lower down
in the layers of skin.

Fake tans, ie creams or lotions chemically react with amino acids in
your skin which can cause the coloring to appear. It doesn't change
your melanin levels or activate the melanocytes.

Unfortunatly, the only thing you can do to tan is use these creams or
lotions. Ive had success with Banana boat vitaskin. You just have to
be careful that it doesn't get all over your hands (use gloves) or it
will stain your hands. Lemon juice or peroxide can help get the fresh
stains off.

Burning is a sign of skin damage, and can lead to cancerous cells
later on in life. Please be careful, and you can do some research on
melanin and melanoctyes.

Good luck

gosh, I should be paid by google for my knowledge :)

Hello,

As a professional in the tanning industry,( I managed a tanning salon
for many years)... I would reccomend going to a tanning salon. They
can control the amount of time, UV ray type, and intensity to help
your skin adjust to the sun light, and slowly build up the melanin so
that you get a tan, instead of the burn and peel. If you would like, I
can work out a schedule for you to tan with at a tanning salon, and
explain what type of bed you should look for, what tanning cream would
be best for you, and explain all the details most basic tanning
employees do not have. I always dread people's first visit to a salon,
when they get the part time girl who knows nothing, so many people get
turned off by that, and or do more harm than good to their skin..... I
think everyone should have to go through the training I did to work in
a salon, but that's another story....
( I'm certified in Cal Tan products, and spent a week in California
learning about the different types of beds, the rays they use, and how
they all work....)

I know you said you'd rather have natural sun, but being that it
varies so much in intensity and the like, it's going to be hard to
work on building you up a constant and even tan, with out the burn and
peel effect. I wanted to ask you this here before I answered, since
you mentioned tanning salons were not your favorite option. Please let
me know how to proceed, and as always, if another researcher has the
answer before we come to a conclusion or answer, they're always free
to answer.

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

This sounds interesting. It's a home version of the "airbrush tan":

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prwebxml133286.php

as fair skinned person who doesn't tan much I can offer 2 solutions
either you are highley alergic to the sun or you can try this: got to
the tanning tbed every day for a week 2-3 minutes at a time this will
get your skin use to the sun and start a base tan ( helped me from
burning in the sun). Then you can can lay out about 10 minutes in the
sunu adding five every week unless burn .Then back of no matter what
you do if you are burnt stay out of the sun. Personally I would rather
go to the tanning bed to get a tan than sit in the sun this way you
can control how much you get. Or go to a salon and get air brush tan.
I haven't tries the air brush as of yet but i plan to. Let ume know if
htis works. Keep in mind a little sun at time may take long er to tan
but at least it beats having a pianful sunburn. Take care and happy
tanning.

Hello, 
I thought Nenna was going to hit it when she mentioned being a salon
professional, however I think the glaring statement at the beginning
has been missed.  You said, "I don't tan...and burn quickly".  This is
a Skin Type 1.  No properly trained tanning salon will allow you to
enter their UV tanning bed.  At Bahia ( http://www.bahiatan.com) we
would not allow it as we follow SmartTan guidelines
(http://www.smarttan.com) and besides, it's printed on every bed
manufactured for sale in the US.  Walk up to them, look at the skin
exposure schedule and you will see for skin type 1, "Not recommended".

The solutions for you are either airbrushing or a spray booth (Mystic,
Magic Tan, Miracle Mist, etc).  Air brushing is highly dependant upon
qualified staff that is willing to take the time to do it right. 
You're being physically sprayed by a person.  Booths are automated,
but your results are dependant upon properly following instructions. 
If the salon employee seems unsure or isn't a great deal of help in
providing information, leave.  There's plenty of salons adding sunless
tanning, so you won't have to go far in most towns.