i am 19 years old and was super tan before my accident which was nov 07. i recently worked up enough nerve to the salon to see if i could get in and out. i didnt think i would be able to get back out since it dips down! but i could! i feel like im somewhat getting something back, from back when i was "normal" im so happy to be tanning again, but do you think this could be dangerous in any way? with meds or anything? im guessing its fine other than just being careful about burning where i cant feel.
thanks for any input.. but im basically just really happy i can do this again!

Hey Jackie,
I am with ya girl. I didn't try to tan for a couple years after my injury. I too went to a tannin place and was stoked to find out I could get in and out of the beds as well. Anyway, I am not on that many drugs, but as you mentioned, you just have to watch so you don't burn where you are numb too bad. I did a cycle of tannin, but unfortunately, I can't keep a tan like I once could. Anyway, best of luck w/ you girl and just watch the temp and your color and I think all should be fine. Take care and have a good one!

Amy

I did the tanning thing for a while. Got really annoying after a while. I do the airbrush tans now.. Most ppl claim they come out blotchy and dont last long, those people arent paralyzed. The tan looks great (remember you get what you pay for) and last around two weeks. I'd recommend checking it out once you get tired of all the transfers and uneven tans.

Just go with a Gothic look and save yourself the skin Cancer. LOL

Just be careful to monitor the areas where you're numb, use a sun block if you've got any areas you might have to worry about. Don't go in for too long, don't have things set too high. Build up a tan gradually rather than trying to rush things.

I don't tan myself, but sometimes in mid-winter I'll go in for ten minutes on the lowest setting just to feel warm and perhaps get a vitamin D boost.



Ha!

do be careful, some medications do make you sun sensitive and that can make you burn very easily in a tanning bed (trust me, i speak from expierence). make sure you're using a tanning enancher for even tanning. i wouldn't worry about what you can't feel burning, if the rest of you isn't. in my experience, scars don't tan and don't go tanning if you have a fresh scar, i'd wait a couple months until it is completely healed. although the warmth always feels wonderful and leaves me very relaxed.

I'm quite the pasty white girl myself and would always just lay out in the actual sun to get tan. God, I remember in High School just baking for hours. Now I kind of regret it ...

Tanning beds are not as "healthy" as the good 'ole sun because tanning beds emit from 50% to 100% more UV rays than natural sunlight. So, you would be much safer lying out in the sun. Also, the sun provides you with vitamin D which is a good as well. Also, I just read that: "In truth, tanning beds can be very dangerous, causing burns, suppression of immune systems, damage to the cornea, cosmetic and drug-induced photosensitivity, and a higher risk of developing melanoma cancer." EEK!

Personally, I'd op for the sun and maybe a beach.

I think the key here is feeling 'normal' again. Doing the things that you loved to do before your injury that make you feel as normal as possible are good. Pursue them!!!

Do mind your skin however, and don't cook/fry yourself.

Moreover, raise the subject with your GP in regard to the meds you take, and whether or not, sun exposure is 'contraindicated' while taking the meds you require. It's unlikely, but it's still best to check.

As a blue-eyed, blonde-haired, fair-skinned girl, I am, as my husband calls me, "a porcelin princess". I cannot tan. I only burn and it is detrimental to the health of my skin. My father, whom I physically take after, incurred melanoma because he did not protect his skin in the sun. He was lucky and had it removed before it spread. Moreover, my father-in-law died because he incurred melanoma and it spread tp his bones. It was a horrific and painful death.

Hence, I personally wear 45+ SPF coverage if we holiday in the sun and I also sit under a big market umbrella. Further, my daily facial skin care has a 30 SPF block in it to protect my face from early aging. I proudly boast good skin and can easily pass for a woman 10 years younger. I also eat well, exercise, sleep well and DON'T smoke. The health benefits are superfluous!

You're young now, but if you 'fry/cook' your skin continuously, you will look like 'an old leather boot' by the time you reach my age. Inasmuch as you are a pretty, young thing at 19, you will regret frying/cooking your skin at 40. You are also risking skin cancer if you over-expose.

Notwithstanding, the sun is good for the body. It is the only source of Vitamin D, unless you take supplements or foods fortified with Vitamin D. Further, Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium which is paramountly necessary for SCI'd people and their bone health.

How is your bone density? Have you had a scan? Are you taking Calcium/Vitamin D? They are extremely important. This is definitely something you need to look into if you haven't yet.

At the advice of my bone doctor, I take 1000 mg of calcium daily and I take 1000 IU of Vitamin D. I am eating as best I can to take in natural calcium, but I live in Canada and we just don't get enough sun for me to absorb the calcium I take, and implement in my diet, so I have to take extra Vitamin D. If you can absorb Vitamin D through tanning, I think it is a worthwhile pursuit, but again, check with your doctor as artificial sun may not even provide Vitamin D.

Tanning can be good for you, if you consider the benefits of mental health. Everyone has a skip in their step when the sun shines. It is just so good for one's positive outlook on life. The sun sleeps over the winter. Hence, if it contributes to your Vitamin D intake. Tan. Tan, tan, tan. Again, do ssk your MD about this...and don't 'cook/fry' your skin. You'll regret it in your 40's.

Living in Canada, I have, in the dead of winter, occasionally gone to a tanning salon just to get that needed 'sunlight'. I find it really helps improve my wintery mood. I don't go often because tanning beds are not good for your skin but when you live in the Great White North, the long dreary sunless days of winter can really get to you. So, yeah, just be careful that you don't burn or let it get too hot. Sometimes they have a fan blowing on you so you don't know if your skin is getting too hot so be cautious about that too. I don't have too much issue getting into the beds. It's a bit awkward because the bed 'lids' don't open all the way sometimes. Just make sure the place you go to has the button that activates the bed very close to the actual bed, within easy arm's reach so you can get into the bed and press the button while in it. It sounds odd but some places keep the buttons really far away and apparently you have to jump into the bed as fast as possible before the light comes on. That would obviously be hard! I much prefer natural sunlight and beaches. I'm a sun baby for sure.

Personally, I don't tan, I stroke.

But I'm happy to see you've found something to take yer head back to the days when walking was a pleasure, instead of a dream.
This sounds like a great foto opportunity. Get out the "Kodak" an' give us some pictures when you cook yerself to a luscious golden brown.

E

tottally, same with edog.. it makes me feel great and i will be careful with my skin and i will post pics when im nice and tan!

:] thanks everyone

I agree with Karen, recent findings have shown that sunbeds are definitely a lot more dangerous than the sun. Problem is we don't all live in Florida. Noroxin particularly increases sun sensitivity. In the end though, it is all about what makes you feel sexy. If that is a tan then go for it. Personally I love a good tan and hate winter (first day of Autumn here) because it rains a lot and I end up looking like a raw pie.