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major_merrick

I don't go out in the sun very much. I work inside, and when I'm outside I often wear long sleeves and pants. I'm blonde, fair skin, European heritage. I'm getting a bit tired of looking so different from my husband's other partners, who are Hispanic and Asian. Having my skin compared to a white flour tortilla isn't fun.

 

So, how do I tan a couple of shades? I'm not looking for that "I'm at the beach all the time" look, just something that makes me not look like a basement dweller. How long does it take to tan? Fifteen minutes in the sun at a time? How do I avoid getting burned, especially on sensitive areas like back, breasts, etc... that never see much light?

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CautiouslyOptimistic

I will lecture you with the same talk I gave my 18-year-old blonde, fair-skinned, European heritaged daughter just this morning after getting her second bad sunburn in a month at the barn (she has a horse) yesterday. Melanoma is a thing! People die from it! I had a friend die from it very young!

 

I probably have the same hair/skin color combo as you, MM. What I do to make sure I get "some color" is just go outside for maybe 15-20 minutes a day....throwing the ball with the dog or sitting in a chair on my "lunch hour" (I work from home) accomplishes this. A few years ago I decided to sun worship for a summer because there was a pool where I was renting, and I can't believe how much damage was done to the skin on my chest just from that one year (just more visible wrinkles). I seriously aged at least 5 years in that one area from not using adequate sunscreen. Now I moisturize it like crazy.

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i'm brown so I don't have worry about tanning. I can spend as much time in the sun as I want without having to wear sun block. Actually I've never had a sunburn in my life

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CautiouslyOptimistic

AM - I don't think "brown skin" precludes you from damages from sun exposure!

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thefooloftheyear

You would probably be better off just avoiding the sun if you are as you describe...If you do manage to get some color over time, you will also have the negative affect of looking like you are 70 when you hit 50...

 

TFY

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Wallysbears

Please don’t.

 

I buried a 20 year old “niece” last year from melanoma.

 

Some of us were just meant to be pale.

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amaysngrace

Skin that easily tans is very different from skin that burns easily. You shouldn’t compare yourself to them even if that’s their gig.

 

You should clue them in that pale is the new tan.

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Wallysbears

Fwiw - I’m 40. I’m PALE Irish complexion. I rock SPF 30 every day in my moisturizers, etc and when I actually am fully exposed to sun (like outside, at the pool, park, etc) I cover up in spray on 30-50spf

 

There is nothing sexy about skin cancer. Or premature aging. And if you try to tan, you WILL wrinkle with our sort of complexion.

 

Us pale folk aren’t meant to tan.

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CautiouslyOptimistic

There is nothing sexy about skin cancer.

 

This cannot be overstated.

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major_merrick

Grrrr. Y'all make it sound hopeless. I've got the German-Russian paleness, so perhaps I will just burn if I try. Maybe just 15 minutes at a time? I sure don't want to age, as I already look older than I should. When my younger sister and I are together, we get asked if I'm her mom. Not cool.

 

My husband tans in the summer. He gets pale in winter, and then very brown in summer since he is outside so much. Just not fair.

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Try a self tanner or a spray tan. Don't risk sun damage. I'm dark haired with medium olive skin. I was big on tanning in my youth and I've never had a sunburn. Can't say I don't have sun damage though. Definitely see some damage on my upper chest and I have hyper pigmentation on my face. I wear sun screen all the time now but I sure wish I had protected my skin when I was younger. When you're young you think oh I won't care what I look like when I'm 50 and besides 50 is a lifetime away, but 50 comes sooner than you expect and you still care very much what you look like. Oh and my biological father who was a dark skinned 100% native Cree got skin cancer. Everybody and anybody is at risk. Fake tan or no tan.

Edited by anika99
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Yeah, I'd also suggest a self tanner. I tried all kinds of brands but they all looked orange on me (I'm very pale as well). Discovered a tanning oil now (at the drugstore) that works very well for me. You just add a few drops to your regular face & body lotion and get a very nice, natural looking tan.

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Use a spray tan. If you get a good one that fits your existing skin tone and use it well, the appearance is indistinguishable. Melanoma is REALLY not worth it.

 

 

Interestingly, in my culture the women all want to be fair and hide from the sun like crazy, lol! I don't just mean not tanning, but literally running from shade to shade or using an umbrella. Perceptions of beauty are really subjective. And I guess people always want what they can't have. :laugh:

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Being fair is only a negative if you want to follow the tanned herd. My daughter has glowing white skin, curly red hair, green eyes. She wouldn't go near fake tan or straight hair if her life depended on it - instead she rocks her style and enjoys not looking like everyone else.

 

In the meantime, here are some gorgeous porcelain skinned actresses.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kimberleydadds/pale-is-perfect

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Happy Lemming
I rock SPF 30 every day

 

Us pale folk aren’t meant to tan.

 

Same here... I slather on the SPF 30. I, recently, had to do some work on my roof. I wore red clothing for every inch that I could (the color red is supposed to protect the best or so I've heard) and everything else got a coating of SPF 30. After 2 hours on the roof, came down, hydrate and re-apply more sun screen. It took me about 7 hours to re-coat that section of roof, but I took care of my skin during the ordeal.

 

I'm quite pale, as well.

 

To OP... Your husband loves you just the way you are. Please don't risk your health trying to tan.

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If you are really itching to do it, you can experiment with makeup and spray tans. The mechanism of action of spray tans is to temporarily darken old skin by something called dihydroxyacetone (DHA). It will wear off as skin is recycled. Melanoma is unquestionably deadly. Even though we disagree on many things, I would never wish melanoma on you - nothing can save you if you end up with metastatic melanoma. That disease is definitely not worth it.

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AM - I don't think "brown skin" precludes you from damages from sun exposure!

 

sure it does CO

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PhillyLibertyBelle

Russian/ Eastern European pale skin is beautiful but if you must..

 

I am pale blonde and fair. In the wintertime I get a monthly spray tan in a light shade if I feel like it or I use San Tropez products. They have a lot to choose from but the “gradual” range seems like it could suit your skin type. As opposed to an “instant” tan where the colour comes out however it comes out all at once, the gradual line lets you build up to a tone that suits you a bit at a time.

 

 

You can also use bronzing powder on your face and décolletage which is simply a makeup product you wash off with soap and water.

 

Don’t risk skin cancer, wrinkles and all of the other potentially life altering effects of tanning.

 

(Or just stay pale! It’s hot!)

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major_merrick

Wow. Almost makes it seem like the sun is a death sentence. But, I saw a news article today about Earth's disappearing magnetic field and increasing radiation. Lovely.

 

Mostly, I'm just reacting to being picked on (again), especially by Wife #1. I hear the joke about God baking cookies (some got burned, some were barely baked, etc...), I get told I'm so pale I glow in the dark. Just great stuff. I've thought about cutting and dying my hair for a change of pace too. Currently my hair is pretty light, and I keep it tied up, but it hangs down to mid-back. I'm basically known by my hair color - "The Blonde" like I'm the only one in the world.

 

I guess I'm kind of stuck being me. If I tried any kind of spray or chemical tan, #1 would laugh me out of the house. I do wonder....if being in the sun gives you cancer, how do so many people go their entire lives working outdoors without sunscreen?

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Lots of people go their entire lives working outdoors - and they do indeed get melanoma. That's the harsh reality.

 

Spraytan - you'll have to withstand some people poking fun at you if you try it. That part is a lot better than melanoma.

 

The reason for the Earth's magnetic field is the flow of liquid iron within the core of the Earth. One day Earth will cool down enough for the iron to solidify, and the magnetic field will be gone. The Earth can't be hot forever. The article is absolutely correct but it was going to happen anyway, it's old news. That part is a constant of the Universe. Fortunately that takes a really long time :cool:

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amaysngrace

Wife #1 sounds like she can be really mean. What’s her problem?

 

You should tell her in a cookie some are the oatmeal and some are a raisin.

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