A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Hey. I’m going on holiday aboard this summer and it’s gonna be very hot! I know it’s only April but I need some advice. I’m a bridesmaid at a wedding a few weeks after so I’m not allowed to burn and need to get some kind of tan!I’m fair skinned and I’ve only been abroad once where it’s been very hot. I didn’t do any sunbathing and as a result got no sunburn or tan. This summer will be a more relaxing holiday and I really want to get a decent tan for the wedding, but I don’t want to burn! So really I’d just like some advice as to how I can get some kind of tan because I normally stay pretty white. And yes, if all else fails I’ll resort to the fake tan! Thank you.
View related questions:
on holiday, wedding Reply to this Question
Share |
Fancy yourself as an agony aunt? Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, k_c100 +, writes (21 April 2010):
 Afraid not - fake tan wont help at all, it may only make you look orange or mask your sunburn! It doesnt matter what colour your skin is, UV rays still penetrate your skin and will change the pigment in your skin, hence equalling in a tan or possibly sunburn.
The only thing that helps to tan you is moisture in the skin - basically the better moisturised your skin is, the more likely you are to attract the sunlight and it to penetrate your skin. So keep well mositurised (suncream is great because it does this as well as protect the skin) at all times and you should catch the sun.
I dont think you need to worry about catching the sun, with fair skin and lack of exposure to the sun you are bound to get some colour, the question is will it be a nice tan or red!
A
reader, anonymous, writes (21 April 2010): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionJust wondering... Are you more likely to catch the sun if you apply fake tan before? I'm just thinking if you reflect more sunlight if you're whiter? Cheers.
...............................
A
female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (20 April 2010):
 Ok, I think that even if you do not get tanned you should be happy if you don't get burned. Burned will look so much worse than natural skin colour! Alright what you can do is go tanning first before the vacation (dont know the name of it, but the little boxes you lay down in and get tanned) Do not use spray or lotions to self tan! Those can end up resulting in spots and very fake tan. Then when you go on vacation, use a good sunblock. Have your hair covered by a hat or a scarf or something, because your hair will get burned too and wont look pretty. You can try and tan, but do not do much per day. Only a little! It doesnt take long to get burned! So be sure you have sunblock all over, and especially on these parts: bum, shoulders, back. Be careful of what clothes you decide to wear, you don't want the lines from a strap of clothing! What is best is tube tops, or try and pick a top that has the same lines and forms as the dress you will wear at the wedding. Shanging tops every day is also good, one day having a stapless top, one day with the straps etc. That way you wont tan unevenly on your shoulders and back.
...............................
A
reader, anonymous, writes (20 April 2010): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThanks! I've had brilliant answers and I'll defo take all your advice so thank you.
...............................
A
female
reader, k_c100 +, writes (20 April 2010):
Ok the chances are you will burn if you are fair and have only been away once - but the key here is to only get a little pink/red at worst, rather than really burning and damaging your skin.
First of all - Suncream! Do not go any lower than factor 20 while you are on holiday. I suggest starting off on a high factor, like a factor 40. I find creams are much easier to use, especially if you are not used to being abroad/sunbathing. Dont be tempted by the sprays - yes they are lighter and less sticky but they dont give you an even coverage if you are not great at applying them and will mean you end up with patchy spots of burn! I suggest you buy a bottle of factor 40, factor 30 and factor 20 (depending on how long you go away for - if it is only a week then just stick to 40 for the first 3 days then 30 for the rest of the holiday). If you are away for longer then just gradually decrease the SPF factor as you go along, depending on how well your skin is coping.
We are actually having some good weather here in the UK at the moment so make the most of it - try and expose your legs and arms to the sun each day when it is sunny. This, even though the sun is not very strong at the moment, will help to expose your skin a little and get you used to the suns rays. At weekends before your holiday, try doing some sunbathing in your garden with a factor 20.
Start to prep your skin about 4 weeks before you go away - exfoliation is very important, especially on your knees and elbows. Try an exfoliating scrub or shower gel, something like that. Then make sure you moisturise your body as much as possible - daily is ideal.
When you are acutally on holiday keep applying that suncream! Every hour is about right, but do it more frequently if you feel certain parts of your skin getting hot. You can learn to feel when you are burning as that area will feel red hot and will not cool down even if you are in the shade. If you feel this happening then try and cover the area up with some clothing, if this is not possible then its time to go in the shade! If you go in the pool or the sea then dry yourself off and re-apply the suncream - while they are often water "resistant", they are not totally waterproof so you need to re-apply as soon as you are out of the water and dried off.
Remember the sun is at its hottest between 11am and 3pm - now when you are on holiday it is almost impossible to stay out of the sun during these hours but make sure you are aware of the time and try and take breaks from the sun by spending some time in the shade.
When you are tanning - be aware of the clothes you have on. Try and avoid strap marks as much as possible, so dont go for a bikini with loads of dangly bits or bows etc. Strapless is always a good option! Make sure you turn over frequently - dont just tan the front and forget about the back! Try and time how long you have been on one side, and then spend the same on the other side. Make sure you have evenly covered yourself in suncream, dont miss any spots otherwise you will burn in patches which is not a good look! Take a few light cover-ups with you to the beach, kaftans are great as they are light enough to keep you cool yet protect the skin too.
I think you will be fine as long as you are careful with the suncream and dont spend all day out in the sun, if you spend some time in the sun and then a couple of hours in the shade too you should be ok. Ask whoever your on holiday with to keep an eye on you - sunglasses are great for spotting early signs of burning as the colour of the lenses makes it easier to spot sunburn! SO ask a friend/family member to keep looking at your skin and tell you if you are burning, then you can apply more cream to that area and cover up if needs be.
I hope this helps and good luck!
...............................
A
female
reader, Miss.casalola  +, writes (20 April 2010):
Stay out of the sun between 10am and 2pm.
If you can't wear a wide brim hat, and wear lots of sunscreen at least spf 30 reapply it often. If you're going to be out and about, try wearing a white or light coloured kaftan. Also year big sunglasses that have wide arms, but always with a hat or you could get sunglass tan! As long and you keep your top half covered a shorts tan wont obviously be seen in the dress. Just remember to put sunscreen on your feet too. And beware what shoes you wear, because you will get a sandal tan. I was in a similar situation last june. The only really noticeable thing was the the line on my wrists but i wore bracelets at the wedding to hide those. Also. If you really want to, i strictly wore only a strapless full piece bathing suit. And strapless tube tops. I did have a bit of a boob tan but i just hid it with bronzer. Oh and most importantly, moisturise! Because if you do catch a tan, you don't want to peel at the wedding!
...............................
A
male
reader, The Realist  +, writes (20 April 2010):
 Its good that you're thinking of this early because with fair skin it will take alot longer to build up a tan. I don't really support tanning beds but they might be your best bet because you can start off really slow and work up to the tan. A couple of min at a time would be good and don't go over. That way you shouldn't burn and should be able to get a good tan.
I don't reccomend the fake tans because I had a couple of my friends come out looking orange and in the end it pealed off like scales.
Start off slow in the sun or in a bed, take your time and it should work out for you.
...............................
|
