Conference moira::naturism

I couldn't tell from your note if you are interested in obtaining a tan when
you're at your "someplace hotter."  If you aren't tan-conscious, then here's my
advice.  Block the sun.  I avoid my worries about the sun by not trying to tan.
(naturism .NE. tan-worshipper).  I use sunblocks with an SPF 15 or higher
(whatever is cheapest and seems to not wear off easily).  That way I just stay
out for as long as I want. 

[Not being worldly in this matter I repeat this in case it isn't generally
known: Here in the States all sun tanning and screening products carry a
printed indicator of protectiveness, the SPF.  This Sun Protection Factor
starts ar 2-4 for most tanning uses and to 15 and beyond for blocking.  Beyond
there is debate about any further gains of effectiveness.]

An amusing side note:  my sun lotion doesn't ward off pesky insects, so I use
DEET-based bug repellent.  I found out that that stuff is highly painful to put
*everywhere*!  Sort of like liquid heat.  I guess that's another aspect of
being a neophyte naturist one hopes to avoid.

\bob

    Here in the US there are "tanning parlors", where one can go and get
    a sun tan without the sun.  These use UV-A radiation, which is
    supposedly less hazardous than the unfiltered UV radiation that is
    found in sunlight.  While they would probably be viable if you
    intend to get a tan and want to be prepared before going out in the
    sun, they have been universally frowned on by health authorities of
    all sorts, who point out that a sun tan is the visible symptom of
    skin damage, and that all UV exposure to your skin produces some
    damage, leading to premature skin aging and wrinkling at best, and
    skin cancer at worst.  There is no question that Bob's stance in .1
    is the safest approach to the sun. 
    
    By the way, _Consumers Reports_ just did an article on sun screens.
    One of there findings was that to get the rated sun-blocking
    effectiveness out of a sun screen, you need to use *enough* of it.
    While this is never given explicitly on the bottle, it can
    apparently amount to an ounce or more. 
    
    See also note 30 for sun protection issues.
    
    	-Neil 
                                      

    
    Greetings,
       As far as use goes of your home sun lamp etc., Depending on how
    light or dark complexted you are will determine the amount of time
    you should spend under the lamp. In a proffesional tanning booth/bed
    20 to 30 min is all thats required every 3 days. Using your lamp
    for about 2 weeks before you leave will prepare your skin for
    as much sun as you can handle. Remember you will still need a sun
    block for protection of your private parts!! DON'T LEAVE HOME 
    WITHOUT IT!!! 
    
    Happy Sunning/Holiday
       tim...
    

    The only reason I've been thinking of hiring a lamp/bed is the hassle
    of greasing up on previous occasions - maybe I've been using the
    wrong stuff - I think we use 8 or 10 for the kids (we're all on
    the bianco side) and I just use the same stuff. Problem is sand,
    water and cream dont mix (actually the problem is they *do* mix)
    so if you're in and out of the water the whole thing ends up like
    a hog roast basting session.
    
    Also there's the amusement of body hair whipping up a nice mousse
    effect like that squirt-on cream you put on puddings. Anyone got
    any brand names of good liquid (i.e. not cream) blockers. (If brand
    names are against conference policy then maybe you can MAIL)
    
    Roughly on the same subject (for those who want to be browned off
    without getting their fingers burnt) I see my nat mag is once again
    advertising these special beach umbrellas which keep out all the
    *nasty* light beams, letting in only brown light or whatever it is
    (ok - i know the physics). What thoughts here? 
    
    cheers - jim
           

    Coppertone offers SPF20 in a spray that comes out more like a liquid
    than cream.
    --j
    

I can't remember the brand I used this last weekend but it was a spray with a 
SPF of 15.  Reminded me more of Insect Repellent than Suntan stuff, but worked
since I didn't get burned.  Makes protecting 'private' parts easier...just 
make sure you get it sprayed evenly! 

I'll try to remember to find out the brand and let you know later.

Judy

The spray sunblock I used last weekend is made by Sea & Ski called Block Out.
It is non-greasy and waterproof and has a SPF of 15.

Judy

    This is not timely, but it goes together here.
    
    I've found the Sea & Ski products are usually among the least obtrusive
    to use.  The #6 in the green bottle is a cream but absorbs well; they
    have some Waterproof versions that are clear liquid and stick well. 
    Many other fluids appear to have dried on your skin, but then come off
    when you perspire (more so than when you swim, in my experience).
    
    As good as any in the 2nd echelon is one of the cheapest, the #8 which
    [in U.S.] CVS sells as its house brand, which I assume = many other
    "generic" brands.  Can run into your eyes if your forehead perspires.
    
    The first PABA product I ever saw, now very hard to find and very
    expensive, is Pabanol.  About an 8, it is very simple in composition
    and if I remember had little tendency to feel greasy or perspire off.
    But it stains your towel orange.

    My wife has recently favored a mousse that comes in aerosol cans --
    Coppertone makes one, though she preferred some brand that has now
    disappeared.  It absorbs very readily.  Since it starts as a blob of
    creamy foam and rapidly liquifies (or even sublisorbs -- whatever you
    call soaking in directly without passing through the liquid state), it
    would be interesting to see what it does when applied to hairy regions!

    No matter what you use, put it on WELL AHEAD OF TIME.  Let it soak in.
    This is a lot more convenient if you're at a resort than it is if you
    have to get in a car and drive an hour through summer heat to get to
    the beach.  We live in a resort town, so on summer days we get up, put
    on goop, make coffee / have breakfast / pack up / etc, THEN put on our
    suits and head for Good Harbor Beach or somewhere. (Right, sorry: no
    known nuding in Gloucester/Rockport unless you find some like-minded
    people at one of the former quarries that dot the interior of Cape Ann.)
    
    The Consumer Reports article referred to earlier also said that SPF
    15 can be regarded as max protection -- any more is overkill and the
    sunbeams it would protect you from just aren't there -- any place IN 
    THE U.S. (no doubt the U.K. also).  But the sun can be much hotter and
    more direct down in the tropics, including places in the Caribbean or
    the Mediterranean where prevailing winds keep you comfortable... in
    such places, higher protections CAN be needed, CR suggests.  I've seen
    SPF 29 for sale, and higher too but I don't remember exactly what.

Since its summer time here in Az. with temps. around 90 deg. by 9 am and a 
105 deg. by noon, I decided it was time to check out a tanning salon.
Went to one close to were I live and filled out the form they handed me.
One question was "will you be tanning in the nude"?  I checked " hell yes!"
Handed back the form expecting to get a lecture about cancer of the penis
but the woman at the counter didn't say anything.  I went in and tanned 
for 20 min. came out and started talking to the woman and asked how many 
people used the tanning both nude vs wearing bathing suits.  The woman got
visible flustered and said "she would never asked such a question"  I said 
"sure you do its on the form".  The reply " Oh, I never look at that question". 
You would think that a women working in a tanning salon would be more comfort- 
able with the concept of nudity then that.  We got a long way to go in this 
country.

                                                Paul



                                               

    I was listening to some friends talk about a woman at a softball game
    yesterday.  They were saying that the woman had a "Tanorama" tan,
    because she looked "burnt".  The tan was really *dark*; it's still
    kinda early for that deep a tan.
    
    Does a natural tan *really* look that different from an induced tan?
    I've never used a tanning bed or salon so I really don't know.
    
    B.

    re: last few
    
    I've gone to a tanning salon before and the question about tanning
    in the nude was never even asked.  I just assumed everybody took
    their clothes off...  guess not.  About induced tans vs. "the real
    thing" - you can't tell the difference, Ben.  You get the tan the
    same way - ultraviolet rays.  I've stopped using tanning salons
    because I don't think there's really enough known about the long
    term effects.  Of course, being outside is probably just as harmful,
    so my goal in the summer is not the "ultimate" tan.  I just like
    the beach and use a sun block of about 10 zillion SPF.  I plan on
    using the highest protection "Water Babies" sun block for my daughter
    who will probably be getting her first taste of the beach very soon.
    And when I say "first taste", I mean that LITERALLY! :-)
    
    - Kathryn