Spray Tan VS. Tanning Bed (my experience & warning others!)

I think it all depends on who you go to. As a ballroom dancer we do a lot of spray tanning, and some people are experts that can really do an amazing job, and some suck.

I personally have fair skin and a lot of polka dots that could easily turn cancerous, so a normal tanning bed is not worth it for me. But seriously- wearing a white shirt the day after a spray tan is just asking for it.

I have had several friends that has done the spray tanning and it's pretty much half and half, some hate it and some swear by it.

I have a tanning bed downstairs so I would rather just use it. I am hoping that I just get some good rays in this summer. My FH and I just bought our first boat together three days ago and are having a blast on it. I will still use the tanning bed because I HATE bathing suit tan marks! SO I will use the bed a couple times a week just to get the tan marks to even out with the rest of my white body.

@Shellie i had no problem ruining the shirt...i did it on purpose bc i wanted to see if anything would happen to my wedding dress since she told me to do it the morning before The girl that did mine has done many girls in the salon so i looked at them before she did mine, and I sure as hell didnt come out the same way haha...But tanning bed arent for everyone i agree but i've used beds and stand up ones for the past 3-4 years.

@Michella The boat sounds soo fun! I hate bathing suit lines too! I try to get strapless tops and bottoms well enough to cover haha and then i just "fill in" with the tanning bed

I am African-American and have a medium/dark complexion. Unfortunately, I am not even (I have a lot of yellow undertone) I want to be even all over for the wedding. I would tan outside, but don't feel comfortable doing so. I am going to a tanning salon for a consultation.

@B'Loved just try to go a few months before the wedding to try everything

Tanning beds = skin cancer. Don't do it.

Just as tanning beds aren't for everying, spray tanning isn't for everyone either. Perhaps spray tanning just isn't for you, it doesn't mean that spray tanning is bad and I don't think you need to warn others to stay away from it. Spray tanning does equate to NO skin cancer, tanning beds cannot say the same.

@Celia Milton and @Kimm P. yes there are risks to tanning beds, but theres risks to just stepping outside in the sun as well or getting in your car or bus. just saying

Thanks Celia, however, I only plan to do it twice once this summer and if I like the results, once again 3 weeks before the ceremony.

I did a hand spray tan at a high end salon and the same thing happened! I go to Boca Tanning and do the versa spray tan machine and its always amazing! Give it another shot.

Everyone knows that tanning beds can cause skin cancer because they've been around for a while. Everything people do now causes cancer (cell phones, tanning, certain foods...) I bet that in 5-10 years, they'll say spray tanning can cause cancer. The stuff dyes your skin cells...that can't be healthy. I say, do what works for you. If the spray doesn't work, go with the tanning beds.....sorry. That was my mini rant

Skin cancer is exponentially on the rise in teenagers and early 20's women because of tanning beds; not spray tanning. Just be careful.

My plan is to start a while before the wedding with a spray tan and see how I like it. (Which sounds like the same thing you did.) If it doesn't work out, I might try somewhere else just to judge whether it's the particular salon or what.

A friend had a spray tan before her wedding last month and it came out really nice. She has fair skin and it just came out like a healthy subtle glow. She said she had a little orange by her underarms inside her dress, and she's wondering if the dry cleaner can get that out?

Like you did, I think it's better to test in well ahead of the wedding.

I love spray tans. Sorry it didn't work out for you! I always get a mystic or versa though.

I get sprayed all the time! The key is to exfoliate your skin the day before & do not put any lotion on.

I've never done a spray tan, used to use tanning beds all the time (I worked at a salon and tanned for free).

Now I have $7000 worth of tattoos on my body I do not tan hardly at all. No way I am going to let it fade out after all that money... LOL. I may do a spray tan before the wedding, just to have a little bit of color, but not for sure.

Everything causes cancer, everything kills you. I remember college Biology where our professor explained that Oxygen is what kills everyone. I don't remember exactly what he said in the lecture it was over 10 years ago, but that oxygen is toxic in it's pure form and causes aging and the break down of our body.

I always hear horror stories about spray tans and I have seen many bad spray tans! I use the tanning bed if I need a tan or natural sun! Don't want to risk a bad tan, and I never have problems with the tanning bed (even though I know its bad for you lol)

There is definitely a stigma attached to bad spray tans or orange tans. The fact is that if you properly exfoliate the night before and avoid skin additives the day of, your spray tan should turn out beautiful and natural looking. A reputable spray tan company should use quality spray tan solutions which make a huge difference. A quality spray tan will be more expensive but it makes all the difference.