Lesser of two evils? Tanning bed vs. spray tan

I've never done a spray tan, but if you're on a medicated acne cream, those usually make you burn way easier if you decide on a tanning bed.

Thanks everyone for all the input! It's the fear of skin cancer that is definitely stopping me from the tanning bed, although I've gone before without problems. I also get checked twice yearly by a dermatologist, but that's neither here nor there.

I still can't decide. I might also try like a Jergen's Natural Glow lotion, just for a little tint... anyone had any experience with that?

I've used the Jergen's before. You just have to rub it in very well so there's no streaking. I think going and doing a trial wouldn't hurt. Just see how it goes.

I think I will, I just also hear (even just now!) that people still follow every instructions and get "leaky" on their wedding day. Given the weight of the dress, sweat, etc. I'm just afraid that even if I get a trial and love it, it'll be different that day.

Whatever you end up doing, try it NOW! Don't wait until the week of the wedding and hope for the best.

I know it's not the best thing, but I'm tanning in the beds. I just don't want to chance a spray tan...I'm a sweater, especially when I get nervous and I just don't trust it. Plus, we're going tropical/beach for the honeymoon and I needed SOME sort of color pretty bad on my body so I don't blend in with the sand I just plan to do it through the wedding and then cancel the membership. I'm going to a local tanning salon in Houston called Glo on the membership with a variety of different beds and I like the results I'm getting. FH is even thinking about doing it too for a month or so before the wedding to get some color before we hit the beach.

@JP+AP.....I forgot you mentioned you were on a Rx acne cream.....DO NOT GO TO A TANNING BED. Mrs1780 is 100% correct.....your skin is more susceptible to burning when you use creams like that.

Norvell makes a great sunless lotion (look online) and so does Image Skincare (you can only find through a licensed retailer). Fake Bake is good too. I've found the Jergen's to have more of a fake orange look than a natural one.

@Rhonda...I've also heard good things about Versapa, but there aren't any down where I live. Hell, I'm the only in-person spray tan tech in my area. I hate small towns!

I was very much so in need of this information as well. Tan lines are a killer. I tan so easily all it took was 1 hour in a tank top to destroy a summer of strapless tops. I love my color, but want a nice even tone.

@FutureMrsJohnson, thank you!!

Hey fellow pasty white girl here. Mom with skin cancer and I've had several moles biopsied so I know your fear. A doctor has told me that it's not if I get skin cancer, it's when, where, and what type. So, obviously, I'm 100% against any sort of tanning (especially if you're on an acne cream). I'm the queen of sunscreen now. Really, it's not worth it. What if you end up getting skin cancer? Will you look back and think "Well, at least I looked SUPER HOT on my wedding day!" I hope not.

I did a spray tan applied by an actual human for my wedding. My friends who knew I got the spray tan were all very impressed with the color. It did not drip but it did rub off on the inside straps of my dress a little bit. I got it the day before and got the accelerated kind so I could shower a few hours later. The shower after looked like I slaughtered an oompa loompa, but that was the only thing that ever dripped off of me. Ideally, you should get the spray tan maybe 2 days before and it shouldn't rub off. I would do a trial run and wear something tight and white to see what it does. But you will have to shell out for it. Don't cheap out on something like this because that's when the running and grossness happens.

It wasn't about not liking the color I came in-- as you can see in my avatar, I wasn't exactly super tan on my wedding day- but I wanted to even out my gross tan lines from running outside all spring. It worked perfectly.

Yeah I forgot about the acne cream piece of it! I would definitely call the dermatologist before doing any tanning.

Okay, I think I'm convinced to at least TRY a spray tan. I would definitely hate myself if I got skin cancer soon after, and would definitely regret it.

@e=mc2 - it's different when you're trying to look like a different race, which is what fake tans do for you. My mom used to own a tanning salon, and she looked latina (she is Polish).

Makeup Artist here.

100% against tanning. Even if you DON'T get skin cancer, the damage you will do to your skin with CONCENTRATED UV rays will be pretty much irreversible. And when you come back to me in 20+ years complaining of wrinkles and age spots, and compliment my glowing skin, I will smile kindly and hold back on telling you it was your own damn fault.

I am pasty white. I own white sheets. Tan does not stick to me. And I have NEVER had a fake tan drip or leak onto anything. And I have used a number of them.

My recommendations for the Do-it-at-home type, if you don't have a trusted spray tanner in your network of friends/coworkers.

St Tropez Tanner - It is OLIVE coloured. When you put it on, the guide colour is literally green. So there is no fake-tanner orange here.

Tarte's Brazilliance tanner - Available online at sephora.com. This one has a funky guide colour that made me really pinky, but when you wash it off you're left with a nice brown. This tanner also doesn't stink like every other self tanner. It smells like cherries.

Bare Minerals/ Bare Escentuals Tanner. (I forget the name) - My absolute fav for colour on my white white skin. Nice and golden.

Please bare in mind that a self tanner is not a stain. DHA is the chemical compound that makes you tan. DHA is a colorless chemical (it is derived from glycerin) that interacts with the amino acids in dead skin cells to produce a brown color change.

This means it actually changes the colour of your skin.

As long as you rinse the guide colour off after 12-24 hours (Longer for deeper tan results) and have a good shower there is no way your tan is going to come off on your dress. Whoever posted the horror story above - I am sure that bride didn't read the instructions - because you do need to wash it off after.

A gentle exfoliation with a loofah or similar cloth will be fine, then moisturize the heck out of your skin and it will look beautifully tan.

My other advice: Do not do your face if you haven't used a self-tanner before. DHA makes a lot of people break out. I would get your makeup artist to colour correct to match your body, or use a ton of bronzer.

I know you have what it takes, to make your special day perfect.

Please be kind to your skin, it is just as important as all the other organs in your body.

I would at least try a spray tan first. See how it feels, test it in a white outfit, etc. I totally get where you're coming from- tanning is so bad for your skin, but it feels so good to have a little tan I don't feel like spray tan is as good as tanning beds (as far as it feels and looks, not health wise), but it is a decent substitute...I may look into veraspa to see if I prefer that type. And spray tan makes me nervous for the white dress- I have spray tanned, showered once or twice and still made a tan mess on a hotels white sheets.

Spray tans can be great if you go to the right place. Make sure to go to a salon that specializes in spray tans, I suggest a place that only does spray tans. I would look for the organic formula that the person sprays on you by hand, not the machine. Go a day or two before the wedding so there will be no rubbing on your dress. Make sure to do a trial run as well. I had a spray tan like this done two days before my engagement photos and it turned out great.

I've never had a spray tan in my live and I'm pretty scared of it, but I guess I will go with one too. It's pretty much sunny here everyday and even with sunscreen there is no way I can avoid tan lines.

Did most girls do a spray tan to get rid of them or is there any other way?

So, I'm going to go ahead and say you should definitely do the tanning bed. However, I would DEFINITELY discontinue use of that topical product you are using if you decide to go for the tanning beds as it will probably put you at a much higher risk of burning.

As a person who has suffered from acne forever, sunlight/tanning beds are the only thing that really clears it up (all while giving me that natural glow!). I also notice I get a much more natural and healthy look from actual tanning beds as opposed to spray tans.

I have had many different types of spray tans, including the all-natural products applied by those... certified spray tan people(?) and have had varying results but one thing was always the same -- it was very easy to wash off, rub off, or become uneven.

I have spray tanned 4 or 5 times now and I have had really good results-

1. I go to a place where they personally spray you.

2. That morning I shower, exfoliate and shave. You cannot shower for 8 hours after you get your tan. Wear loose clothing. I take my bra off-

3. I schedule it for right after work so that way I can just go home right after.

4. When you're "prepping" before they spray you, make sure you put the lotion all over your hands inbetween your fingers and on your feet, top of your feet and in between your toes. This is where it can look bad if you don't do this.

5. If its raining when you walk out of the salon...make sure you can cover yourself because rain will make you spotty...

6. I will say that it did get on my wedding dress around the armpits but it did not turn my dress orange.....which is why you get it 3-4 days in advance so you have time to shower off the excess.

here's me with a spray tan at my wedding and me without one.

Also, it comes out extremely easily.

I would 100% recommend the spray tan as I don't believe the risk of skin cancer is worth it with the tanning beds. I've done spray tans several times and have never had an issue with them looking orange, blotchy, or rubbing off onto clothing. Just make sure you go to a place where you're being personally airbrushed by a person and follow all of their recommendations. Use the correct soaps and moisturize after. I've had amazing results. I think if you've seen people whose tans are running off when they sweat it's because they didn't wash off the topical spray well enough before their event. Where I go for spray tans the recommend at least 2 showers between initial application and the day of your event to be sure that everything is washed off. After that the product actually reacts with the skin cells on your body to cause color change (it's no longer just a topical color but actually a part of your top layer of skin so it's not going to run off.)

As a avid tanner back in high school and someone who has gotten a few spray tans. I would go with a spray tan. I got one the day before one of my best friends weddings and it came out amazing, didn't run or anything. I received many compliments on my tan that day. Shower in between getting it and the big day but don't use any exfoliating soaps and body washes as you don't want to become streaky, just a gentle wash. I would definitely do the spray tan by a person not a machine. I don't trust those to do an even coat.