Yes! Though I realize the naysayers will tell you tanning beds are harmful, I always tan before going to the Caribbean. I feel that a full blown sunburn can be more damaging then the tanning itself. I usually tan for about a month to make sure I have a good base tan and this usually helps prevent a bad sunburn. I must tell you that I'm also from Iowa and the winter certainly left all of us pale as well. I will be in St. John next week and have been tanning regularly for a good month now. Oh...and the fact that a tan makes you look 5 lbs thinner also might have something to do with it 🙂

~Rachel

What prevents a bad sunburn is the liberal application of sunblock. I've given up on the quest for a great tan ever since the doctor hacked that last basal cell carcinoma out of my cheek. The first one didn't stop me, nor did the ones that the doc cut out of my back and shoulders, but I've finally had enough. I've decided to pass on a great tan for the hope of remaining free of skin cancer.

Also a nice big sunhat, recommended by my wife's skin cancer doc, who likened tanning salons to smoking cigarettes. John

I always consider it a compliment when I'm asked "Did you just get here?" after having been on island a week and I'm still fair/not burned. There's no such thing as TOO much sunscreen!!!

Lori

Well I usually get a little base tan before going on vacation, simply because I can't stand to put on shorts with these white, cellulite-covered legs! Tan fat is prettier than white fat! 🙂 So far I've been lucky about not having any cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions, but I feel like I'm on borrowed time. I always cover my face tho.

A dermatologist stated that having a "base tan" from tanning beds only give you about a factor 4 spf, meaning that it doesn't really protect you from burning. You still need lots of sunscreen.

I have to add my 2 cents to this. I use to go to tanning salons before summer or when i went on vacation. The last time I went I actually smelled hair burning...i talked to my dermotologist about this and she said it wasn't hair, it was my skin. That was the last time I went.

I use to be the person that would lather myself up with some kind of oil and lay out until i was beet red. I'm very fair as it is but always said i had tough skin.

It's just not worth it. Don't go to tanning salons, wear sunblock (you'll still get burnt) and remember you're in the tropics.

Don't waste your money on tanning pre-trip.

It'll only take one day to develop some color. You can avoid the burning of pale winter skin by applying some sunscreen. Just use a 15SPF instead of a 30 and see how it goes.

You'd have to use sunscreen regardless. Even with a pre-trip tan, you'll have to slather on the sunscreen.

Well, I appreciate all the opinions on both sides of the fence. My personal preference is to tan prior to, however, it is not at all the right decision health-wise. If you start out the first couple of days with SPF 45, and then move to 30 for the rest of your stay - - you will still tan. My husband has NEVER tanned, and always ends up more tan than I by the end of the vacation. And he never burns. I just tan prior to for the same reasons that Mountaineer Girl states - - tan fat is more attractive than white fat!!

So my advice would be to not worry about it. But, yes, the sun is brutal (even when it's cloudy). Always wear SPF 30+. A burn will ruin your trip.

This is probably one of those touchy board subjects that come down to personal preference - like bringing frozen meat and Neat Sheets - lol. We do pre-tan for about a month, starting very slowly and working up to no more than 15 minutes at a session. We don't use the newer mega-fast beds, or the bed's face tanners, either. I just like to have a little pre-sun so I can worry a bit less about burning just walking around town. But this is all my justification - obviously, neither the beds nor the sun are good for you (just like so many other things we all enjoy in the islands - lol). When we get on-island we never go lower than using an spf 15 and most often use a 30 or a 45 when snorkeling where the burn really creeps up on you. I always wear a hat or visor and match up my face with a self tanner - those TanTowels are great. I can't say we get those mahogany tans but we don't burn either. No matter what you do you are going to get sun in the islands. My husband used to lobster himself in the first couple of days just because he didn't want to be interrupted to slather on the goop several times or get out of the sun - too few days on-island, too much to enjoy. Now, he pre-tans with me and doesn't broil. My real temptation with the beds used to be to try to keep up my tan after I return but now I use those TanTowels which are not only safer for me, but quicker. You'd think I was a rep for this product (maybe they will send me a free box) but it is really the neatest, easiest, most goof-proof self-tanner I have ever found.

Just speaking for myself, the decision between tanning or having skin cancer is in a different league than deciding whether or not to bring frozen meat.

You might consider a spray tan. Gives you some color and probably cheaper than multiple sessions with a tanning bed and....... a whole lot better for your skin health. Plus there are a lot of instant tan products available. Most derm docs seem to consider tanning beds worse than sun exposure.

I start going tanning for about a month before going to STJ…I probably go 6 or 8 times (for 5 to 15 minutes) before each vacation. I have fair skin/blond hair/blue eyes, and I have found that if I don’t go tanning in advance, I will burn once I’m there no matter what SPF I use. And then I’m in pain for a few days and it ruins my vacation. I know tanning isn’t good for me, and I used to be really against it, but then I fell in love with STJ…so I do it once a year so I can enjoy my vacation in STJ.

I have tanned before my trips, but after spending $ to get rid of ugly brown spots, I will not do that again. My dr. agreed with all of you...beds= bad news. I did the stand up beds & put 15 on my body & 30 on my face when I did the tanning. I am fair & it took 2 weeks to get a base. I did have a problem with "fake tans" though. Went in the water up to my knees when I first got to the beach and the tan came off below my knees. Pretty funny looking!!!

I should have said that I do slather on the SPF profusely once I'm there 🙂

I know what Connie means about the burnt skin smell. It does smell like burnt skin. I am also fair (although not ghostly pale) with blonde hair/blue eyes and I bathe in sunscreen. My Dermo put the fear of God in me about tanning beds and I also formed my own conclusion as I noticed my skin looked more aged when I was using it. Now I am noticing a slight uneveness in my face and it bugs. I know I must have damaged my skin and accelerated the aging process so now I use 30 spf and don't step out in the sun without my shades (crows feet are not pretty on a girl), and sometimes I make good with the misty tan before a trip. I still get tan using 30 by the end of the week and if sacrificing skinny tan keeps me looking young longer, I'm good with that.

It always amazes me when people are 'surprised' by the tanning bed experience with tough skin, strange smells and chance of cancer. The only thing missing is the bed rotating and the little 'ding' when time is up.

It's a microwave and you're the meat.

Your trip isn't till June, there should be some warm days in April/May & June were you could sit in you yard and practice drinking tropical drinks 🙂 , listen to some "Island" music 🙂 , and catch a few rays, with out spending a bunch of your "vacation drinking money".

Thank you all for your replies and your varied opinions! The more time I spend here, the more I love this site. Everyone is so passionate about their ideas and do not hold back. No matter what question I ask, whether to bring food with me or buy food there, stay on STT or STJ, rent a car or take taxis, and now tan or not, there is not one best way. No shortage of opinions here, and it is refreshing.

I will say with the tanning, that I did not ask if I should take up tanning as a hobby, or if I should tan for the next 20 years. I may be down playing the risk, but I doubt that 6 visits to a tanning bed, the only six in my life, will have a significant impact on my health. I say that with apologies, especially to those who have had serious skin problems. To compare it to smoking, though, seem a bit of a stretch, since smoking is harmful because it is habit forming, addictive, and long term. As an ex smoker, I certainly understand the health risks of smoking.

The equivalent to my tanning question would be if I was planning on smoking on five or six occasions over as many weeks. In and of itself, that would not be very harmful to my health. Only if I became addicted and smoked for a long time would it be harmful. I doubt 6 visits to a tanning booth, in and of itself, would be harmful to my health.

My question was more related to whether or not that would be worth it from the perspective to making me less susceptible to sunburn, not would there be a long term health impact.

I can see that some of you feel strongly about tanning, but I have not ruled it out if it can help, even a little bit, minimizing sunburn while there.

Thanks, Joe

I say yes. Go tan. I only go for 2 weeks before I go. I have found that I get "freckle" spots after I get sunburned. I am sure it is from sun damage. I have also found that when I go on vacation to someplace tropical I have a very good tendency to get burned, even with sunscreen. But if I go to the tanners I can limit my mins and skip days if I feel I have gotten just a pinch to much color. I only go for two weeks and I most certainly am not tan when I go. I do have a little color and when I use a good sunscreen I can pick a little more color when I get there. I really never burn after doing this (or pick up any more of those "freckle" spots). So, for me I think tanning a little before I go is best.

Either way use a good sunscreen. My husband and I have seen may people in our travels that have spent their first 3 to 4 days held up in their room with major sunburn and sun poisoning. It does not make for a fun trip. One lady in Jamaica said she was using 30 sunscreen every day. However, she must have bought it at a discount store because it did not work for her at all. When we saw her on the plane ride home she had scabs and giant blisters all over her... she was so bad. Don't let that be you.

Protect yourself and have fun!!!! I know I will.