embracing paleness

[ejostling]

I am Polish and Finnish, and have very light skin/pale eyes. I am one of four kids. We had a pool in the backyard growing up and my Mom's philosophy was to let us burn a few times until we got our "base" tan. Sunscreen was rarely applied. I can remeber about July all of us being pretty tan, but it took a lot of painful burns to get there. In high school I was in Florida for spring break and got sunburned so badly I laid in bed for two days with uncontrolable shakes and shivers. My skin was so damaged it peeled off in sheets!

I married a redhead with freckles and we produced three of the palest, blondest little boys you've ever seen! My husbands upbringing was a lot like mine, was forced to burn. So now he is RELIGEOUS about sunscreen, and our boys wear it constantly. I'm really glad because my DH and I are "moled" up pretty bad, and our kids have milky, glowing skin. No moles yet. From his influence I am much more careful about wearing sunscreen myself. The only tan I get is from sunless tanners. They are a pain, but they don't hurt!

My grandfather died from skin cancer, btw, so it is a concern for me.

Sally

 

[Jacque1038]

I am pale and have come to like my skin as I get a little older. I have pale skin, reddish brown hair, freckles and green eyes. I used to get teased a lot when I was younger and hated my pale skin. I would be out at the community pool with my Spanish friends in middle school trying to tan but just damaging my skin. In high school I wised up a little and started wearing sunblock when I knew I was going to be out for a long period of time. Then in college I finally started putting sunblock on every day. It is funny because my X MIl used to make silly comments about my pale skin. She was in her 50s and still tanning. She did her whole life. Well she may have been tanner then me but there was not that much differance between her and her 80 something year old mother's skin! If you are not naturally tan it does not seem worth the risks of skin cancer and other things to try to tan. My freckles are all the color I need. haha

 

[sweaty1]

Pale and very freckled here. I really like my freckles and my white, almost transparent skin! However, the only drawback is that muscle definition shows more with darker skin tone. So gee, I bet if I was darker, I would be so cut!! Hee Hee....

Really though, darker skin does show your muscle more; but that is the only reason I covet it.

 

[jodijodi]

>My oldest DD is very pale, but I totally LOVE it, although I
>don't think she does. She is careful, however about sunning
>(although in the summer she's a lifeguard . As to what to
>respond? I am so unimaginative I would just say, "Oh, shut
>up"

My daughters are much darker than me; their skin is such a beautiful color that I am jealous. They tan very easily, even in very little sun and with SPF 30 sunscreen. (It's their Moroccan roots.) I used to tan some in HS and college, and I really do think I look better with a tan, especially my legs. But I gave it up years ago.

Before my DH and I were married, my future MIL used to comment on my "pasty white" skin, and what finally worked on her was my announcement that I would rather be pasty than wrinkled. (yes, like her, but I didn't say that part!) And she didn't bring it up again!

 

[kariev]

did anyone see oprah yesterday??? she had a women on that was an avid tanner and ended up with melanoma on her face. she now has a huge scare across her cheek. this really hit home to me. i don't want to have to deal with something like that. do any of you have any good recommendations for skin repair lotions or whiteners for sun damage even if i have to order it off line?

 

[jdawnc]

I seen Oprah too yesterday! We are planning a trip to Mexico in Feb and everyone who we are going with tans easy and I have to start in December in the salon if I want to see anything. Last time I went to Mexico people still teased me of my white skin, even though I had major tan lines, so what's the point.

I am planning on using a self tan instead and 30 spf. I think I would prefer blotchiness from self tan to repeated burns and a red face.

 

[tneah]

I am using the Obagi skincare line. It is really aggressive in getting rid of spots/wrinkles and improving skin tone. You will peel like crazy and look flushed most of the time, but its worth it to me. I have great skin, but noticed brown spots from the sun.
I got a series of IPL laser facials and am using this line for 6 weeks. Talk to a med/spa about the line, most of them carry it and start with the lowest strength retinol.

 

[pixiesis]

I saw that Oprah episode too. I just don't get the appeal of tanning. It's so bad for you and it just looks like damage to me. My dad had several skin cancers removed when I was a kid and I was brought up very aware of the harmful effects of tanning. But aside from that, I like my natural pale skin tone, and I think it makes me look younger-people often think I'm in my late teens/early twenties (just turned 30). Another thing that baffles me is even if you like how you look tan, aren't you also afraid of how quickly you'll age and how terrible and leathery your skin will eventually look? Add to this the cancer risk and I just don't see why anyone does it.

I have a friend who is a "tanorexic" and she worries me. She has so many freckles that I think eventually they will all just blend into one giant freckle. She's so pretty too, but at only 28 she looks much older.

Amy

 

[kariev]

this may sound stupid but just like someone who smokes, you think "skin cancer will never happen to me". thats what i kept thinking but i'm beginning to think otherwise. i see pictures of me when i was around 10 and i had beautiful skin. no freckles. i'm ashamed of the damage i have done. its not worth it anymore. i applaud all of you that have taken good care of you skin. i hope that some of the damage i have done will reverse itself. i notice an improvement in my skin about 2 weeks of not tanning so i guess thats a start. the longest i have gone with not tanning is 2 months. i have to say my skin looked so much better. the thing that got me tanning again was people telling me to tan and how white i was. i just got really self concious and started again. does anyone use any specific type of body lotion that will do good for all of my skin? i looked at the obalgi products but there was no body lotion.

 

[Rose11]

>I am pale and quite happy with it. I am the palest Puerto
>Rican you'll ever meet! Well, I'm half Puerto Rican -
>I got my mom's pale skin coloring, but my dad's dark hair and
>eyes - so I look positively vampire-like.
>
>In my younger years, I sunbathed and went to a tanning bed...
>but I'm paying the price now. I'm only 29, but already seeing
>fine lines on my face. Not cool. So I embrace my paleness
>now.
>
>And Beavs, you are lovely in all your paleness, and nothing
>remotely resembling sheet of paper! You are blessed with
>fantastic skin - I be jealous!!! So shush!!!

lmao! Emily if you ever meet me I'll change your mind. I'm 100% Puerto Rican with dark brown hair and eyes and very pale (I use Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer in Porcelain or Nude and I was Fairly Light in Bare Escentuals). People immediately assume I'm not from PR and every time I go to Old San Juan or other places where there are many tourists I get approached and tourists tell me: "Please tell me you speak English" or something like that. I stay away from the sun for many reasons and now that I'm 29 (are you my twin?) I'm glad that I did because my skin looks younger than most people my age. That's because a lot of people love to look tan in here even when they were not born that way and when they get older they start to see the signs of premature aging.

As far as embracing my paleness I do most of the time because I love to wear long pants, but when I go out and I want to show my legs and arms I use a self tanner (Bare Escentuals Faux Tan is my absolute favorite) and I do at least 3 applications for my legs to get a little bit of color. Muscles look better with a tan, but I don't want to risk getting skin cancer or other problems because of it so I stay pale most of the time and every once in awhile I use a self-tanner when I want to show my legs and arms. That's it. No biggie.

Sometimes people laugh when they see my pale legs and others that don't know me for a long time think I'm pale because I'm sick (I hate when people do that), but I've learned to ignore ignorants if you know what I mean. Everybody is born a certain way for a reason and I accept myself. I'm not going to run and get a suntan and regret it 10-15 years from now.