do any of you hate your skin? i'm irish so i have lots of freckles. so growing up i strived to tan and basically tormented my skin not realizing how much damage i was causing. So now i'm 27 and seem to be stuck in this vicious tanning cycle. I really think i'm addicted to tanning. I don't tan indoors anymore and head outdoors for a tan. As i'm getting older i'm seeing so much sun damage and so many freckles. When i don't tan i get sooooo pale and feel poorly about myself b/c i get such wisecracks from my family about being white. Then i try sunless tanners and b/c i workout everyday they tend to get patchy and just are a pain so then i end up back in the sun only to start the cycle over again. Part of my just says "who cares, i've already damaged my skin" and the other part that knows better says "stop the damage now and save your skin". Bottom line is i wish i NERVER tanned. I look back at my pictures as a kid and had hardly any freckles and my skin was so even. Now it looks uneven and aged and the paler i get i feel the worse the flaws look. Sorry about this vent but i wish i could undo all the damage and not care about tanning. I just bought jergens natural glow which i have heard great things and i'm going to really try to stick with it this time.
i hate my skin
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
MAYNARDSMOM
Cathlete
I can relate. I've always thought if I could change one thing about my body it would be my skin.
I was born & raised in Florida growing up in the sun. Sunblock...what was that back then? Never used it. Countless hours at the pool & beach. Long story short I am now 38 yrs old & showing the effects of tanning. No tan is a safe tan - not even a booth!!! Don't let anyone tell you different.
My first trip to the derm was about 4 yrs ago & he immediately found the first suspicious spot & it was removed - basal cell skin cancer (on my back). 6 months later the 2nd spot was remove don my forehead. Thankfully nothing more since.
Do your skin a favor now & stop the tanning & wear sunblock EVERY day!! It's not to late to stop the damage.
I was born & raised in Florida growing up in the sun. Sunblock...what was that back then? Never used it. Countless hours at the pool & beach. Long story short I am now 38 yrs old & showing the effects of tanning. No tan is a safe tan - not even a booth!!! Don't let anyone tell you different.
My first trip to the derm was about 4 yrs ago & he immediately found the first suspicious spot & it was removed - basal cell skin cancer (on my back). 6 months later the 2nd spot was remove don my forehead. Thankfully nothing more since.
Do your skin a favor now & stop the tanning & wear sunblock EVERY day!! It's not to late to stop the damage.
workoutaholic
Cathlete
I hate my skin, too, but because of acne. I have been using Proactive religiously for 6 weeks and my skin looks worse! Bumps everywhere. I really thought when I was younger that it would be gone by now. But here I am, 31, and it's worse than ever. I am getting so desperate that I am even considering birth control pills and I don't want to take synthetic hormones at all! I took them when I was younger and my skin was better.
I try to use foundation to cover it, and that has been making it worse, but then I'm embarrassed without it, so that's my vicious cycle. : ) And I get acne on my chest, shoulders, and upper back, and I can't stand putting medicine all over that area every day and night...it's super annoying.
But please don't feel poorly about yourself because of your skin (I could use my own advice here). There is so much more to you and I am sure you are a beautiful person!
I try to use foundation to cover it, and that has been making it worse, but then I'm embarrassed without it, so that's my vicious cycle. : ) And I get acne on my chest, shoulders, and upper back, and I can't stand putting medicine all over that area every day and night...it's super annoying.
But please don't feel poorly about yourself because of your skin (I could use my own advice here). There is so much more to you and I am sure you are a beautiful person!
syzygy314
Cathlete
Don't hate your skin!
First, stop the tanning, wear sunscreen, and give yourself (and your skin) a break. You are young enough that your skin is still resilient and can still heal itself. You may not be able to reverse all the damage, but you can get some improvement and believe me, skin cancer is nothing you want to mess around with!
Next, learn to love who you are, including your skin! I used to have great skin when I was younger and now, I have rosacea, so I'm always reddened in spots and it gets worse in the heat, in the cold, when I eat spicy foods, etc., etc. No one know what really causes it, but I think it's all the sun damage I did as a teenager.
Your skin is part of who you are, part of your character, your personality and your body! Embrace it! And don't worry about what other people say! My family is of Mexican heritage, so everyone but me is dark-skinned naturally. I was pasty white as a kid! Still am compared to them!
I love all of me, even the flaws, because I've learned that no matter who I wish I looked like, I'm sure they have their issues and problems too and even, maybe worse than mine!
JeanneMarie
Cathlete
You are so young! Please stop the excessive tanning NOW! I wish I had listened back then. Of course, like someone mentioned above, there was no such thing as sun block when we were kids, and tanning wasn't known to be so damaging. I can remember swimming and playing on the beach my entire childhood and getting brown as a berry. Then, once I was in my teens and 20s, I decided a tan looked good, so thats what I strove for every year.
I have to ask... what is wrong with white skin? I am not directing this only at you, but at myself too. My son is very, very pale. He has lovely skin that does not tan. I look at him and think.... so why did I decide at some point that white skin didn't look good? It does.
One good thing I did do was stop tanning my face at about the age of 25. I do wish I had even done that sooner, but at least there's not so much damage on my face as there is on the rest of my body.
If there is ONE thing I could change about decisions I made 30 years ago, it would be not to tan.
I have to ask... what is wrong with white skin? I am not directing this only at you, but at myself too. My son is very, very pale. He has lovely skin that does not tan. I look at him and think.... so why did I decide at some point that white skin didn't look good? It does.
One good thing I did do was stop tanning my face at about the age of 25. I do wish I had even done that sooner, but at least there's not so much damage on my face as there is on the rest of my body.
If there is ONE thing I could change about decisions I made 30 years ago, it would be not to tan.
my skin is white as paper when i don't tan, i'm LOADED with freckles b/c of tanning, my skin is blotchy, im now experiencing wrinkles on my forearms when i flex my elbow due to the loss of collagen from tanning. i'm obsessing over the flaws but realize i have no one else to blame but myself.
Are you able to go to a dermatologist? There may be something he/she can recommend to help with the patchiness. Having problems with your skin is really difficult - it's not like you can hide it. But having skin cancer is worse. And even if you manage to escape that, as you get older all this sun exposure is going to make your skin leathery. You absolutely can't escape that. I know it's hard to sacrifice short-term for the long-term, but you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders.
MAYNARDSMOM
Cathlete
Well said by all - advice I should listen to as well - WE ARE NOT DEFINED BY OUR SKIN!! We are so much more - thanks for reminding me 
I'm in your boat too. I'm very pale, and I do absolutely nothing in the sun. No tan, no burn - nothing. So my only option for tanning for years has been the tanning beds. (DHA from sunless tanners smells particularly terrible on me - actually causes my husband not to share a bed with me! So sunless tanners are not an option!)
Every summer I would hop into a tanning bed from about May-September. I'm 32 now, and I can see the effects of what it's done to my skin. I'll never set foot in a tanning bed again. I'm fortunate in that I didn't tan year round, like a lot of my friends. Many of them are the same age, and look MUCH older than they are.
So as much as I hate to say it, it may take you actually SEEING the wrinkles that you're giving yourself to make you stop. That's what it took for me. Luckily, I have a big magnifying mirror in my house, so I saw them early!
Every summer I would hop into a tanning bed from about May-September. I'm 32 now, and I can see the effects of what it's done to my skin. I'll never set foot in a tanning bed again. I'm fortunate in that I didn't tan year round, like a lot of my friends. Many of them are the same age, and look MUCH older than they are.
So as much as I hate to say it, it may take you actually SEEING the wrinkles that you're giving yourself to make you stop. That's what it took for me. Luckily, I have a big magnifying mirror in my house, so I saw them early!
Oh boy, I could've written this myself! I had beautiful acne free skin until I got pregnant with my son last year. It's been downhill since then! I went back on the pill after I had him and it's helped immensely, but it's still not like it used to be. Lots of little bumps that I can feel, but are fortunately not terribly visible. And the scarring! Oh the scarring! I've learned to deal with it, but it's frustrating to know what you used to look like, and you can't get there now, no matter how hard you try!
LauraMax
Cathlete
Yep, I'm 41 & after 25 years of tanning beds my skin looks 51. I'm getting laser treatments on my face which has made a tremendous difference, but it's expensive & painful. And there's nothing I can do about my raisin-looking rear end.
Not to mention I had a carcinoma in Dec I had to have removed on my leg, which left a nasty scar. That's what got me to stop tanning. And I suggest you do the same so you don't end up in the same boat.
Honestly, I've gotten a lot of compliments on how I look since I stopped. My skin does seem to appear healthier & has more of a glow.
Re. self tanners, try exfoliating & moisturizing about an hour before you use it. That should help the patchiness.
Not to mention I had a carcinoma in Dec I had to have removed on my leg, which left a nasty scar. That's what got me to stop tanning. And I suggest you do the same so you don't end up in the same boat.
Honestly, I've gotten a lot of compliments on how I look since I stopped. My skin does seem to appear healthier & has more of a glow.
Re. self tanners, try exfoliating & moisturizing about an hour before you use it. That should help the patchiness.
bitmover
Cathlete
Melanoma patient weighing in here, telling you all to get your skinned checked. I believe May is skin cancer awareness month and there are places that have free checks (usually on a Saturday) sometime in the month of May. I have that same, pale, freckly skin and thank goodness my regular dr. was on top of it and checked me and sent me to a dermatologist. Thank goodness I just didn't blow off the appointment! I'm 5+ years from diagnosis, so I'm fine, but had I ignored it, I might be dying or dead right now, and I have young kids!! It's so easy to take care of if it's caught early -- please have your skin checked!
off the soapbox....
-Beth
off the soapbox....
-Beth
Embrace the pale!! Remember, there was a time in history when people put (toxic) powder on their skin to make themselves more white. Pretend we're there (but without the powder). I'm very pale myself, I'm going in a couple of weeks to have Moh's surgery to remove some skin cancer from my face (thankfully, basal cell) and I have taken to avoiding the sun at all costs. I never tanned, only ever burned, so I have that added incentive. But the older I get, the more I enjoy avoiding the sun and being pale. Remember a tan is damage by definition. I'm going to be 43 this year and I look a solid 10 years younger than that. No lines. I'd like to keep it that way. I work with "tanners" and they all look so much older than they are because of it. One woman I used to work with tanned so much the skin on her chest was already getting all crepey at 40 years old. She looked like her bloody LV handbag - quite literally. I don't really understand the obsession with darkening our skin in the first place. Embrace what you've got. Pale is the new tan!!
I also tan whenever I have a function or party to go too and also have irish skin. I heard good things about jergens too. I also recently tried a spray tan and not the booth ones the one where the lady has to spray it on you since I am going to bermuda soon. I sweat a lot from working out etc. It's actually not bad. I have gotten a lot of compliments so maybe you can give that a try? it wasnt super expensive $25 and lasts about a week. Hopefully you can find a safe product you like.
littlefiretop
Cathlete
Pale white and freckles is beautiful!!! Dont let the mythical, always changing, beauty standard decide who you are and what you should feel about yourself! That goes for anything about your body, easier said than done of course, but true all the same.
I am one of those with the pale white and the freckles, yes growing up, and still occasionally people make the stupid "you need some color" remark, but that is their issue, not mine. It did bother me some growing up, but I always remember a comment once from a child who was at a pool I was swimming at, she said, "you look like an angel when swimming underwater because of how white you are", the point being, beauty is seen in all different scenarios. Besides, I dont want skin cancer if I can at all help it and because of protecting my skin I look at least 10 years younger than I actually am.
Its not too late to take care of your skin, keep further damage from occurring and use some products to help reverse or minimize the damage already done.
okay going to take my pale, freckly self off my soap box now.
I am one of those with the pale white and the freckles, yes growing up, and still occasionally people make the stupid "you need some color" remark, but that is their issue, not mine. It did bother me some growing up, but I always remember a comment once from a child who was at a pool I was swimming at, she said, "you look like an angel when swimming underwater because of how white you are", the point being, beauty is seen in all different scenarios. Besides, I dont want skin cancer if I can at all help it and because of protecting my skin I look at least 10 years younger than I actually am.
Its not too late to take care of your skin, keep further damage from occurring and use some products to help reverse or minimize the damage already done.
okay going to take my pale, freckly self off my soap box now.
thanks ladies. its so nice to hear all of your stories and support. i think that my father-in-law is the one who makes the most comments towards not only me but others with pale skin. he's 100% italian and is really a tanorexic. my husband always asks me if i'm wearing sunblock but he's never seen me full blown pale but i know he doesn't just love me b/c of the color of my skin. i've been on www. sunless.com and have read about how airbrush sloutions are so much better! so i ordered famous daves airbrush solution (since i love his lotion) and i got a spray bottle and a blue carpad to apply. This is one of the best ways to apply the solution in the comfort of your own home. I won't be trying it till next week as i'm leaving for costa rica on saturday for a week. I've stocked up on a high spf sunblock, wide brimmed hat and a beach umbrella for when i'm watching my hubby surf. I keep going through these phases of antitan. If i would have stuck with it, i would have been UV free for 2 years already but i fell back into the pattern of tanning about a month after quitting. Mabe i will start a journal and track my antitan trial. This way i can get support from you all. I'm on track with diet and exercise, this is my last unhealthy vice that i need to quit. I'm going to keep it to myself about not tanning since when i inform those around me about it it seems to be the topic of conversation which sucks. I want to look good when i'm older. My mom looks about 10 yrs older from tanning and she still tans. Plus she keeps having cancer (basal cell) removed from her body.
so i was just going through some old pictures and i realized a few things.
1) when i'm at my palest, i don't look that bad even in a bikini
2) my sunless tan in the past looked WAY better than i thought. I was super brown and it was all fake (thanks to famous daves)
3) even with outdoor tanning, i'm not really even that tan in these pics. Basically i'm ruining my skin into the false hope that i will magically turn brown
4) my sun damage looks really bad in pictures
so this gave me even more incentive to sunless or embrace my paleness.
1) when i'm at my palest, i don't look that bad even in a bikini
2) my sunless tan in the past looked WAY better than i thought. I was super brown and it was all fake (thanks to famous daves)
3) even with outdoor tanning, i'm not really even that tan in these pics. Basically i'm ruining my skin into the false hope that i will magically turn brown
4) my sun damage looks really bad in pictures
so this gave me even more incentive to sunless or embrace my paleness.
LaughingWater
Cathlete
Though I like to use self-tanner during the summer for my legs, I'm super pale the rest of the year and really enjoy it. I love the look of dark hair against slightly pinked up cheeks.
Hi,
I couldn't resist weighing in on this. I'm a honey blonde with very pale Scandinavian skin. I glow in the dark, I often joke. I'm 43 turning 44 in a couple of weeks. I first realized I was never meant to be tan when I got a second degree burn with blisters on my legs from just setting in the shade on a sunny day by the water. My doctor then told me that being very fair and being of Scandinavian or Northern European decent put me in a very high risk category for skin cancer. I was horrified. He told me to avoid direct sunlight and use a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 + at all time. Also suggested I think about wearing a hat or something with a big brim to protect my skin from the sun. Even as a child I never liked the feeling of being cooked laying out in the sun, I always burned and never tanned. So, when I had that nasty second degree burn on my legs in my twenties I decided if God wanted me tanned he'd have made me that way. Besides, I do know people who are major sun worshippers that are about 10-15 years or so older than me and they look like weathered crepey leather, but tanned leather. It does age a person not to mention the skin cancer issue which is a much bigger issue. I even have heard dermatoligists and cosmetic surgeons on talk shows say the absolute best thing you can do to make your skin look younger and prevent skin care and aging is to stay out of the sun and use sunscreen. They said there is nothing you can buy in a jar, tube, or bottle to change that sunscreen of SPF of 30+ is a necessity not just for vanity but for your health. So, I have wisely years ago embraced my fair skin. I even have people think I'm in my late twenties to early thirties So I gratefully embrace that. Now, I have MS and have to avoid extreme heat too!
Now for the oily skin issue, I'm so there. I have oily skin and acne. I too have tried proactive, it helped a little but then it was just too expensive to keep up with. I have now stumbled on to a skin care regimine that does work for my oily and acne skin.
Here's what I use:
I use don't laugh, crisco, for makeup remover- works awesome.
I use a gentle cleanser- Generic Cetaphil- very good to cleanser, love it. This does not strip skin of oils and kicking the oil glands into overtime production.
I make my own skin toner- Be sure to always dilute apple cider vinegar by half. I specifically fill a 16oz empty clean bottle with 8oz apple cider vinegar and then use 3 to 5 Green tea bags to steep in hot water in a normal size coffee mug. When its cooled I add that to the bottle of apple cider vinegar. You now have a super charged anti oxident green tea toner with natural disinfectant- which is great for acne. Acne is bacterial mini infection of the pore, so this works awesome for me. I use a SPF of 30+ that I pour a little on a finger and combine Lubriderm moisturizer mix them together then apply liberally all over face and neck. Then I use Fruit of the Earth (brand name) 100% clear Aloe Vera Gel as a makeup primer. Aloe is great for the skin and this also has vitamin E in it also great for skin. This takes only a 1min or less to dry and leaves a matte finish to apply make up over.
Facial Mask= I use 100% Clay only cat litter that I grind to a powder. This type of kitty litter is the usually the least expensive and only has the 100% clay, not scented, not the kind that changes color or any of that. I mix about 1 tsp or so of the ground clay with a tiny bit of warm water just enough to make a paste with then spread on my face. Just wait to dry which is pretty fast. Then rinse. I ususally follow that up with a good exfolliation scrub I make. I use Raw Sugar/regular sugar filling a small butter tub half full and equal parts powdered milk then put lid on and shake it up. Then I just use about 1tsp or so in my palm and liberally apply working into my premoistened face. This exfolliates great and leaves my skin feeling smooth as a babies bottom. This also helps remove dead skin cells and kind of make a natural lower dose version of a glycolic acid also great for oily skin with acne. It gives your face a nice glow. I do the mask and exfoliator I make probably 3 times a week, but that's what work's for me. You may want to do it less often or tailor to your needs.
As for make up I like mineral makeup I use Everyday Minerals. Its very light and looks more natural and best part, my skin doesn't have breakouts as often, so I love that part! Ok, that's just my little bit. I'll get off my soap box, just wanted to share the info, maybe someonelse can use it too.
Hugs! from Nora the fair
I couldn't resist weighing in on this. I'm a honey blonde with very pale Scandinavian skin. I glow in the dark, I often joke. I'm 43 turning 44 in a couple of weeks. I first realized I was never meant to be tan when I got a second degree burn with blisters on my legs from just setting in the shade on a sunny day by the water. My doctor then told me that being very fair and being of Scandinavian or Northern European decent put me in a very high risk category for skin cancer. I was horrified. He told me to avoid direct sunlight and use a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 + at all time. Also suggested I think about wearing a hat or something with a big brim to protect my skin from the sun. Even as a child I never liked the feeling of being cooked laying out in the sun, I always burned and never tanned. So, when I had that nasty second degree burn on my legs in my twenties I decided if God wanted me tanned he'd have made me that way. Besides, I do know people who are major sun worshippers that are about 10-15 years or so older than me and they look like weathered crepey leather, but tanned leather. It does age a person not to mention the skin cancer issue which is a much bigger issue. I even have heard dermatoligists and cosmetic surgeons on talk shows say the absolute best thing you can do to make your skin look younger and prevent skin care and aging is to stay out of the sun and use sunscreen. They said there is nothing you can buy in a jar, tube, or bottle to change that sunscreen of SPF of 30+ is a necessity not just for vanity but for your health. So, I have wisely years ago embraced my fair skin. I even have people think I'm in my late twenties to early thirties
So I gratefully embrace that. Now, I have MS and have to avoid extreme heat too! Now for the oily skin issue, I'm so there. I have oily skin and acne. I too have tried proactive, it helped a little but then it was just too expensive to keep up with. I have now stumbled on to a skin care regimine that does work for my oily and acne skin.
Here's what I use:
I use don't laugh, crisco, for makeup remover- works awesome.
I use a gentle cleanser- Generic Cetaphil- very good to cleanser, love it. This does not strip skin of oils and kicking the oil glands into overtime production.
I make my own skin toner- Be sure to always dilute apple cider vinegar by half. I specifically fill a 16oz empty clean bottle with 8oz apple cider vinegar and then use 3 to 5 Green tea bags to steep in hot water in a normal size coffee mug. When its cooled I add that to the bottle of apple cider vinegar. You now have a super charged anti oxident green tea toner with natural disinfectant- which is great for acne. Acne is bacterial mini infection of the pore, so this works awesome for me. I use a SPF of 30+ that I pour a little on a finger and combine Lubriderm moisturizer mix them together then apply liberally all over face and neck. Then I use Fruit of the Earth (brand name) 100% clear Aloe Vera Gel as a makeup primer. Aloe is great for the skin and this also has vitamin E in it also great for skin. This takes only a 1min or less to dry and leaves a matte finish to apply make up over.
Facial Mask= I use 100% Clay only cat litter that I grind to a powder. This type of kitty litter is the usually the least expensive and only has the 100% clay, not scented, not the kind that changes color or any of that. I mix about 1 tsp or so of the ground clay with a tiny bit of warm water just enough to make a paste with then spread on my face. Just wait to dry which is pretty fast. Then rinse. I ususally follow that up with a good exfolliation scrub I make. I use Raw Sugar/regular sugar filling a small butter tub half full and equal parts powdered milk then put lid on and shake it up. Then I just use about 1tsp or so in my palm and liberally apply working into my premoistened face. This exfolliates great and leaves my skin feeling smooth as a babies bottom. This also helps remove dead skin cells and kind of make a natural lower dose version of a glycolic acid also great for oily skin with acne. It gives your face a nice glow. I do the mask and exfoliator I make probably 3 times a week, but that's what work's for me. You may want to do it less often or tailor to your needs.
As for make up I like mineral makeup I use Everyday Minerals. Its very light and looks more natural and best part, my skin doesn't have breakouts as often, so I love that part! Ok, that's just my little bit. I'll get off my soap box, just wanted to share the info, maybe someonelse can use it too.
Hugs! from Nora the fair