Any1 use sunbeds

Kid94

Hey just wondering does any1 out there in cork use sunbeds or sun showers and where's the best place to go. Want a base before I go away for the summer so I wount get completly burnt alive. Never used one before so any tips. And I'm fully aware of the health issues so no lectures

Milly33

Never used them, sorry wouldn't have a notion of where to go.. Could just try the norms like Sam Mcs...

Apt8

There's a place on MacCurtain street, Kiwi I think, big luminous green shop front, can't miss it. Have a look in there.

mirm

The Sun Bar in Douglas is very good. Its next to O'Sullivans Bar - they have stand up and lie down.

.red.

This isnt a lecture but a mythbuster. I couldnt care less about sun beds!
Getting a "base" means nothing. If you dont wear the proper factor for your skin you will burn in the sun. Same as getting a great tan on the first 9 days of the holidays doesnt mean you wont burn on the 10th day. Wear the proper SPF and you wont.

mirm

.red. wrote: »

This isnt a lecture but a mythbuster. I couldnt care less about sun beds!
Getting a "base" means nothing. If you dont wear the proper factor for your skin you will burn in the sun. Same as getting a great tan on the first 9 days of the holidays doesnt mean you wont burn on the 10th day. Wear the proper SPF and you wont.

Im sure the OP is well aware of what factor to use and the ins and outs of tanning :rolleyes:

.red.

mirm wrote: »

Im sure the OP is well aware of what factor to use and the ins and outs of tanning :rolleyes:

Im not sure they do. The reason they want sunbeds is so they dont "burn alive" on holidays. I was merely pointing out that getting sun beds before they go, wont do anything to stop them getting burnt.
I wasnt trying to be smart or cheeky!

mirm

.red. wrote: »

Im not sure they do. The reason they want sunbeds is so they dont "burn alive" on holidays. I was merely pointing out that getting sun beds before they go, wont do anything to stop them getting burnt.
I wasnt trying to be smart or cheeky!

You can burn alive on a sunbed too - its quite clear that you can still burn after using them and can burn while using them too

.red.

mirm wrote: »

You can burn alive on a sunbed too - its quite clear that you can still burn after using them and can burn while using them too

Yes, but im not sure the OP knows that!

Dannyboy83

.red. wrote: »

Im not sure they do. The reason they want sunbeds is so they dont "burn alive" on holidays. I was merely pointing out that getting sun beds before they go, wont do anything to stop them getting burnt.

I don't mean to be rude, but this information is not only incorrect, it's damaging. I'm going to leave the Vitamin D perspective aside and focus only on melanoma.

Tanning is the result of melanogenesis, caused by UV radiation exposure.
Melanin absorbs light and dissipates absorbed UV radiation.
Melanin protects skin cells from UVB radiation damage.

'Getting a base' = building up melanin stores = building up a shield

Melanin levels are the only difference between uncovered skin getting burnt or not getting burnt - at equal levels of intensity.

You can equate this to a runner or a weightlifter.
A weightlifter who regularly lifts 100kg overhead, or a runner who regularly runs 10km per day, will have a radically different 'stress response' to an untrained person attempting to do the same.

Tanning of the skin is a stress response to UV radiation, much like anaerobic or aerobic adaptation.
It is essentially 'training' for your skin.
A weightlifter gains muscle; a runner develops a larger heart, a tanner increases their melanin levels.

The current available evidence seems to demonstrate that sunbeds increase the risk of low level skin cancer, but are reducing the risk of fatal skin cancer.

Please bear in mind that Sun Screen is also now being called into question:

Scientists at Manchester University and London’s Institute of Cancer Research carried out the world’s first molecular study into the way malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is caused.
Their paper, published in the journal Nature, revealed that even highest grade SPF 50 suncream allows sufficient UV radiation through to damage the DNA in the skin’s pigment cells.

Of course, people should still use appropriate sun screen, or cover up, but for those who intend to sunbathe as Irish people tend to do on holidays, preparing your skin's defences before going into the sun may save your life.

mordeith

UVA absorbtion causes little to no increase in melanin levels and sunbeds generally output 97% of UVA so I wonder is the 3% UVB enough to help?

Dannyboy83

mordeith wrote: »

UVA absorption causes little to no increase in melanin levels and sunbeds generally output 97% of UVA so I wonder is the 3% UVB enough to help?

Excellent point.
UVB increases melanin, UVA redistributes melanin.
So they act synergistically.

But the crux is not the ratio, it is the ability to adapt to it.

3% may be too high a stimulus for one individual, meaning they reduce the intensity (through reducing the length of their exposure).
3% may be too low a stimulus for another individual, meaning the increase the intensity (through increasing the length of their exposure).

I believe many of the modern sunbeds also allow you to alter the actual intensity of the UV light.

But there are other factors:

Researchers previously thought that those with the red-haired gene such as model Lily Cole got sunburned because they did not produce enough melanin.
But they were surprised to discover that those with strawberry locks actually produce up to 500 per cent more melanin than those with a darker complexion.
But their melanin-releasing cells, called melanocytes, also produce another chemical that causes skin inflammation, so Celtic-types burn easily when exposed to strong sunlight.

& Genetically, individual tolerances are hugely varied, but particularly in Ireland.

http://www.independent.ie/style/beauty/irish-red-hair-a-result-of-our-lack-of-sunlight-29226550.html
"Scandinavia has perhaps less hours of sunshine but Ireland and Britain are much cloudier so the Vitamin D we get is much lower in comparison to somewhere like Scandinavia where they seem to have more sunshine.

"The fairer you are, the more vitamin D you can absorb. Red hair is associated with fair skin due to the lower melanin concentration and this has advantages as more vitamin D can be absorbed."

It is thought Ireland, Scotland and northern England have the highest concentration of Titian-haired people in the world because the Celtic colouring is genetically programmed to work better in our sun-starved countries.

In Ireland 10 per cent of people are redheads while in Scotland up to 13 per cent have red hair and in England six per cent have red hair.
This is considerably higher than in the rest of the world. Outside Europe, only .06 per cent of people are redheaded.

If we saw a big weightlifter in the gym benchpressing 200kg, we'd say - well, he's trained for years and progressively adapted to it.

If we saw a beginner walk in after him, and attempt to benchpress that same 200kg, we'd say, that will end in disaster... Yet Irish people routinely do the equivalent when it comes to sun exposure.

Dbu

As someone who is recovering from Chemo and radiotherapy, I cannot believe that someone would risk getting melanoma just to look good .

farmerjj

Glad she/he asked not to be lectured:p

Dbu

farmerjj wrote: »

Glad she/he asked not to be lectured:p

Didn't intend to lecture and not my intention, but I think all people that risk getting some form of skin cancer down the line from the use of sunbeds should pay a visit to an oncology ward and have a chat with an oncology nurse. Trust me they are lovely people. I know

Dannyboy83

Dbu wrote: »

Didn't intend to lecture and not my intention, but I think all people that risk getting some form of skin cancer down the line from the use of sunbeds should pay a visit to an oncology ward and have a chat with an oncology nurse. Trust me they are lovely people. I know

I agree with your broader point, people should mitigate their risk.

I disagree with the idea that they should be avoided at all costs, as there are other beneficial aspects to Solarium use, concerning Vitamin D, dermatological, and mental health & suicide - though I fully understand why you would be so risk averse and would wish to warn others - which I think is commendable.

The key to maximising safe usage - like anything - is to
i) educate and
ii) encourage responsible use

The actions of media have done a disservice to the public, not because they have resulted in a vilification of solariums, but because it has resulted in a massive understatement of the risk of actual sun exposure.

This has resulted in a dangerously distorted risk profile.

Recent studies have shown lower incidences of melanoma among non-users than regular solarium users, which indicates there is a much bigger factor in the equation to be resolved.
My belief is that this is sun exposure, as solarium use is regulated, while actual sun exposure tends not to be (especially among holiday goers).

==


How we respond to this issue will be as important for non-solarium users as it will be for regular solarium users: There is a growing concern that mobile phones, laptops, airplanes and modern technology are exerting carcinogenic effects.

People naturally have differing levels of risk aversion and the salacious claims by the media have resulted in a massive level of cynicism, especially concerning mobile phone usage for example.

In future, it may be more important to regulate the media (don't yell fire in a crowded theatre), than whatever technology people will interact with.

The key as in all things in life is moderation. Many pundits, especially in the UK, have propounded the view that the sun is toxic and advocated covering up or factor 30+. Its easy to tell UK kids on beaches; they're the ones covered from head to toe. As a result we see the return of rickets and skeletal deformities, a condition people thought we had seen the last of.
The sun is good for us, don't overdo it, get your skin used to it and don't get burned.

beer enigma

Lads if you want to discuss the pros and cons please take it to one of the Health threads as its nothing to do with the Cork thread.

OP asked for advice on where to go and no lectures, so far out of 16 replies only 2 have attempted to answer the OPs question

SusieBlue

Sun4You which is across the bridge from the opera house are reasonably priced and very clean.

They have stand up and lie down beds, I personally find lie down beds more effective and find I tan quicker on the lie down ones. They're more comfortable too.

Buy an excellerant cream, they're about €15 and will speed up the process. There are also tablets available in the likes of Holland and Barrett, they also speed things up.

Start with a very small amount of minutes, maybe 2-3mins and work your way up, adding a minute for every time you go until you get to 9mins. It's also better to go every day for a week or two before your holiday rather than once a week for a few months before hand. If you burn, take a break until it heals and then go down a minute and work your way back up.

Obviously be careful and take a few days break if you burn. Good luck!