Solarium/Tanning beds and scars

Hey Ladies!

Just wondering if anyone has heard this... and it is in contrast to everything I have heard before...

I saw my ps 2 weeks ago so I guess I would have been about 31/2 months post op, and he asked me if I use tanning beds and I said yes occasionally through winter to just keep a bit of my summer tan (we have short winter here in Australia so its easy done) anyway, he said he is in no way incouraging the use of a tanning bed but all his patients that are regular tanning bed users seem to have really good results with there scars! He said there must be something about the UV light in the beds that just makes the scars fade really well?!?!? I know it sounds crazy, because I was under the impression that it would do the opposite.

So I have once now gone in the tanning bed and exposed my boobies for a little while and I will probably do it again every few weeks and see what happens...

My scars are looking really good the last few weeks and seem to be fading faster now than before, as there was alot of pink shadow along the edges of the scarring and that has really decreased recently.

not sure about tanning beds persay, but i have heard of tanning making the appearance of scars fade. so i guess we should all book trips to an exotic destination a few months post op to help aid our scars, lol :o)

Oooh i might give it a go im 7 month post op anyways so might aswell, i think its probably because tanned skin would disguise a light pink better than pale skin, good to know that it doesnt turn scars brown! Xxxx

I find sunbeds help me heal better and quicker if iv cut myself or had a spot etc.

This is grreat news for me as managed to stay off them for the minimum 6 weeks then covered my scars for few month and now dont bother eek and my scars look great :)

x

I am nearly 5 weeks post op and have started going back on the sunbeds but always wearing my sports bra. I just pull the straps down and pull it down slightly at the top. I was under the impression that exposure to sunlight/UV could make scars worse!!! Maybe I will leave it for at least a few months before I would think about exposing them xx

That is good to hear as my daughter is getting married in May and I would like a bit of a tan to give me some colour - i did think we could go abroad in Easter hols but after we got stuck in Fuertenventura last Easter due to ash cloud, my daughter has banned us from leaving the country before wedding. I was considering a spray tan but worried that if I went orange I would clash with my red dress!

Hi Sarahdawn 31,
Just wondering if you could give me an update as to how you're going with the sunbeds and scars? I'm due for my op in two weeks (eek! ) and wanted to get to the solarium asap after... any advice? I just want to make sure it's definitely safe as I have also been reading alot of the opposite being said but was stoked when I saw your post and that you're having good results!

very interesting!!! i think i would wait after 6weeks or more before i expose with my scars, as i am only 6days po, but for the meanwhile, i will wear little strips of plasters over each scar! ooh, sounds promising!! :) xxx

Thanks jen86! So I guess there's no prob in actually going to the solarium, and just keeping the scars covered for awhile..? Yaaay! Thank god, was so worried I'd have to avoid them altogether - that was going to be a major letdown for me! When exactly will you start heading to the sunbeds? I'm hoping four or five weeks downtime will be enough, then keep them covered for a month or so and then slowly introduce... Yeah! xox!

lol, i think bout tht too, im hoping cookie will giv us her input, but ive got a feeling we wont like what she has to say! lol voice of reason! he he xxx

I'm not sure on this one as I have always had in drummed into me that sunbeds make scars turn red and fade alot slower. Personally I would listern to your own surgeons as they all have different opinions on this kind if thing. I can't see many thinking its a good idea though seen as sunbeds aren't good for you anyway never mind the fact it could effect your scars. Sorry if that sounds harsh and I'm in no way anti-sunbed as I use them myself but I just don't think its worth risking your scars for. x

Hey girls!

So I work in a tanning salon and we do not recommend people go on with new scars!

Its the same as being pregnant- the rays are going to harm the baby in anyway but as ur skin is so stretched the risk of skin cancer and burning increases massiveley! My sister went on sunbeds and in the sun 6 months are an op and her scar burnt and it now has strange brown marks on it....

Ok now the human sun addict side of me - so I'm 5 weeks Post Op! I have had a sunbed in. Weeks and I'm going mad! I've sat in the sun (in my sports bra) for a few days recently. So tops of my boobies are kinda used to the skin! But I'm gonna wait until 6 weeks (what I was told) and I'm still going to wear my bra and buy some pads to put inside my bra to ensure my scars are not getting any rays at all... Xxxxx

I dont think you will like what I have to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. I am shocked that a surgeon has actually recommended this from just seeing a few patients who's scars look good with a bit of a tan. But what about months or years down the line. He has done no research. He has not looked at the after effects.
Tanning is the skins way of protecting itself from UV rays whether those rays are produced by the sun or by light bulbs. ultraviolet light thins the skin making it less able to heal itself and the deeply penetrating UVA rays leave skin vulnerable longer. Skin tans because it has been damaged and damaged skin that is more likely to wrinkle and sag than skin that has been protected. Skin that has suffered UV damage in youth often appears dry, wrinkled, and leathery in middle age. 7.Tanning booths do not dry up acne or help scars to heal and fade, in fact tanning booths can make both conditions worse over time. The drying effects of UV rays can cause your skin to overproduce oil (sebum) and this can actually make you break out more as there is now more oils on the skin waiting to clog your pores. As for scars, exposure to UV light can make new wounds scar with a darker color and can make old scars stand out even more
8.While cellulite on tanned skin does appear less noticeable the UV rays involved in tanning can actually make the problem worse with time. By breaking down the skin and making it thinner and less resilient tanning can make cellulite on untanned skin look worse - a vicious circle!
All taken from Here

I can't believe that a surgeon would actually recommend a sunbed - I'm shocked!

One persons DNA is completely different to that of another and because 'he claims' he may have had a few ladies who might well not have suffered any side effects from using sunbeds, all the clinical evidence says it will!

Who is he to say that your say that exposing YOUR skin to UVB exposure isn't going to damage your scar? He has no access to study your DNA to make that decision for you.

Sorry sweetness, but I wouldn't be a guinea pig for no-one! All evidence points towards pigmentation to premature scarring exposed to UVA and UVB exposure, I'd follow the 'evidence' given, unless your surgeon can provide clinical evidence to suggest otherwise hunni and I seriously doubt he could. xxx

OMG am actually scared now :(
I was careful about covering my scars in the first few months but i must confess i havent been since :pale: mine look fine currently - am i one of the lucky ones? or will they go dark later in time?

I really dont know hun, if they look fine now hopefully they should not change. Just make sure you cover them from now on until you are a year post op. You are probably lucky and wont have any changes.

Yes its true ladies, my ps did mention that his patients who use the tanning beds have good results with there scars, he did make a point of saying that he is not trying to promote tanning beds just simply that he has seen good fading with them... AND PLEASE NOTE he did not suggest this early on as I was at least 4 months post op.

Anyway, I did hop in the tanning beds a few times, as I was a regular tanning bed user anyway and I did not see any change in my scars...

BUT not this is my big BUT....
I am now a reformed tanner... I recenly had a cancer scar with my thyroid and had to go through the scans, biopsy and the horrible waiting, it turned out that I dont have cancer but a thyroid condition called Graves...
So anyway, that was enough for me, I am not in anyway taking any sort of risks that could potentionally increase my chance of getting cancer! I am now a spray tan addict, I get sprayed every Tuesday and I am brown and happy! x

I should also note that the spray tan helps make my scars less noticable.

OMG, you girls were getting soooo excited with the prospect of returning to sunbed sessions.....my PS advised NO exposure to the sun for at least a year!!! I have been on sunbeds a couple of times but ALWAYS covered my scars. Don't do it girls, be very careful please!!

Sarahdawn I also had a thyroid scare which turned out to be Graves too, and it was a scare, believe me. Thyroid levels have corrected themselves now but still have symptoms of graves. I'm a singer and work in the clubs and so have always needed a bit of a ;glow' on stage but fake tan and bronzer does me just fine now. My hubby and I have a place in Turkey and spend quite a lot of time there (this year will be the first one with my new assets) but I will be ever so cautious in the sun now..... x

Ok, not what I wanted to hear, but definitely a voice of reason I suppose! I'm actually usually a spray tan addict too but was looking for something more permanent to avoid the hassles of maintenance and patchiness, etc, when the spary tan is fading each week. See, I'm coming over to Europe for your summer and want to be stocked up in the tan department before I go! I actually tried Melanotan II (an injectable simulated hormone that increases the production of melanin) for a little while but that ran riot with my skin, causing breakouts, and apparantly has a very bad effect on scars too so I stopped immediately, although friends have had great results. I know it all may seem crazy but I just feel so much better about myself when I'm tanned! I also have regular MoleScan appointments as I live in Australia, so I do try to be careful :good:

doubleD wrote:Ok, not what I wanted to hear, but definitely a voice of reason I suppose! I'm actually usually a spray tan addict too but was looking for something more permanent to avoid the hassles of maintenance and patchiness, etc, when the spary tan is fading each week. See, I'm coming over to Europe for your summer and want to be stocked up in the tan department before I go! I actually tried Melanotan II (an injectable simulated hormone that increases the production of melanin) for a little while but that ran riot with my skin, causing breakouts, and apparantly has a very bad effect on scars too so I stopped immediately, although friends have had great results. I know it all may seem crazy but I just feel so much better about myself when I'm tanned! I also have regular MoleScan appointments as I live in Australia, so I do try to be careful :good:

I am in Australia too hun, and I am using the spray tan Tuscan Tan and I feel it is the best, great brown color, lasts well and doesnt go patchy, just fades, fairly even... you can also buy there mosituriser and it has self tan in it to help prolong your tan.

angbabyxx wrote:OMG, you girls were getting soooo excited with the prospect of returning to sunbed sessions.....my PS advised NO exposure to the sun for at least a year!!! I have been on sunbeds a couple of times but ALWAYS covered my scars. Don't do it girls, be very careful please!!

Sarahdawn I also had a thyroid scare which turned out to be Graves too, and it was a scare, believe me. Thyroid levels have corrected themselves now but still have symptoms of graves. I'm a singer and work in the clubs and so have always needed a bit of a ;glow' on stage but fake tan and bronzer does me just fine now. My hubby and I have a place in Turkey and spend quite a lot of time there (this year will be the first one with my new assets) but I will be ever so cautious in the sun now..... x

It is horribly scary isnt it... I am quite frusterated at the moment with the Graves, I am having hair loss and anxiety... I just started seeing a naturalpath who is helping me to naturally get my body and hormone levels back to normal... I hope it works as I am all out of whack and dont want to be on medication.