I've recently taken an interest in tanning but I had a question. I've worked construction and on farms so I have the outsides of my forearms, ankles, and some of my neck tanned already. The rest of my body is Irish white. When I start tanning will my body even it all out? Or will the already tan parts tan darker then the rest? I'm kind of at the point where I don't feel comfortable taking my shirt off anymore, is there any advice someone can give? -Thank you so much
Yep, you have the classic farmers' tan lines. (Where the term "redneck" originates from.) It will take a while to even out. The tan parts will continue to tan until they reach their max for your skin type. Be careful of the white parts because they will burn in less time than your tan parts are accustomed to. Tanning is actually a natural SPF. You can invest in a tanning booth to try to even your tan by covering the already tanned parts. Again, if you are fair skin, be careful not to burn. Burning is what causes the skin cancers associated with sun exposure. I am a nudist who tans at a nude beach near Miami. I joke about the "white" people who come here during the winter from up north. They really are white compared to the locals with dark tans. One thing ppl with good tans have to remember when going to a nude beach for the first time is that little bikini white part will burn in 15 minutes even tho the rest of you is good for a couple hours. I see it all the time on tourists here, with terrible burns on their butt and breasts when they take off the bikini for the first time ever.
I would start with a real light SPF sunscreen on your white parts. Maybe an 8 or 15spf on the white. Then go out for only like 1/2 and hour the first couple times.
Wait, so using sunscreen would help my "white meat" tan faster or is that merely for protective purposes? How do I "cover" the tanned areas of my body the next time I feel like tanning?
The sunscreen is for initial protection. The pigment, called melanin, is what causes tans and prevents burns. If your white bits are as white as my white bits, they have O melanin, so O sun resistance. Shale talks about the fried white strip. Thats what you'll get. I was a beachguard for a few summers, and really pale people start to fry withing 10 minutes on a strong sun day. In the end, though, building up the base layer slowly will make tanning faster, because you won't have to take time off to recover from the burns. To even things out, you can just apply a heavier sunscreen to the dark areas or try to keep them covered.
id say lay in the sun for a few hours with light sunscreen on your white parts and a towel or something over your head + sunscreen on extremeties
