I got Versa "freckled"

Becoming a skin student has cramped my style with regard to the sun. I haven’t felt it much until these recent sunny days, and I’m finding myself eager to claim a summer glow. Since the sun is fairly off limits for me (I keep reminding myself… a tan is a scar…), I’m dedicated to finding the perfect solution for sunless tanning - - hold the orange please.

Back in my sun-worshiping days. (ok, so it wasn't so long ago)

Sunless tanning solutions have come a LONG way - - take it from a girl who has been using them since 7^th grade. I’ve been every shade of orange, brown, and brorange. I’ve tried drug store brands, high end cosmetic counter brands, and everything in between.

A recent Groupon allowed me the opportunity to try out the “oh-so-luxurious” Versa spa. For those of you unfamiliar with the Versa Spa, it’s considered the upscale sunless tanning machine. You basically strip down, climb into a booth, and get sprayed with sunless solution by a set of jets. Remember that hilarious Friends episode when Ross got sprayed over and over in the front and ended up wanting “four twos, all on the back!” (check out the clip here and relive the funny moment)

The Versa Spa "odometer" - I got a "2" like Ross!

Back to the Versa Spa – here’s how it all went down.

I go in with my Groupon, fill out my waiver form and answer questions about my “Fitzpatrick level” (this level helps skin people make decisions about skin treatments for you, including tanning decisions.

Girl behind the counter: “What do you want? Do you want to be light, medium, or dark?”

Me: “Well, what would you recommend for my Fitzpatrick level?”

Girl: “What?”

Me: “What would you recommend for my Fitzpatrick level?”

Girl: “I don’t know you mean. We just need to know if you want to be light, medium or dark.”

Me: “Well, that’s not really how it works. Do you know what percent of DHA is in your solutions? Because if I go too high for my Fitzpatrick, then I’ll turn orange. What percent of DHA is in your medium?”

Girl: “Sorry, but that’s over my head. Do you want medium?”

Me: (exhausted) “Yes. I’ll take medium.”  (Oh… and if you haven’t read my blog on people who don’t give a crap and are working in the beauty industry… now might be a good time.)

I walk back to the Versa Spa, and I happen to catch a young girl cleaning it before I go in, so I asked her to show me how to use it. She gives me the positions, tells me to stand at the red line, and I get undressed, and slathered on barrier cream in all the right spots (knees, feet, etc.).  I was going to follow all the rules. I was not going to be a Ross. I was determined.

Rules or not, the outcome was still less than desirable.  I liked the color from the Versa Spa, but the application was disappointing - - the worst part was the speckles over my arms and hands (which I have since learned is known as the “Versa freckle”). Thank God I spend so much time with my hands in water - - hopefully they will fade within a few days.

My arm - right after my spray (none of these dot are real freckles)

My arm, the day after

Contrast this experience with the one I had only three weeks ago. I walked into a tanning spa and was hand airbrushed by a tanning artist there. The tan was flawless - no orange feet, no crazy positions to stand in, no streaks, and certainly no strange freckles. I’m convinced that there’s just nothing like a beautiful, customized airbrush tan - - sprayed by hand with love by some stranger while you stand in the nude (or the optional dark swimsuit). 

Gettin’ Beauty Schooled,  

Rita

5 THINGS I HATE TO ADMIT ABOUT THE SUN

I was 16 years old and I needed a tan. All the cool kids were tanning. Their moms were even paying for it. My mom was the fuddy-duddy that stood her ground and refused to contribute to my premature aging and cell mutation.

My will was strong and I was determined to get my glow on. To my mother’s dismay, I found a tanning salon that agreed to hire me to clean their beds for 3 hours a week in exchange for 4 tanning sessions a week.  “Old people” told me that it was bad for my skin, but I knew they were just jealous. I was the invincible girl that soaked up every ounce of sunshine I could during my teens and early twenties. 

As Cher would say… if I could turn back time. 

Being in esthetics school has only brought me closer to the truth about my time in the sun. While it’s still a little bitter-sweet to give up, I can no longer deny my skin’s frailty to her glorious rays. So, I’ve made a list of a few things that I hate to admit about the sun. If you’re anything like me, you’ll hate reading these as well. If you’re not like me, well….. congratulations - you won’t have to work nearly as hard as I will to bargain with mother nature.   

5 Things I hate to admit about the sun:

1. A tan is a scar.  

Harsh… I know. I also hate to admit that beer-battered onion rings have 24 grams of fat per serving, but it doesn’t change the truth.

2. Fungus

Yes, there is a fungus among us. We all have a yeast present on our skin (malassezia furfur to be specific). Most people don’t have problems with it, but the yeast is sensitive to heat and humidity. Without “getting all clinical” - - I’ll give you the highlights. The fungus is called “tinea versicolor” and it shows itself as a blotchy rash. Most people dismiss it as their skin’s reaction to the sun, so it’s quite likely that you’ve seen someone hanging out at the beach with this fungi before. (Now you’ll be able to share your knowledge when you see it – “Dude, that’s a fungus”.) 

Exhibit A - Tinea versicolor

Exhibit B - More fungus...

 3. Hyperpigmentation

This is a fancy word for the brownish spots that are left behind from the sun, an old pimple you squeezed to hard, etc. Just like my teenage will for tanning, UV hyperpigmentation doesn’t give up easily. These spots look rather innocent, but if you’re wanting a smooth even skin tone, these guys have something else in mind. Even when people use chemical peels to help soften or blend hyperpigmentation, it can often get worse before it gets better.   

UV hyperpigmentation

 4. Extrinsic aging

So, intrinsic aging is the way that we naturally age – I guess you’d say it’s how God designed our aging process. Extrinsic aging accounts for our contributions to the aging process. It includes smoking, sun exposure, environmental factors, free radicals, etc. The good AND bad part? It’s estimated that about 80% of our aging is the result of extrinsic aging. You get to decide how much of this one plays out...  

5. Cancer

I listed this last, but it is certainly not the least important. Unfortunately, people typically pay more attention to the aesthetic negatives of the sun than than those that are more life threatening. More than 90% of skin cancers are associated with sun exposure.This is one I’ve dismissed over the years with my “it won’t happen to me” attitude.  

Malignant Melanoma

Until a year ago, I prided myself in being the chick that never had to wear sunscreen. Fast forward one year, I’m putting my face through a hole called a Wood’s Lamp, which ultimately reveals all the bad decisions I've made about my skin for the past 20 years. Needless to say, I’ve taken on a new philosophy about SPF.

Before I close, let me share this - - WE ALL NEED SOME SUNLIGHT – for Vitamin D production, to protect us from other diseases, heck…. sometimes we need it just to keep us from being depressed. So, don't be afraid of  your 15-20 minutes a day. Just be sure to reconsider any tendencies that seem similar to my teenage baby-oil sun-bathing habits. Your youth will thank you.    

Gettin’ Beauty Schooled,

Rita