Why do people still sunbathe?

[anadi]

My biggest reason - and this is not shared by my teenagers - is that it feels good to sit in the sun. I like to be warm. Up here in Western NY, we freeze 4-5 months a year, and 4 more of those are usually rainy or grey. I don't care about the tan...I wear a ton of sunscreen, as do my boys (9 and 12). My girls of course want the tan, and they are too old to apply the sunscreen for them. They are well aware of the risks, but like any other risky behavior facing teens, they have to make the decision to take heed!

[cb at sea]

I have to agree with LBB--I grew up before the dangers of tanning were known. I'm of the baby oil generation! Suntan lotions were not made to protect, but to darken the skin. If you've tanned all your life, you already have so much sun damage that your skin looks atrocious when pale. I still tan, but I do use sunscreen all the time. I keep a close watch on my body, just to make sure things aren't popping up! If I couldn't tan, I'd probably go insane. Really. It truly is an addiction!

[terri23]

OK, I was with you until the last statement. Why did you feel the need to ask this? Do you ask this to other posters when they ask things like "did you like the food?" or "how was that port?" or "why do people eat at Chops?" because they are also caring how others enjoyed their vacations.

 

IMHO your question is an implied criticism, that's why. Your other questions above are not.

[time4u2go]

IMHO your question is an implied criticism, that's why. Your other questions above are not.

 

It was not intended to be any form of criticism. As I stated in my OP, I was just trying to understand. If you took it as a criticism, I apologize.

[terri23]

It was not intended to be any form of criticism. As I stated in my OP, I was just trying to understand. If you took it as a criticism, I apologize.

 

Very gracious of you. May sunscreen be plentiful on your next cruise!! :D

[lindalu62]

I wear sunblock, and nothing feels better then the warm sun on your skin! It is very relaxing. A little color looks good too.

[OliverTheCat]

I think its because many people that go on cruises come from cold climates (or at least its very cold at the time of their cruise) and they enjoy just being in sunshine. I bet a lot more of them have sunscreen on than we realize, but it just feels GOOD to be in the sun!!!

[atlcple2]

We just got off the Mariner on Sunday and we too 2 spray bottles of Water Babies (pink bottle with the purple top) 45 sunscreen with us and used every bit of both of them! We got plenty of sun on our skin using the 45. The caribbean sun is so strong, you can get burned in just a few minutes without the sunscreen. I also spend time in the shade, not full sun all day long. I actually have gone through a pre-cancer treatment on my face a couple of years ago and my dermatologist told me to wear a big wide brimmed hat and constantly re-apply sunscreen all over my body. If you do that, you won't get burned. Having said that, I missed a couple of little spots in the bikini area and on my ankle that got burned at Coco Cay and I was in the shade for the next 2 days. RCCL did a great job of creating shady spots on the Mariner cruise. Being out in the sun does warm you body and it also releases endorphins (sp?). In the winter, more people get depressed partly because of the low amount of sunlight that time of the year. So I do my part and go on a cruise Jan-Feb !! lol

[time4u2go]

Thanks everyone for the ongoing answers! One of the reasons I asked this was because we have tried to teach our kids about the risks of prolonged sun exposure, but when we are around sunbathers (certainly a popular activity on cruises) they often ask us why people do it. I now have several good answers for them. Thanks again!:)

[lagbunch8]

I just want to get a little base tan before I head to Orlando and look like the whitest person there.

 

:eek:

 

You would look like a local:) Most of us are not tanned. But, I do get a little sun on my cruises.

[cruisinMike]

Thanks everyone for the ongoing answers! One of the reasons I asked this was because we have tried to teach our kids about the risks of prolonged sun exposure, but when we are around sunbathers (certainly a popular activity on cruises) they often ask us why people do it. I now have several good answers for them. Thanks again!:)

 

 

Well if it came to giving your kids an answer, I'm not sure why any of the answers given are good enough. Just like the smoking, drinking, etc. questions that might be similar from your kids, there isn't an answer but to say perhaps that some people enjoy doing things that aren't always good for them. Not sure that kids will understand any of the answers that doing something that is "bad" for you is justified by any means. I think it already has been stated, or maybe the thought has been expressed, that each individual assesses individual risk vs. reward. Bottom line. It might not be good but folks that consider the reward greater then the risk will ultimately do the bahavior.

[ckrobyn]

I am probably a little more "sun conscious" at this age than I was say, 10 years ago. That being said - I still sun-bathe while on vacation. I don't typically sit in the sun during the summers, but I DO enjoy sitting in the sun while on a cruise/vacation. Although I choose to sit in the sun, I always wear sunscreen with an spf of at least 30. Lucky for me, I don't burn and instead end up with a golden brown tan :)

Besides - I'm paying a lot of money in the winter for some sunshine - you can bet I'm taking some of it home with me in the form of a tan ;)

[time4u2go]

Well if it came to giving your kids an answer, I'm not sure why any of the answers given are good enough. Just like the smoking, drinking, etc. questions that might be similar from your kids, there isn't an answer but to say perhaps that some people enjoy doing things that aren't always good for them. Not sure that kids will understand any of the answers that doing something that is "bad" for you is justified by any means. I think it already has been stated, or maybe the thought has been expressed, that each individual assesses individual risk vs. reward. Bottom line. It might not be good but folks that consider the reward greater then the risk will ultimately do the bahavior.

 

I wasn't looking for answers that were "good enough". I was just looking for answers. It will be up to my kids later on in life to decide if answers (reasons) are "good enough" to do certain activities, just as it is up to all of us to make those decisions as adults. I just wanted something to tell them when they ask "why are they doing that?"

[ondeckatsea]

For me, It's because I just love to be out in the sun and fresh air. We live in northern New England and have long cold winters. By the time the good weather comes, sunbathing feels like good medicine. I crave the sun. My husband and I are fully aware of the dangers and use sun screen (up in the higher numbers)

You have to be very, very careful. It's not the friendly old sun we grew up in. It can be deadly, but I still feel a little doesn't hurt anyone. We just don't lie out in it for hours. I've had sun poisoning twice and it is truly miserable. My beloved jolly Irish grandfather died of skin cancer. Be careful.

[MGoBlue2]

Increase your chance of skin cancer, reduce your chance of prostate cancer. I'd rather take my chances with skin cancer.

 

Sunlight can reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer, a study suggests.

 

Researchers from three US centres found men exposed to a high amount of sun had half the risk of the disease than those exposed to a low amount.

[abridalmaven]

I am of sicilian ancestry -I have NO moles on my skin, not a single one. According to a dermatologist I know as a friend, my risk of skin cancer is so low as to be close to the random level from just normal sun exposure - he'd never tell his patients that but the facts are facts.

 

there are times whe I do not use sunscreen - I do not burn at all. I have not gotten a sunburn since I was 8 when I was outside all day from 9a-6p at a beach with my grandfather - I remember the fight between my mom and my grandfather to this day!

 

I get real dark, real fast, and then fade just as fast . .

 

That is so NOT true, my partner who uis also sicilian and skiis and goes to Fla alot, just had 2 cancerous marks removed, it can and does happen!

[time4u2go]

Increase your chance of skin cancer, reduce your chance of prostate cancer. I'd rather take my chances with skin cancer.

 

Sunlight can reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer, a study suggests.

 

Researchers from three US centres found men exposed to a high amount of sun had half the risk of the disease than those exposed to a low amount.

 

Thanks for the answers! Gotta go lay out now!;)

[Twinsmomct]

I think there can be a physical addiction to being in the sun. It has been shown that people can get depressed during the winter. Personally, I love the feeling of being in the sun and feeling warm.

 

That's how I feel...I love the warmth. I live in CT and feel the cold right down to my bones. I love the feeling of the sun. And since I'm fair skinned (i.e., burn to a crisp very easily) with blue eyes, I know that I'm at a higher risk for skin cancer so I wear SPF 45. That being said, I'm sitting here with stitches in my left wrist where the derm had to take a chunk out of me due to "abnormal cells." Doing some research it says that most skin damage is done when you are a kid or an adolescent. I'm not sure my mom took the necessary precautions back then or if they were even available like they are today. I just know that whenever my kids are at the beach or playing for a time in the sun, they have SPF 45 on all their exposed skin.

[abridalmaven]

Well I do NOT sunbathe, I can enjoy the sun enough in the shade. And I also still use sunscreen, and at 57, I do not have ONE wrinkle on my face. I would rather be wrinkle free than tanned like leather.:eek: :rolleyes:

[Clarkk W Griswald]

Sunlight can reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer, a study suggests. Researchers from three US centres found men exposed to a high amount of sun had half the risk of the disease than those exposed to a low amount.

 

 

 

 

Just how does your prostate get sunlight?:eek: LOL

[cruisinMike]

I wasn't looking for answers that were "good enough". I was just looking for answers. It will be up to my kids later on in life to decide if answers (reasons) are "good enough" to do certain activities, just as it is up to all of us to make those decisions as adults. I just wanted something to tell them when they ask "why are they doing that?"

 

 

Because some people like doing things that may not be good for them. How do you answer why do people smoke, why do people drink, etc. I don't know the ages of your kids, my oldest is in his 30s. But that answer is probably as good as any you're going to find and it is universal with any age from 1 to 99. But maybe a rational explanation with some kids will do the trick. GLTY. If you find one and if it works, you may want to write a book. ;)

[MGoBlue2]

Just how does your prostate get sunlight?:eek: LOL

You go to Orient Beach and lay on your stomach.

[suzeyQ]

I'm a sunbather and usually use sunscreen. Why do I do it? Because I find it to be one of the most relaxing activities I've ever done. There's nothing like lying in the open air with the hot sun beating down and a cold drink in my hand. I also like the look of it - not the orangey fake tan but a real tan. Being somewhat overweight, I believe that I look thinner when my skin is darker.

[cruisinMike]

You go to Orient Beach and lay on your stomach.

 

 

Wouldn't it be better in the knee/chest position when the sun was low in the sky! :eek:

[dr.evil]

Just how does your prostate get sunlight?:eek: LOL

 

Well ........... first you lay on your back. Next position feet over your head .....

 

Never mind.

 

Good one Clark. I loved you in those "Vacation" movies.

 

Dr. Evil :)