Weird spot on skin after tanning bed?!

[dek123leo]

I had a quick question. I just went tanning for about 10 minutes and saw the craziest thing once I was done. I got out of the tanning bed and was looking at myself in the mirror. Right above my ass was a large heart. It appears to be as if this spot didn't tan. I looked around trying to figure it out. It's not from a sticker or anything like that, it's about three inches (not one of those small self-test tanning stickers you can use either.) I looked on the tanning bed itself and didn't see any liquid, stain, or anything unusual. The bed also was sanitized before I went in there. I am not sure what it's from.

My thinking is that some chick had some sort of tattoo, temporary tattoo, lotion, etc. on before I went in. Some residue must have been on the glass preventing the UV from getting on my skin in this area. Given it's location on my body (right above ass) it would seem similar to something girls would do.

I am pissed and think it looks stupid! I hope it isn't permanent. Let me know if you have any ideas or experienced this before.

A rant: This is what I hate about chicks. Don't get me wrong, I am straight, but fucking hate the things girls do sometimes because it is so stupid. I have always hated those tattoos they get above their butts. No, they don't "accentuate" your figure, they make you look like a whore and stupid. Rant over.

 

[lyconthrope]

hehe as a 'chick' I wont take offence to that, cos I hate it to (its why all my tatt's are elsewhere)

if the area doesnt hurt then at least you know its not a health issue (which is what would worry me)

thing is, the sanatizing fluid used to clean tanning beds should remove any and all oil and lotion, and nothing but the products supplied by the salons hould ever be used.

is it a perfect heart shape?

if not you might find its simply an area of skin that has slightly differant pigmentation and does not tan evenly.

rub a little self tan onto the area, maybe you can even out the colour

(or just go for a fake tan in future, sunbeds arent good for you )

 

[sunshinesteve]

The spot where your tail used to be attached never tans on a tanning bed. If you want to tan that area you have to use a stand-up tanning booth.

 

[dek123leo]

It doesn't hurt at all. I don't suspect it would be an health issue as getting anything from a tanning bed is minimal. I suspect it would be about the same as catching something from a toilet seat, which is virtually impossible.

It is not in the shape of a perfect heart, but well enough defined to be just coincidental.

I also don't think it's related to me skin pigment however. I've tanned before and have tanned fine in this area.

I agree that whoever sanitized the bed should have gotten any oils or solution left on the bed. That is assuming they did a good job. The only thing I can think of is that something (perhaps some liquid) was blocking the UV light preventing it from tanning. I don't know. The thing is it wasn't wet when I got in nor was anything on the bed itself. It's weird.

I totally agree with you about not going tanning anymore! Not because of this incident, but just to prevent skin damage and wrinkles. I hardly go to begin with. I live in a cold, midwest climate and it's been a long cold winter.

 

[dek123leo]

The spot where your tail used to be attached never tans on a tanning bed. If you want to tan that area you have to use a stand-up tanning booth.

Is this true? Or is it tongue in cheek? How come I've never noticed it before and why would a stand up tanning booth work?

 

[lyconthrope]

tecnically its true since when you lay flat its the one part of your back that does not always make contact with the tubes.

but the pigment is differant in that area as the skin is slightly thicker.


and liquid wouldnt block the UV unless it was an opaque liquid (like sunblock which you would have noticed) anything oil or water like actually would increase the UV (think about everytime you ever got burnt at the beach after swimming....ouch)

standing tanning booths stop crease lines and when you lay down, depending on the postion you lay in certain areas just get 'shielded' and dont get as much exposure to the UV as the rest of you.

fake tan is the way to go!

(FYI, watched some porn recently where a guy had a large pale triangle in the same area.....doesnt look that stupid hehehe )

 

[dek123leo]

The spot where your tail used to be attached never tans on a tanning bed. If you want to tan that area you have to use a stand-up tanning booth.

Man, am I dense. I first thought you were referring to something about evolution and that if we may once have had tails, this is some sort of left over trait. Now, I get it. And, I've never had a tail.

 

[dek123leo]

tecnically its true since when you lay flat its the one part of your back that does not always make contact with the tubes.

but the pigment is differant in that area as the skin is slightly thicker.


and liquid wouldnt block the UV unless it was an opaque liquid (like sunblock which you would have noticed) anything oil or water like actually would increase the UV (think about everytime you ever got burnt at the beach after swimming....ouch)

standing tanning booths stop crease lines and when you lay down, depending on the postion you lay in certain areas just get 'shielded' and dont get as much exposure to the UV as the rest of you.

fake tan is the way to go!

(FYI, watched some porn recently where a guy had a large pale triangle in the same area.....doesnt look that stupid hehehe )

Some of this post cannot be correct. You said that this part of your back does not make connect with the bed. I agree it doesn't. But that doesn't account for it being lighter. My face doesn't make connect with any part of the bed yet it still tans. As does my whole front side. I believe the UV light is what causes the tan, not the proximety to the light tubes. (To a certain degree. I couldn't stand ten feet away and expect to get tan).

I agree with your assessment about the liquid though. It was an initial thought I had.

I can see how standing tanning booths would offer light in more areas though. For example, the area under my butt cheeks doesn't tan. lol...laugh I know. Probably due my ass being in the way. I don't have a big ass though. I can see a standing bed might eliminate this. I don't care though.

So if it's not due to a liquid, not getting enough exposure, what is it?

 

[dek123leo]

Someone sent me the answer. I did a quick search and found the answer. Thanks! Weird though!

Direct skin pigmentation needs oxygen from the blood. The pressure on the area of your coccyx when you are lying on the tanning bed causes the blood supply to be interrupted, so tanning cannot occur, therefore you should either use a tanning bed with an ergonomic bed or an upright tanning unit.

 

[lyconthrope]

the key with tanning is the thickness of skin, skin on the face is thinner than on the back, under the eye especially (its 2am for me, difficult to express myself hehehe) your face doesnt make contact with the bed (thankfully) but it does get full un-obstructed exposure. the small of your back doesnt always.

hehehe and a lot of people find the area under the butt doesnt tan well, if at all, its because of the way the skin creases.

I still think its a pigment thing, I have an area on my arm that never tans and kind of looks like a pale paw print hehehe, you might find if you went again it would tan fine.

has a lot to do with the position you lay in, blood flow to the area, condition of the skin etc....

(am I making sense now? hehe kin of hard for me to tell)

 

[KaraBulut]

Someone sent me the answer. I did a quick search and found the answer. Thanks! Weird though!

Direct skin pigmentation needs oxygen from the blood. The pressure on the area of your coccyx when you are lying on the tanning bed causes the blood supply to be interrupted, so tanning cannot occur, therefore you should either use a tanning bed with an ergonomic bed or an upright tanning unit.

The white spot over the coccyx is a give away for fake-bake.

You can avoid it by turning side to side while tanning. Or better yet, use spray tan since UVA is going to make you look like a piece of beef jerky over time.

 

[Tim8NL]

The part about the blood flow is correct, was just about to answer that as I've had this issue myself. Just lift up your ass every now and then and you should be ok.

Also, what KaraBulut said, UVA is what causes you to burn and wrinkle, so always go to a tanning salon that has special UVA filters. UVB is what makes you tan and is actually healthy.

 

[PhoenixRising]

The part about the blood flow is correct, was just about to answer that as I've had this issue myself. Just lift up your ass every now and then and you should be ok.

Also, what KaraBulut said, UVA is what causes you to burn and wrinkle, so always go to a tanning salon that has special UVA filters. UVB is what makes you tan and is actually healthy.

Actually you need both to tan. UVB stimulates melanin, while UVA oxidizes it, turning it brown. What you do want is beds that have UVC filters on them.

The other posters have some good points. It could also be the beginning of a fungal infection. Now I know this sounds gross and could be embarrassing if it is but it's nothing really to be too upset or embarrassed about if it is.

The larger concern would be to get it diagnosed and treated ASAP. A lot of people have caught fungal infections from tanning beds. And sometimes, you can have a fungal infection for a while without knowing it because it doesn't always show up as an obvious rash. But some fungal infections cause the skin in the area that's infected not to tan.

Basically, the reason you want to get it checked is that IF it is fungal, it can spread over large areas of the skin and if this happens, it's MUCH harder to treat and "cure" with topical creams.

I think you're referring to tinea versicolour. It is fairly easy to treat with toical creams, and believe it or not, Head and Shoulders shampoo.

 

[KaraBulut]

I was just trying to warn him. What he has may not be fungal at all but it could be. Mine started out as a single patch in the center of my chest. I had no idea what it was and ignored it. If I'd treated it properly when I first noticed it, I may have been able to wipe it out completely.

You're correct in bringing Tinea up. It's a common cause of depigmented "white" spots across the back, chest and upper arms. The white spot over the coccyx is probably caused by the pressure point against the plastic on the bed. If the splotches are on the back and chest as you described- you're correct that it is probably a fungal infection.

Tinea versicolor is quite common and is often misdiagnosed as vitiligo. It's more apparent in olive skinned people but also people who have oily skin are more likely to develop it.

T. Versicolor is a naturally occurring fungus in many people. So, many people don't realize it has gotten to be an issue because most of us don't see our backs on a regular basis. And it's not as apparent if you have fair skin or during the winter when skin tends to be lighter.

You'll never be able to wipe it out completely because it is a naturally occurring fungus on the skin. If the over the counter stuff doesn't work, then you may need to see a dermatologist to get a stronger medication to get it under control.

 

[KaraBulut]

Yeah. I know it's naturally occurring but for whatever reason, it only becomes a serious problem for some people. I do have fair skin and oily skin so maybe I'm just cursed..

Fungal infections like moisture. People who have oily skin or get sweaty playing sports or work outside tend to get more fungal infections. The good news is that with oily skin you'll look younger than your age but there's always a catch like fungal infections, acne and other skin problems.

Already tried that. My GP refuses to prescribe oral antifungals because I take Depakote and he's worried about my liver. So I just have to do the best I can with topical stuff. I'll probably see a dermatologist when I can but I don't imagine he'll be any more cooperative on the orals.

Depakote is a big concern because of the interactions.

There are some stronger topicals that can be used. Topicals are often more effective than orals because the outer layers of the skin are not vascular and the oral drugs are distributed via the circulatory system. The challenge with topicals is that it is hard to get the cremes applied to your back unless you have a helping hand- and even then, clothing will rub them off, as will sweating.

 

[Luka]

well, tanning is extrmley bad for your skin. the melatonin builds up when you are exposed to too much sun. This is telling your body that it is hurt, so it begins to use your energy for skin regeneration. Eventually this will cause cancer, so stay away from tanning beds!!

 

[Tim8NL]

Tanning isn't bad per se. International guidelines advice you not to tan more than 50 times a year, with at least 48 hours in between sessions. If used in this way, tanning beds are not any more cancer causing than the real sun.

 

[Luka]

they may not be as bad, but seriously, who wastes money on tanning beds, the sun is like two feet out ur door, lol plus tanning beds are gay! HAHAHAAH

 

[Tim8NL]

True, you're better off not leaving your house ever and if you do, wear SPF 50

 

[LotusOnBuddha]

Fungal infections like moisture. People who have oily skin or get sweaty playing sports or work outside tend to get more fungal infections. The good news is that with oily skin you'll look younger than your age but there's always a catch like fungal infections, acne and other skin problems.




Depakote is a big concern because of the interactions.

There are some stronger topicals that can be used. Topicals are often more effective than orals because the outer layers of the skin are not vascular and the oral drugs are distributed via the circulatory system. The challenge with topicals is that it is hard to get the cremes applied to your back unless you have a helping hand- and even then, clothing will rub them off, as will sweating.

Just an FYI, there is a dermatologist near where i live that makes me compound Clotrimazole into Clobex Spray. It seems to work pretty well for most people. It is a pain in the ass to make tho...But you get a spray instead of a cream that may easy backside application!