[Tyrantasaurus]

We were a pool in a neighbouring town yesterday. Think 43 degrees, seriously scorching sun. There was plenty of shade available, heaps actually.

My family and I were as covered up as we could be - sunnies,hat, sunscreen, rashies etc, sitting in the shade when we weren't in the water.

Nearby us were 3 young ladies (early 20's?) laying out in the sun at midday, fully sunbaking. Bikinis on with the straps pulled down to get an even tan, laying out the seriously baking sun.

And again today at our local pool there was an older lady (50-60's?) laying out fully baking.

It got me thinking - do people really still sunbake? Knowing all that we do nowadays about the dangers of the hot Australian sun, melanoma etc. Obviously there are still people that do (as I have seen over the last couple of days) but with the availability of fake tans / creams etc, why do people still do it?

[lozoodle]

Yep they still do it, I see it at the beach all the time.

[ubermum]

yep, they do. I don't get it either. Others pay to go to solariums and cook themselves. I have had teenager move in with me (16) and she refuses to put on sunscreen and has had 2 bad sunburns in the last 2 months. She is happy that it has given her a tan. Stupid. She doesn't think it will happen to her, despite all the things I have shown her.

[TarneeW]

We were visiting friends yesterday at their hotel pool. It was ridiculously hot & from my leafy outlook, there was a couple in their 20's sun baking for a good hour or more that we were there. They didn't even go near the pool....

Unbelievable!!!! I was absolutely dying of heat, I can't imagine how hot (& silly) they have been.

[PrincessPeach]

Unfortunatly yes - I too see it at the beach.

Also a couple of my colleagues love the solariums, a tan looks healthy. Though those two are still of the belief that they wont get melanoma becasue some relative spent their entire lives working in the sun & never got one.

[maeby]

My European in-laws, who have been here for the last month, have been spending every day at the beach lately (working on their tans so they won't go home with humiliatingly pale skin) and complaining about how the weather hasn't been hot enough. I think it's generational as well as cultural for them.

[**BOOM**]

Yes unfortunately people still do. And sure many on EB still do - they're idiots!

My mum will congratulate anyone who got a tan. She's an idiot when it comes to skin care, sun protection,etc. She'll prob die of a melanoma one day - I would not be surprised!

[~sydblue~]

With one relative having a cancer scare in her eye from never wearing sunglasses when young. Another having skin cancers removed from her face. My girls have their higher protection sunscreen on, sunglasses on when out for awhile and hats(even the 13yr old).
DD13 has a can of fake tan my sister bought her, and just uses that if she is looking pale(her words). But I think she has used it once.

[Soprano-Cat]

My bestie from high school still tans himself a deep brown. Me, I avoid the sun like the plague and still end up with tanned arms from driving.

[imac]

They sure do, we've been at the beach for the past week and are amazed how many people are actively sunbathing. We know two people who have metastatic melanoma and I wish all the sun bakers could talk to them - no one ever thinks it will happen to them