When I was younger, my cousins and aunts from Germany came to visit us in the US a couple of times. I grew up in San Diego, and spent most summers on the beach with friends, so I was fairly tan, but I was always surprised to see my relatives from Germany with better tans than I had. I assumed that perhaps they had gone on other vacations in tropical places, which often was the case - I mean what German doesn't like Spain and the Canary Islands. Little did I know that many Germans use tanning beds as a means of keeping their skin braun all year long.
Now, when I tell you that I've decided to try out a tanning salon, it's not because of vanity, or a desire to keep my skin from turning a pasty white, or because of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which apparently makes people in the north, well, sad. It's because I have psoriasis and the only way that I have been able to keep it at bay is to lay out in the sun. I once asked my dermatologist if there was anything I could do about my psoriasis other than applying steroid creams, and she said that of all of her patients, those with psoriasis were the only ones she ever told to go out and get a tan.
So, that's what I'm doing. I think one of the reasons why everyone does it here, is that it's relatively inexpensive. Though the place I'm going to has apparently failed basic math, because the "special" that they offer students to buy 100 minutes at a time is more expensive than just paying as you go. They also market it as something that is really health since it promotes Vitamin D production. Since they are firm believers in "alternative medicine" as evidenced by the mixture of Thyme and Primrose I was given by the Pharmacist to add to my tea when I was sick, maybe they know what they're talking about. I'll bet that some tanning stuff is even covered by their insurance.
Anyway....hopefully it will help with the angry red spots, and if not, then I'll at least get a tan.
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