Dear TanningBeds.org,

I have a Tanning Canopy my husband bought me last year but I am not getting the tan I used to get going to a tanning salon. Now I am wanting to purchase a tanning bed but I am holding out until I can find out why these little small white spots are showing up on my legs. They won’t tan with the rest of my skin. I know this is an odd question for you but I am hoping you can help me. The last place I asked told me to stop tanning and stay out of tanning beds. Have you had any questions like this before ? Can you give me some advise ?

Thank you,
[name withheld]
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First, smart move on ditching the canopy. I try to tell people every day, but most do not listen. The vast majority of people are not happy with canopies, unless their goals are very modest.

As to the spots, I know what they may be, and I had them all over my back last year. I went to the doctor, who perscribed some lotion to put on them for a couple of weeks with selenium sulfide. It is a type of yeast fungus. This sounds bad, but actually it is a very common fungus and is easy to treat. Some people call these “sunspots” as they become more noticable in people who tan, since the spots don’t tan themselves. They are sometimes a little scaley. Most people have the fungus anyway, but it doesn’t “show up”. If you sweat outdoors a lot, use a hot tub, or stay in hot, humid places a lot, then they flair up.

The lotion is pretty cheap but by perscription only. It is similar (or the same) as what is used in some perscription dandruff shampoos. I put off going for months, and it spread. After I finally went, it was gone in two weeks. The lotion has a weird smell, kinda like dirt and chemicals mixed, but it was worth it since they are gone and I don’t have a spotted tan.

I’m not a doctor, but a visit would be in order if you have a lot of spots. You can also buy what is called “sun spot solution” from larger tanning suppliers (like us at 1-800-274-1744) and it works for some, but it didn’t work for me. Once the spots are gone, you can start tanning in those areas again. Likely a bit slower at first, but it should be even within a couple of months.

If you want to read more on the fungus, you can visit Wikipeida’s article on Tinea Versicolor which is a small but decent article. The pictures they show are probably a lot worse than your case, but it is the same problem.

Dennis