The diaries helped me decide and are a lot more useful than a 6 month apart before and after so I thought I'd add my journey. I'm skin type I/II, beige colour naturally, I kinda tan, but it requires at least a week in a hot country using lotion etc, realistically though I always delude myself into thinking I've a tan when really I'm a bit red. Its only when I put on the fake gradual tanners or the fake bake stuff (only a couple times mind) that I go "wow, that's tan".
Reason for wanting more colour - I just look so much better with a tan, when i have colour in my cheeks I get the "healthier" or "looking well" comments.
Not looking to be super dark but just have a "have you been on holiday look" for the summer, with perhaps a maintenance dose throughout the winter for a bit of colour in my cheeks.
I am using a 20spf nivea bronze and protect, 30spf nivea and a 30spf nivea face lotion... it was a buy 3 pay for 2 deal. I also have a face moisturizer that has spf15. I plan to get sun from the English summer, cycling on and off in the evening, the odd lay down in the garden and probably a short sunbed session once a week to get me going. Currently you should see from my pic that's my summer colour, a lifestyle that consists of the odd bit of tanning outside a little bit, cycling sometimes in the evening and light sun exposure on lunch breaks and evenings.
From my own personal research it seems that to date that dosing low is the way to reduce side effects, a lot of the forums posts and reports I've read from 2010 era say 500mcg or 1mg daily but the posts in and around 2014/2015 seem to support the lower is better approach. So i'm going for 250mcg a day, maybe boost it up a little here and there.
I'm cutting at the moment (losing weight in a controlled way) so if the photos show me tightening up its from my diet/working out not the MT2 (although a tan does make muscle show more and make people appear trimmer) ]
01. 250mcg (friday 3rd july)
02. 250 (30 minutes in sun, with just shorts on)
03. 250
04. 250* (monday 6th july)
05. 300 (20-30 minutes cloudy sunny weather walking about)
06. 300 (20-30 minutes cloudy sunny weather walking about)
07. 300* (60 minutes sunny weather walking about) (1.9mg week/1.9mg so far)
----(one week in, not tanned on a bed or outside properly. No sides to speak of, my face was a little sweaty one night but that may not have been the MT2.I don't think I've changed colour so far, at least its not noticeable to me)----
08. 400 (30 minutes in sun, with just shorts on) (friday 10th july/1 week in)
09. 400* (pinned 30 minutes before 8 minutes on standup sunbed)
10. 350
11. 350 (monday 14th july)
12. 500 (pinned before having 6 minutes on sunbed)
13. 400 (noticed a bit of tan/dirtyness going on this morning, plus when i press my skin it doesn't leave as much of a white finger mark after exposure like i normally get...i think).
14. 400 (30 minutes in sun, with just shorts on )(2.75mg week/4.65mg so far)
----(two weeks in, i've had a couple sun beds for short periods and general exposure otherwise all the while wearing SPF 20/30, i've definitely got a bit of a glow but am also have more of a red tan, I was meant to go on the sunbed yesterday and today but i'm having a little break till my skin is less red... I've upped the dosage here and there and have had no sides except for 400-500 where I definitely get the libido boost if I start things. I'm in no massive rush to get tanned and i've only got around 4.65mg in me so far and judging by my skin type I need probably at least 10mg to see results. I've also ordered another 10mg)----