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Who doesn’t want to look healthy, sexy, thin? Yes, even thin. At least that’s what we were told some five decades ago. We even poured on baby oil to make us tan faster. But dying for the perfect tan was never in the bargain because we didn’t know that could happen.
Today, most of us know there’s danger lurking out there. And what do we do about it? We go to sun tanning salons and roast under sun lamps (which, by the way, are far worse than a day at the beach). We also go to the beach. Oh yes, we use our sunblock…maybe. We might go in the water, but do we reapply sunscreen afterward? Most likely, no.
And, at the same time, interestingly enough, we get our faces lasered, lifted, polished, oxygenized and more which makes us even more sensitive to the damaging rays of the sun, but does that knowledge stop us from excessive sun exposure? Some of us, yes.
But there are so many of us not paying heed. Why?
There are probably as many different reasons as there are people, but incomplete knowledge about how to really protect yourself is a major one.
What came to mind while writing this was my attempts to be a skier decades ago at Sun Valley, Idaho. I was doing some exploring of the west on a Greyhound bus, and thought how fun it would be to get a job in this resort town for the winter. I wasn’t thinking about skiing; I was thinking about meeting some terrific men who came there to ski.
It was nearing the fall and all the jobs I could think of were taken. The Greyhound bus would be stopping any minute and I’d get on it and return to Los Angeles.
Within five minutes, I did find work . . . right next door to the coffee shop I was waiting in. I worked at night singing and playing the piano (after 3 weeks of piano lessons) in the bar right next door. I had the day to myself … every single day.
After 3 or 4 days, I was going nuts having all this time on my hands and all of a sudden it occurred to me that if I was going to stay here, I should take lessons and learn how to ski! The only problem was that I was not at all athletic, and I was terrified of skiing after the one experience I had had at a local mountain resort skiing over the edge of a hill. I was in a class, but somehow hadn’t gotten the concept of how to stop myself.
Well, I decided to take lessons, anyway. And each time before I went up the mountain, I made a bargain with God (and I was not religious). If you get me down the hill this one time, I will never ski again. Well, this sounds pretty stupid, but I did it nonetheless. And somehow each time I went up I made it back down again.
That’s what I think happens with skin cancer. What’s a few hours in the sun? It feels so good and I’m young. If and when I ever get it, they’ll probably have developed a cure. I’m so young and it’s mostly old people who get it. Who cares what happens to me then? A bargain, a rationale, whatever you want to call it.
Protecting yourself is so easy. Use a good sunscreen (one that protects against A and B rays) and reapply it often, wear a UV hat, protective clothing, and stay out of the sun in peak hours. And the money you would use in a tanning salon … which will do a lot more damage than a day at the beach…save it for a vacation or something that will enrich your life, not something that could shorten it.
Lynn Rosenberg lost her husband to skin cancer and has made it her mission to educate and inform consumers about sun protection. She has also created a line of UV Umbrellas and Hats. For more information, visit: www.soleilchic.com
It only took 30 years. But better late than never.
The FDA’s ruling is now a done deal. They now require more accurate detailing of what protection each sunscreen really gives.
In addition, the FDA alerts consumers, “Sunscreen alone will not protect you,” and added, “Sunscreen is only one part of a sun protection regimen,” and they recommend, in addition to sunscreen, that we use protective clothing [UV Hats and by extension UV Umbrellas].
Many of us have the mistaken belief that if we’re just going from the car to the office, or the car to the market, it’s such a short time that protection is unnecessary. But short times accumulate and everything we can do to protect ourselves against the sun’s damaging rays helps.
5 TIPS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:
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Sunscreen wears off, rubs off, sweats off. For it to be effective, we need to reapply it often.
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Sun tanning salons are more dangerous than the sun itself. A 20 minute visit to the booth is equivalent to spending a day at the beach. Medindia.com.
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Some medications can make you more sensitive to the UV rays. Be sure to check your prescription; there will be a warning on the label if this is so.
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If you really want a tan, get yourself some sunless tanning lotion. You’ll get the look you want without the risk.
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Reflection adds to the intensity of the UV rays. If you’re in snow, you need to protect yourself as much or more so than if you’re at the beach.
One more tip: share this information with friends. They could live to thank you for it one day.
Lynn Rosenberg lost her husband to skin cancer. She has made it her mission to educate people regarding the importance of sun protection and creates, designs and manufactures UV accessories. Visit: www.soleilchic.com for more information.
This is a very draining and anxious time for many people. But we can still do things to protect our health that isn’t a major investment.
Skin cancer doesn’t care whether the economy is good or bad, or about your skin color or whether it’s spring, fall, winter, summer. It just does what it does without any concern about these things.
During difficult times, there are certain things we still need to do … walk the dog, get in the car and do food shopping, taking the kids to school. And even though these can seem like such short periods of time, time outdoors accumulates.
The FDA recently passed a ruling changing the way sun protection is measured on sunscreen. They also alerted consumers that sunscreen alone will not protect you.
So what can we do that’s simple, cost-effective, and will give us the protection we need?
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Use sunscreen – and apply it often. It wears off, and there goes the protection.
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Wear a wide brimmed hat – even better if it’s a UV hat which covers your head, face and neck.
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Seek shade during hours 10-4. But what if there is no shade? UV umbrellas will give you UV protection, and will cut some intensity of the sun.
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Use these avenues of protection every day, not just when the sun is shining. Clouds are no protection from skin cancer.
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When you do something you know is good for you, you will feel better … even if other areas of life are not so good.
All my best, Lynn
Contact: Lynn Rose lost her husband to skin cancer and now makes UV accessories. Contact her toll-free at: 1-888-296-7673 and visit her website at: www.soleilchic.com
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