Sun Burn

[journey11]

I'm very fair skinned, so I totally avoid the midday sun if I can help it. I'll do sunblock if I'm out somewhere midday, but home in the garden I'd just sweat it off anyway. If I do all my work in the morning between 7am-11am and evening after 4pm I don't worry about it and don't get burned. (Also, gotta slowly build up that initial "tan"...if you could call it that on me...it's just more freckles!)

 

[digitS']

NyBoy, wear a hat. If you get too warm, move into the shade. Then, take your hat off.

If you are cooler out in the sun without your hat, ignore it - the thought, not the hat.

Enjoy your hat. Imagine what a dashing figure you make, with a hat! Don't all the kids wear them? Sure they do. And, who is closer to the age of the person who invented the Hat, you or those kids? You are!

They are looking up to you, admiring your stylish ways. It also helps to wear olde clothes. Threadbare, I think the marketers may call it "fatigued." But especially, wear the hat.

Drive an old pickup, one with holes in the floor board is fine! In fact, if you position your foot just right, a breeze thru the floor board will blow up your pants leg. Who needs air conditioning? You'll be cool, a smile on your face wherever you go under that hat.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

I'm one of those people who suspect the hype of sunscreen preventing cancer. If sunburn causes cancer, why aren't all skin cancers on shoulders, back of neck and bridge of nose? Things I have read say if you get enough nutrients you will not be likely to get skin cancer.
I may have to eat my words someday..... And my sincere apologies to anyone who has gotten skin cancers.
I have rarely used sunscreen. I just don't go outside when it is really hot. My garden gets attention in the morning and evening, but not in the heat of the day. For the record, I am pretty fair-skinned, but I don't burn easily; I don't tan easily either.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have had a malignant melanoma removed from my lower leg.
It was deep enough that the surgeon also took some lymph cells from my groin after injecting me with a radioactive isotope.

The lymph cells showed no sign of having captured any cancer cells, so I was declared probably okay.

The common thought is that melanomas are related to skin damage from the sun. However, the technician that did the isotope injection seemed skeptical of that and related different incidents which encouraged his skepticism.

I have to wonder, if melanomas are caused by sun damage why didn't it appear on my left arm which gets constant sun exposure while driving? I don't know...

I'm in the sun almost all day long 6 days a week throughout the summer, and outside for a lot of hours in the winter (not so much sun then). I do try to cover a lot, but I just get too hot and claustrophobic feeling with long sleeves and pants.

I'm not advocating running around in the sun and getting fried, just saying that I'm only able to do so much about it for myself.

I did read somewhere (on the internet, so it MUST be true!) that a more Mediterranean diet may help with your natural skin protection. They mentioned tomato paste and olive oil as two helpful foods.

 

[canesisters]

I am a redhead - which means that I can get sunburned walking from the house to the car. I wear a hat. A huge, crazy, floppy hat that I have to add a bandanna to so it will be tight enough to stay on my head. It shades my face, neck, shoulders (mostly). My arms and legs are on their own unless I'm going to be out in really blistering sun for a long time - and yes, I too have the lovely 'farmer tan'. If I'm going to be mowing or something else that will keep me in the sun with no relief for a long while, I use sunblock. But not on my face. That goopy stuff is just gross on your face. When I step into the shade to cool off, I can use the hat as a fan. And when I give up for the day and fall into the hammock, it keeps the setting sun out of my eyes.
If you have even the slightest concern about sun exposure - USE SUNBLOCK and wear a hat.
That's my

 

[ninnymary]

Nyboy, I do agree with the others that hats get you very hot! I have hyper pigmentation on my face that was caused by the sun so I always wear sunscreen on my face. But I do like to lay in the sun for short periods of time to expose the rest of my body to the sun for some beneficial vitamin D.

Maybe you can do your gardening around 8:00am on weekends or when you don't work?

Mary

 

[lesa]

I had a little skin cancer removed from my left ear...very common in folks who drive a lot. Which I do not, nor have I ever?? I was religious about sunscreen on my face for years-now I am allergic to it and I break out in histamine itchy spots all over my face. I'll take the wrinkles.

 

[Nyboy]

Mary that is a very good point about vitamin D. I once had to go to Dr about something,when ordering bloodwork she wanted my levels of VD checked. she said everyone in this part of country had low levels. When test came back I was low, I now take VD every day.

 

[ninnymary]

Nyboy, I've read that 85% of the population are low in vitamin D. It's due to people wearing sunscreen and always working or being indoors. My levels came back so low that I was put on a prescription vitamin D to jump start it. I now take over the counter and was recently retested and I'm back to normal I only take it every other day. My legs are much darker than my face. Is that considered a farmer's tan?

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

My Uncle lived in AZ,I do not remember him ever using sunscreen. But always wore a light weight, light colored LONG sleeve shirt when out in the boat. Always had some type of sun hat on too. He never really tanned. You know the fair skinned Germans.
I also sport a farmers tan most of the summer. Only my face and forearms ever really tan. Again with being a fair skinned German! A hat is a must when in the hottest part of the day. A burned scalp is bad.