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Applying Sunscreen
Trying my best to avoid a sunburn
by Heather Atwell
I am one of the fairest of them all -- fairest skinned that it is. Well, maybe not the fairest, but if I miss one little itsy bitsy spot of exposed skin on a sunny day (or overcast day for that matter) when I am outside playing, I get a sunburn that fades to a tan and reminds me and anyone who notices the odd skin tones about my spot omission. Of course I always think that I have learned my lesson, then I get burned again. Here are some of my most memorable sunburns starting with the most recent:
- Two red stripes down front of each arm
I concentrated so much on applying sunscreen to my shoulders I forgot about the easy to reach spots.
- A white hand print on my neck surrounded by sunburn
At least my middle finger was not up.
- A spot on my forehead that earned me the nickname Gorby or Gorbechev for a summer
Here is an example of said mark - http://www.mikhailgorbachev.org
- A stripe down the back of my neck
I decided to wear my hair in a ponytail, after applying sunscreen. Therefore, I missed my neck completely, but my ponytail kept a nice three inch square down my neck protected.
- A sunburn that started four inches above my ankle and continued to my toes
A classic wetsuit sunburn for a person who is a bad surfer and paddles around on her board all day rather than catching waves.
- Scalp sunburn -- multiple
It's easy to forget to apply sunscreen to the scalp, but doing so leads to a great way to make a bad first impression, since the sunburn turns to a dry flaky scalp. Yes, I know this is gross.
And now, I will leave you with a few tips. Spray sunscreen is a great invention. Re-apply often. Don't forget the hard to reach and (in my case) easy to reach spots.
Do you have any sunscreen tips?
Here are some of the obvious ones -- Beautyeria.com, Ourfamilyfitnessblog.com
Reader Comments
Comment from Lori Pedrick on June 19, 2008
I enjoyed your blog Heather as I too am a fair skinned lady. Take it from one who knows, protect your skin! I don't care how thin you "think" look with a tan, it's not worth it. I spent years sitting leisurely, baking in the sun on my black asphalt drive way (baby oil and all) as a youngin' ... boy do I regret it. At the age of 35 I have already been diagnosed with Basel cell skin cancer (spots-3), not good. Jergen's offers a really nice and easy to use self-tanning lotion. You can pick it up at any drug store or your local Target or Wall Mart. Try it, you'll see!
Comment from Annie Copps on June 20, 2008
I feel your pain. I usually get the golfer's tan (sometimes referred to as farmer's tan) on my arms from short sleeves and the "v" on my chest (looks great in a sundress later!), as well as the 5-inch ring-around-the-calf burn from 3/4 length golf pants--again it is quite eye-catching in said sundress later. And like you I too have enjoyed the surfer burn-but on the bottom of my feet, from laying on board for too long sans big wave. Always a fun one.
Terrific blog -- thanks for the laughs!
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