For those of you that don't follow {long distance loving}, I wanted to share with you {av}'s new blog and adventure...Sun Savvy. Back in May, {av} shared her story about her trials with skin cancer. She and Danielle have teamed up to provide more awareness about skin cancer and how to detect it early.
I fortunately have never had skin cancer personally, but I wanted to share thoughts on sun and protecting your skin.
"I was born and raised on a Carolina sea island and I carried the sunshine of the lowcountry, inked in dark gold, on my back and shoulders." ~ Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides
That quote and book are two of my favorites. It could not describe my upbringing more perfectly. Except the summer I lived in D.C., I have spent everyone of them on the Carolina coast soaking up the sunshine. If you are going to spend the day outside in South Carolina, you hopefully will be by a body of water. It is the only way to stay cool. With all this sun exposure, I have to always protect my skin when I am outside.
I was blessed with beautiful olive skin from my dad. My great-grandmother was full blooded Native American. I was so tan when I was born that a woman stopped by mother about a month after I was born to tell her that she was a bad mother for having me out in the sun.
Come summertime, I get the constant statement..."GOSH! You are so tan!!"...followed by the "You must live at the beach!?" Some in a condescending tone and others not. It really bugs me, because I feel like I am getting negative attention for being tan. I really don't spend my entire life at the beach.
I am fairly tan throughout the year and I guess some people don't realize it.
Case in point...
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| New Years 2011 |
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| January 2011 |
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| May 2011 |
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| June 2011 |
I get the..."Well, I bet you never burn." No, sorry, I don't get sunburned. But that doesn't mean, I have never gotten too much sun in one day. Or repeatedly gotten too much. I have!
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| Water Festival 2010 |
That being said...here is my sun savvy advice...
1. I always use a higher SPF on my face. 30 or higher. Avoid as many wrinkles as possible.
2. Use a sunscreen that is sweat proof. This is help for when you outside during extended periods and being a little bit more active than use lounging.
3. Re-apply as needed. That means after being in the water or after a few hours.
4. Don't forget "sensitive" areas...i.e., your ears and your feet.
5. For guys...if your hair is short (liked buzzed short) but some sunscreen on your noggin'
6. Use a moisturizer that has an SPF. Every little bit helps.
7. Once burned, don't go back out in the sun until your skin has healed.
8. You will get sun even with sunscreen on, so don't think you won't get tan. I use 20 SPF all over and look at me. It still gets through.
9. Don't think that just because it is overcast, you are not getting sun. It is just the opposite usually. You don't put any sunscreen on when it is a little cloudier out. It doesn't feel as hot out. WRONG! Those rays are still coming through and you will end up more burned on those days.
10. Protect your skin after getting sun with aloe to prevent pealing and further burning.
Go join the movement and be Sun Savvy!
Lastly....
What kinda fan would I be without leaving you with some garnet and black love!
Friday, Carolina beat UVA after 13 {long, grueling} innings to get the chance to defend our title! We will face Florida tonight at 8:00. We took 2 out 3 against Florida back in March.
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| Albert and Cocky |
AHH! So ready to get it all started, again!
GOOOOO COCKS!!
Soulfully,
Ashton
I am so not sun savvy. I am going to hate myself in a few years.
ReplyDeleteOh, my boyfriend Pat Conroy...hee!
ReplyDeleteI signed the pledge over at Sun Savvy!!
ReplyDeletegreat tips! i signed the pledge this morning! xoxo jillian:: stop by! i'm hosting a jewelry giveaway
ReplyDeleteVery good tips! I too signed the pledge.
ReplyDeleteI realized after reading your post how insensitive saying "You're so tan" is to people, especially when it is genetics not tanning beds that are the reason. I will definitely refrain from those types of comments in the future :)
We are very similar--my great grandmother was full blooded Native American too (Pueblo)! I wish I stayed as tan as you year-round though! I don't really burn and get super dark in the summer, but all of these points are so true! For me the two most important are wearing a higher SPF on my face and reapplying as necessary!
ReplyDeletePS: Stop by tomorrow for a giveaway and sale!
I wanted to stop by and thank you for writing about sun savvy. I have obviously signed the pledge to take care of my skin! So glad you have done the same!
ReplyDeleteI used to HATE my white skin. I have completely accepted it and don't really think about it. I will put on a little jergens express to take myself from glow in the dark to slightly off white on occasion. Mostly -- I don't think about it because I know that it's healthy and it's just me!
This is a great post!! I don't get how, at this age, that people still don't realize they can get burnt when it's cloudy... I am a SPF freak! The American Skin Cancer society would have been proud of me on Sunday for how long it took me to put on my sunscreen and how I made sure I got every party of my body. Even my ears :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm trying to get past my "I need to be tan" mentality, but it's really hard. I look so much better with a summer glow.
ReplyDelete