Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, you’ve heard it all before. But listen up, and you’ll save yourself trouble now and later.
The subject is sunburn.
You dark-skinned people are not off the hook on this topic; even though fair-skinned, freckled people burn more easily, dark-skinned people are susceptible to the really nasty, long term effects of overexposure to the sun.
And depending on where in the world you are, you’ll burn no matter how dark your skin. A black friend of mine went to the Bahamas, and was surprised when she got fried. This wouldn’t have happened as quickly in Ohio. Sun intensity makes a difference.
When you think sunburn danger, you worry about UV rays. There are three types: UVA, UVB and UVC rays.
UVC rays pose no threat, as they dissipate in the atmosphere. Poof!
UVA rays have a longer wavelength than UVB rays. They only cause around 15 percent of sunburns. UVA rays are those given off by tanning booths. They’re still potentially dangerous, but they’re not the worst sort.
The real killers are UVB rays. They cause all kinds of damage to people’s skin and eyes. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re safe on a cloudy day, because 80 percent of UVB rays make it through the clouds.
The only protection is to stay inside like a hermit, to wear long sleeves and pants and hats all the time, or to generously slather yourself with sunscreen.
I choose door number three, please.
When I was a teen in the ‘70s, we generously slathered ourselves with Johnson’s Baby Oil. I’m one of those fair-skinned freckled people. All I did was get more freckles, get sunburned and increase my chances of getting skin cancer down the road.
Veeeery sexy.
Look, from decade to decade, and even from century to century, the ideals of beauty change. Fair skin was all the rage not long ago. When I was a teen it was all about getting as tanned as a leather purse. Now, while some people still tan, healthy skin is all the rage, and people are taking more care with their skin, as well as being proud of living in the bodies in which they were born.
Did you know overexposure to sun can cause eye problems? Too much sun exposure has been linked with cataracts and possibly with macular degeneration. And intense exposure to the sun can sunburn your eyeballs! This is called photokeratitis. And it HURTS! Wear sunglasses with UVB protection to help prevent all of this.
Sunburn hurts. Blisters; chills; pain; fever; peeling; yuck! Wear the sunscreen -- at least UVB rating 15+. And reapply it after you swim or sweat.
Sunburn kills. Don’t be a statistic in 10-20 years. Protect yourself and your loved ones. This means nagging your balding male friends who never wear hats. Just ask my dad, who has had many little skin cancers cut off his head and face. Not fun!
To learn more about sunburn and skin cancer, visithttp://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/sunburn.
I hope you don’t mind this friendly little reminder. I’m a mom. I can’t help it.
Did you put on your sunscreen yet today?
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