Posts with tag sunburn

San Francisco summers are freezing cold. We usually spend June and July so bundled up that the sun doesn't have a chance to burn any body parts. We must admit: sunscreen is often an afterthought.

Last week we sat through a two hour graduation ceremony in Boston during a heatwave and received a fierce reminder of it's importance: glowing, red, sunburned arms.

This was a bad burn, and Lubriderm wasn't going to cut it, so we headed to Walgreens for aloe vera gel. Luckily we found something even better: Burt's Bees Soothingly Sensitive Aloe & Buttermilk Lotion.

As pale folk, we are well aware of the myriad dangers of sun exposure. But we hate to get our hands all yucky with gloppy, gritty, weird smelling sunscreen.

Plus, it's so easy to miss a spot when we're rubbing in lotion. That spells disaster in the form of organically shaped sunburn art, usually across the backs of your knees, thighs or that little spot where every bra strap rubs all day long.

When it comes to cosmetics, I tend to go through them very, very slowly. Shampoos, body lotions, face creams, make-up -- they all seem to have a longer-than-average lifespan.

It's not uncommon for me to get a full year's use out of most products. The exception, of course, is sunscreen. I slather it on everyday, rain or shine, winter or summer just to make sure that all UVA/UVB rays are unilaterally rejected by my epidermis.

I admit, it's a little obsessive, but I've yet to meet a dermatologist bold enough to disagree with my practice. And so long as melanoma is among the most prevalent cancers, I refuse to feel bad about being "wasteful" about sunscreen.

Even though high-end cosmetics companies sell sunscreen for $50 a bottle, my favorite will always remain the old drugstore stand-by Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock. The difference between the Ultra Sheer and other similarly priced sunscreens is that the Neutrogena variety has a "Dry-Touch" formula that absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a heavy residue. Basically, the Dry-Touch makes it possible for you to still wear your regular daily make-up over top the sunscreen without having that late-day cosmetics melt-down. Ultra sheer is also extremely effective at blocking out harmful rays while still being waterproof and sweatproof.

I'm also fond of the smell -- light, fresh, but not so strong that people will wonder if you were attacked by an overzealous cabana boy. (Not that there isn't a place and a time for an overzealous cabana boy, but that time and place is not the office.)

Most will be satisfied with the protective abilities of the 30 SPF. I, on the otherhand, will absolutely not go outside with anything less than Neutrogena's newest addition -- SPF 55!

Remember, stay young, stay beautiful, and put on some sunscreen.