Thursday, June 07, 2007

sunshine

I am not the best person in the world with moisturizers or creams of any sort; maybe because my skin does ok on its own. But then, I know some who disagree that your skin can be ok on its own; they think you have to wash all the oil off your skin and then rub in moisturizers (oily chemicals) to keep it healthy. That just isn't me ... I have always pushed sunscreens into the same category as other creams. I'd rather get a little sunshine here and there and then stay in the shade the rest of the time. But with all the heightened levels of skin cancer even I felt obliged to do a little research. My biggest concern was that sunscreens themselves cause some sort of skin cancer. I think this page does a rather good job of describing the problem and solution. A few notes to take away:
  • Not getting sunburn due to the protection of sunscreen is what is dangerous.
  • The sunscreen should have UVA and UVB protection.
  • Like everything moderation is a good idea so get some sun throughout the day, preferably not 11am to 3pm.
  • Put on sunscreen 20 min before going into the sun.
  • You can protect yourself with clothes and a hat - which honestly is what I prefer to do!
  • Wear sunglasses.
With all of this I went out yesterday and bought some sunscreen. It's kids sunscreen (because I am a little allergic to the scents some creams have) with SPF 45 with no fragrance or colorant, water resistant and non-greasy. I'll be able to tell you in about 30 years if this was a good idea!

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