My Love/Hate Relationship with Sunscreen
By Liz
May 4, 2010
This weekend it was 80 degrees and sunny in Boston. We usually don’t see that kind of weather until July. I was outside with my children all weekend: gardening, playing, even swimming. I love my kids. I love the summer. But I dread applying sunscreen. In fact, the first time my son and I ever fought was while I was applying sunscreen to his face. He was 2 at the time.
Yesterday, while I slathered his face with SPF 30, he said, “Mom, do you hate sunscreen as much as I do?” I replied, “I hate fighting with you every time I put it on you. I hate how slimy it feels. I hate how sand and bugs stick to it. I hate getting it in my eyes and under my fingernails. I hate spending money on it. But, actually, I love sunscreen.”
| ‘Mom, do you hate sunscreen as much as I do?’ |
Without sunscreen, after all, I couldn’t spend time outside. My pale, freckled skin, and my children’s skin would burn and blister in less than an hour. As annoying as it is to apply sunscreen several times a day, I am grateful it exists.
Consider these facts from the Skin Cancer Foundation:
•Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million cases in two million people are diagnosed annually.
•Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.
•One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
•About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
• About 65 percent of melanoma cases can be attributed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
And then heed these guidelines, grease up and enjoy the warm weather:
•Seek the shade
•Do not burn.
•Avoid UV tanning booths.
•Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
•Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours.
•Cover up with clothing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
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