Growing up with fair skin, sunburn and tan envy!

www.freedigitalphotos.net

I am a fair skinned person, I grew up with a sister who has a beautiful olive skin tone and tans very easily and I was always jealous of her ability to tan. Me, I had to work for one, and I that usually meant getting sunburn first. During my youth I burned quite a few times, with blisters, which doubles my chances of developing skin cancer. Not to mention, it was extremely painful! I tried my best to remember to apply sunscreen! When I was younger, it was easy to lose track of time and reapply sunblock every 20-30 minutes if my mother wasn't nearby.Today, there are methods that make this much easier, such as sun protective clothing with UPF factors that block both UVA and UVB instead of prolong the reddening of the skin, which is what sun screen does.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockinfree/2603404310/
Creative Commons image

Despite the painful sunburns, in my teens and early 20’s I wanted to get that bronzed tan my sister found so easy to achieve. I tried goopy self tanners, which left orange streaks all over my body and stained my hands. I went to tanning beds, and even burned in those. I have since found out, that The Skin Cancer Foundation released a frightening statistic that people who use tanning booths are 74% more likely to develop Melanoma than those who have never used one; which causes 70% of skin cancer deaths and is the most lethal of all types of skin cancer. There is a lot of negative repercussions with tanning, and that includes tanning beds. I remember the myth that tanning beds aren’t supposed to be as bad as the sun. Until I came across another article from The Skin Cancer Foundation about tanning beds, which mentioned that “prolongedUV exposure can lead to DNA damage, a suppressed immune system and photoaging,even in the absence of sunburn.”This basically equates to premature aging, wrinkles, darker freckles, sun spot, age spots and the thick leathery skin you see on those who have spent a lot of time in the sun or tanning.

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Is it really worth being a bronzed beauty or looking younger and healthy for as long as you can? I’m lucky I did away with trying to tan and using tanning booths in my early 20’s and didn’t continue on with so many failed efforts to tan. Looking back, I can say I believe I look younger than those around me, who spent years tanning outside and in tanning booths. I’m okay with being called “Casper” every now and then because I am very pale skinned, because I know protecting my skin and avoiding harmful UV rays will have its benefits in the end. Even at 36, I can look around me and see others who are still trying to tan, in a reckless attempt to look more attractive and younger. I think in my head sometimes “Do these people even know what they are doing to their skin?”

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Speaking of knowing what you are doing to your skin, you may want to consider reading this article by The Skin Cancer Foundation, (click here for article) if you are concerned about wrinkles, leathery skin and brown spots, there are some simple guidelines you can follow to repair and even reverse the signs of sun damage. Your skin does heal after you reduce your sun exposure. Wearing sun protective clothing is also one thing I found made my life much easier. Wearing clothing with a UPF factor, insures me that the clothing I wear blocks both UVA & UVB rays. I also don't have to worry about twisting my arm trying to find a way to apply sunblock on my back. Ever try that? It's next to impossible.  It is a literal pain, and I love knowing that my clothes block UV rays, instead of merely extend the time it takes for my skin to redden. Also, I want to pass on a link that will help you avoid sunscreens with potentially harmful ingredients in them. This was posted by CNN in May 2012, click here for the article. When you use any sunscreen, this is the site I recommend you use to find a safe brand from the EWG (Environmental Working Group).

SPF Premium Woman's T-shirt
UPF 50 blocks 97.5% UV Rays
Regular Price: $14.95
www.spfstore.com

To get some of your own affordable sun protective clothing, (it doesn't have to break your pocketbook SPF 100% Cotton t-shirts are always under $20! (2X or more a few bucks extra) Why not get some SPF brand sun protective clothing?We are the pioneers of the sun protective clothing industry, we participated in establishing government UPF testing and labeling standards. We are home to The Only 100% Cotton shirt recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation and we are endorsed by The Melanoma International Foundation! Also, it's important to know the difference between SPF and UPF clothing. We do not recommend any of clients or readers to purchase any clothing that is rated using an SPF rating. SPF ratings measures how much longer it takes for your skin to redden if you had not applied sunblock to your skin. It has nothing to do with clothing at all. That is why there are UPF factors that are governed. To find out more about the difference between SPF (Sun Protection Factor) and UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Ratings) which is very important to know, please click here.