I'm on my soap box about sunblock so grab a cup of joe and get comfortable friends.
For the last few days we been at the pool so as not to melt nor be forced indoors with three fighting boys. What my eyes have been treated to are so many crimes against the epidermis that it makes me want to petition for sunscreen to be right up there with seat belt laws.
I have seen so many women absolutely baking themselves for hours. What I haven't noticed is them reapplying their sunscreen. One woman, who I am quite sure started out white, is absolutely deep brown. Think of the color of nicely done toast. I kid you not.
Here is an excellent article without the medical jargon and with straight answers: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/cancer/risk/159.html
Basically it's saying what we hear often now: no sun is good sun.
A few interesting points made in the article:
~While UVA rays take longer than UVB rays to damage the skin, they go deeper into the skin than UVB rays
~ A tan is the body's desperate attempt to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays
~ clouds and water won't protect you--60% to 80% of the sun's rays can get through clouds and can reach swimmers at least one foot below the surface of the water
Here in the Midwest you can practically see people melting in front of you with the heat index and added humidity. We either stay indoors and lie in front of a fan, or go out into the water.
I'm sure I am the "freak mom" at the pool when it comes to sunscreen. We apply at least 15 minutes before going out and apply liberally. You should actually run out of a bottle of sunscreen quite quickly. Each hour the whistle blows, the kids get out and we have a 10 minute break. I make the kids dry off and I reapply everywhere. At first they hated it but now simply endure it. They might blame me for a lot of things in the future (things that probably will require therapy) but they can't blame me for not trying when it comes to preventing skin cancer.
I have been happy with a lot of the Neutrogena products lately. When it's pool time I'm now using Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby with 60+ SPF because kids complained that the sprays burned their faces. Now it's Neutrogena on the face, a thick layer of lotion (Walgreen's brand), and then spray for the hourly touchups. Everyone was happy with the new face cream. Though it is a bit thick so you have to work at it to spread well. I haven't broken out and no one was burned after about 2.5 hours in the sun. the "baby" stick was about $8 at Walgreens (also sold in lotion form-pictured, $9.99 online).
Stay cool and stay blocked my friends.
Other faves:
Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer Light Tint
