Safe Summer Skin

No one is oblivious to the fact that too much time in the sun is bad for you. But still--so many of us seem to take this idea for granted, myself included. Why is it that despite countless warnings about the dangers of sunburns and not wearing sunscreen, that so many people--particially young women--are still ignoring the facts? With the weather getting warmer and summer coming up, I've been excited to start working on my tan and have spent several days by the pool already. I have somewhat fair skin, but still tan pretty easily, and after just a few pool trips I've already gotten multiple comments on my new tan. However, for whatever reason this weekend it hit me (something I've been hearing for years, yet somehow managed to ignore until this point)--my tan may look good now, but how will it look when I'm 30? 40? 50 and older? I also have a lot of freckles on my face (although weirdly almost none on my body), which also began to concern me. I like the way my freckles look for now, but how much will it take for one (or more) of them to develop into something bad? Here's a quote from the Skin Cancer Foundation Website:

"One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescene more than doubles a person's chance at developing melanoma later in life. A person's risk for melanoma also doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age."

Yikes. Five or more sunburns? This statistic is particularly alarming for me, given that I remember having two bad sunburns last year alone. I also looked at their website's Skin Type Quiz to determine what my skin type and corresponding risk of developing skin cancer is. I was a Type II out of 6 possible types. Type I would be the lightest skinned people, with light hair and eyes and many freckles. Type VI would be a very dark-skinned African American person. I would assume most people are around a Type III.

So--where does this leave those of us who are still interested in getting a decent tan for summer? Luckily I've never been one to go to tanning beds--I categorize those with activities such as smoking and eating very unhealthily--but still, laying out in the sun for long periods at a time isn't much better. I definitely won't be giving up spending time at the beach or pool, BUT I've decided that I'll only lay out for very short periods of time (not even close to getting a sunburn) AND I'll wear sunscreen. Period. There's no reason to choose something unhealthy, when a much healthier and safer alternative is available.

I also decided to add two new products to my beauty routine, one of those being Neutrogena Micro-Mist Airbrush Sunless Tan. It works just like the self tanning lotions, except it comes out in a spray. I was a bit hesitant to try it at first since I've never used a spray tanner before, but it works wonderfully! The directions say you don't have to rub it after you spray it on, but I did and I think it made a difference. I don't have a single streak, splotch, or uneven spot anywhere! It also is a pretty good color--not unnatural looking whatsoever! I think that as long as I keep using this and spend just a tiny bit of time in the sun, I'll still have a nice, healthy summer glow. No more damaging sunburns! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good self-tanner, but I'd also suggest watching some YouTube videos that show the best way to apply it first. The second product is Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Sun Damage. It's a daily facial moisturizer with SPF28 that is supposed to work to remove wrinkles, sun spots, and uneven skin tone caused by the sun. It's never to early to start thinking about your future skin, and working to keep it healthy and pretty! This lotion works alright as a daily moisturizer. It's a bit heavy for my liking, but not bad at all, especially given its SPF!

Overall, I guess this post is supposed to sum up one idea: You're only "young" for a very short time, relatively. I've read that women hit their beauty peak at age 31, so from that point on it's only downhill. You spend most of your life as an adult, and going through the aging process. Tanned skin may be alright for the time when you're young, but how will it look for the majority of your life when you're not young? Are you willing to sacrifice the quality of your skin for the greater part of your life (when you're old) just for brown skin now? I don't mean to be too preachy, but it just hit me recently how much of a real concern this is and I really feel it's something for everyone to think about!

How do you feel about tanning vs. protecting your skin for the future? Do you use any tanning products? Products to protect your skin from damage and aging?

~KBR~