Battling Sunburn

If you're anything like me (ridiculously white. . .thank you Swedish/German heritage), you know what it's like to be in the sun. So fun, so warm, but a couple hours without thinking can ruin your entire vacation.

What are steps you take at pool parties or other outdoor venues to fight sunburn?
How acceptable is sunscreen at pool parties? In other words, are people normally doing this or would you stand out?

Open topic--anything even tangentially related is acceptable. I've never been to a pool party in Vegas and I'm a little worried heading in as a rookie (and looking like one too )

 

Simply put. If you are whiter than white, you can't be in the sun for more than 10 minutes or so the first go round. You need to do some fake-bake tan time before you go.

 

Did this Monday. The results are devastating. I'll be going again Saturday for a shorter period of time, and hopefully Monday as well. I'm just not confident based on the *extremely painful* results from only 8 minutes in the *safest* bed.

 

Serving a client in suncare, I can tell you that a VERY large chunk of people don't apply suncare outside of going to the pool/beach/lake. The inherent problem with this is that they aren't getting the protection they need while they're doing things like walking (i.e. walking the strip in Vegas) and are thus getting burned. Also (or apparently), getting a base tan before your trip is a fallacy as it doesn't provide any additional protection or benefits. I say do yourself a favor and protect your skin...1 once every two hours.

 

I'll definitely try to do this if I don't feel like I stand out too much. Otherwise I might make it less-often than once every 2 hours.

Let's hope the drinking doesn't make me forget hahaha. Thank you for your advice

 

Man, don't eff with melanoma. I'm a fair-skinned Viking-extract guy and I spend a fair amount of time in the sun.

Consider long-sleeve SPF "pool" wear -- a button-front you leave open over your tee or polo, a reef shirt if you have the core for it -- and a hat. Liberally use sunscreen. I've gone back to sunblock instead of sunscreen. It might sound like semantics but sunblock blocks -- as best it can -- the bad stuff using zinc or titanium oxide. Sunscreen relies on a chemical reaction to render inert -- as best it can -- the bad stuff. I'm no dermatologist but given what I do I've chatted with a lot of folks in the know on this stuff. Just make sure you use one or the other. There are plenty of oxide blocks out there now that don't make you look like Casper. Put it on a little at a time before you go out, work it in, repeat. And don't forget to re-apply after you've been out. And don't forget your ears. Use block and make sure that had isn't just a ball cap. You have no idea the number of starters and other outside personnel at golf courses I've seen missing big hunks of their ears. (This won't happen after one pool party, of course, but this stuff is cumulative. Plus sunburns ruin vacation.)

Yep on the fake-and-bake ... ego-only.

 

I've had some questionable lesions removed by doctors so while sunburn can be a problem, cancer is worse. Use protection!

 

I dont use sun screen. Whats worse for your skin, the all natural sun or some chemicals you cant even pronounce?

i just use common sense. if a stove is hot when i touch it, I dont touch it a second time. I dont smear magical goo on my hands so i can keep touching it.

I wear a hat in the sun and go swimming but i dont lay out in it and fry. Its just too hot and boring to do.

 

I am another of the German heritage and have fair hair and blue eyes so I will burn with a quickness if I don't wear sunscreen. The thing that sucks is I love the beach and like to have a good tan.

I will wear SPF 30-50 (usually start with 30 to get some color) and then will increase to 50. The thing that is most important is to keep applying it. If you're not in the water and sweating? Re-apply. I don't care if it says waterproof. I get out of the water and dry off and re-apply.

One time my girlfriend and I went to the fabulous (and by fabulous I mean shitty) beaches down in Galveston. I made the grave mistake of not re-apply and I got cooked. Worst sunburn of my life.

I knew it on the way home because I could feel the sting. By the time we got to the house I couldn't even take a shower. By that night I couldn't even lay on the bed - we had to lay down a microfiber blanket as that was the only thing that would not make me yell. My girlfriend was putting aloe vera on me - didn't help. She then boiled some teabags and rubbed them on me as some home remedy said this was supposed to help. Nope.

I had to deal with it. Awful.

The worst part? When I started to peel my calves had bubbles on them and were retaining waterlike substance. We were out walking around a couple weeks later and I ended up having to pop the bubbles to drain them.

So yeah...never again.

 

Your health and well-being is foremost.

 

I've seen so many people ruin vacations because they don't use sunscreen. Sounds like you already over-did it at the electric beach so be sure to apply and re-apply!

 

To answer your question, the big hot ball in the sky is worse. Sunscreen saves lives!

 

"Zinc oxide" is a tough one. Here's some help:

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/pronunciation/american_english/zinc-oxide

 

Choosing sunscreen

http://www.m.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/whats-best-sunscreen

 

That sounds like second degree burn. Yea, definitely not a fun thing. Getting burned is no joke!

 

I gave up my sun worshipping ways after a couple scares and knowing people going through skin cancer. I pretty much cover up in sun wearing linens when I can and having sunscreen at hand. The skin cancer people get post 40 isn't from what they did the week before, it's from what they did when they were 20. I rarely golf mid day now and even in hot weather, tend to wear light pants.

Despite my Scottish/Ukrainian ancestry I could tan ok in my youth though would burn if not careful. From now on, I am the white ghost but proud of it

 

I use factor 50 every day year round. Fair freckly skin of Irish/Viking decent and too much skin cance in our family not to.

 

Yeah I went to the doc, after the effects were pretty much gone, because my shoulders had sun spots on them. I was a little worried but he said I was fine.

It was miserable.

 

Don't even begin to worry what others might think of your using sunscreen! Apply heavily and often.

 

Rising up, back on the street...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4