I will probably get kicked out of Southern California for admitting this to you, but I absolutely hate tanning. I hate sitting on a towel at the beach. I hate slathering up in baby oil by the pool. I hate tanning salons. I have been blessed with easy-to-tan skin, but every time I try to go bronze it up by the pool, I'm back inside within 5 minutes. I just don’t like being baked.
Today, a group of my summer school students were discussing their junior high physical education teacher. Overhearing her name, and recognizing her as my physical education teacher 14 years ago, I jumped into the conversation. The teacher must have in her early twenties when I was a junior high student and she was beautiful. She had shiny hair, a petite figure, and a great tan from hanging out on the junior high softball field day after day. But ten years later--the time when my students had her--she had become a bit weathered and had taken to wearing a giant straw rather than the cute ponytail I remember, undoubtedly to block the harsh rays of the sun.
Coincidentally, I was cleaning out a drawer today and I found a photograph of myself taken with a UV camera. It was taken at the First Lady's Conference on Women and the dermatologist had been impressed with my results--barely a spot of damage or infection could be found. The photo isn't lovely, in fact it is pretty weird and unattractive, but here it is:
The bad stuff, which you can't see on me because I use SPF 15 on my face every single day, is indicated by dark, visible spotting or freckling. Bright white spots indicate scary infection. The cameras do not exaggerate normally visible freckles; they penetrate 2 millimeters under the skin to the place where sun damage lurks. If current trends continue, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer, and it seems to me that dermatologists should be using these cameras like crazy to scare all sorts of people into purchasing Coppertone 50 in bulk at Costco.
I might be kicked out of Southern California for saying this, but the sun ain't fun if you ain't wearing the SPF. And, anyway, So Cal can kick me out because, baby, I’ve already got one foot out the door.
That is too funny because while I live on the exact opposite side of the country, I ALWAYS wear sunscreen, too. In fact, I just put some on to soak in for the allotted half hour before going outside. I also despise sitting in the sun. It kind of freaks me out. Who willingly exposes herself to something so harmful? My great grandmother is 84 and my grandmother is 65 and they both have impeccable skin and barely any wrinkles from sun damage because they wore sunscreen. I am thankful they shared their habit with me.
Posted by: cupcake | June 27, 2007 at 06:01 AM
I hate tanning too! When I lived in LA I always felt secretly jealous of the boys on Will Rogers State Beach all bronzed and beautiful but I couldn't help but think when I die, God is going to ask me what I was doing to improve the world on the 3rd Saturday in June, 1985, and I'd have to say "Nothing. I was tanning." and then I'd go to hell.
Guess I'm a little neurotic.
Posted by: Semi-Charmed | June 27, 2007 at 06:29 AM
Ugh! Ok, ok...I am SOOOO one of those girls...yep, I go tanning! But I am so pasty white, the color makes me look 1,000 times better and when the tan wears off, I can't stand it. I'm trying to cut back, really I am...I don't want to be one of those orangey girls that spend half their life in a tanning salon, but I definitely need the color!
Oh, and just to prove to you that I'm SO one of those girls...my Mom has had skin cancer...twice!
I know, I'm awful...and after reading this post, I'm embarassed!
Posted by: Shesabigstar | June 27, 2007 at 07:01 AM
I try really hard to remember to wear sunblock on my face every day. I figure that it's easier/cheaper than a face-lift and botox when I'm 40. :p
Posted by: Hope | June 27, 2007 at 07:07 AM
Great PSA! I've had skin cancer twice (genetic pre-disposition) and NEVER go out in the sun without sunscreen or lay out and bake. That has attributed to years of pasty whiteness, but much healthier skin.
Posted by: Nicole | June 27, 2007 at 09:02 AM
I'm with you -- SPF 15 every day on my face thanks to good face lotion. I'm very pale but freckle easily and I hate being in the sun for longer than five minutes. The humidity is a killer around here!
Posted by: Pamela | June 27, 2007 at 12:08 PM
what kind of SPF face lotion do you prefer? The Coppertone 50?
Malia
Posted by: Malia | June 27, 2007 at 03:13 PM
Ugh...I DESPISE wearing sunblock - but I do it anyway, because I don't want to be a wrinkly old bag (well, that is, I don't want any MORE wrinkles than this). Dyed in the wool Southern California girl, but no tan to match it, even though I tan super-fast.
Shamefully, I MISS being tan. A lot.
Posted by: Maya | June 28, 2007 at 12:17 AM
Amen to sunblock! I was a lifeguard in high school and college and was appalled to see the leathery skin on the old -- you know, in their 30s -- women who spent all day sitting next to the pool. That's when I started to wear a hat and sunblock, even though tans were very fashionable in the late 70s and early 80s.
Posted by: class factotum | June 28, 2007 at 06:40 AM
I find it hard to believe that you think that she looks old and weathered. You obviously have not seen her.
Posted by: jan | June 06, 2010 at 12:11 AM
Jan, you are so right--I haven't seen her and I bet she is just as lovely as ever. We're all getting a bit older (although I definitely didn't use the word OLD!). The discussion by my students was just a reminder that we all need to protect ourselves from the sun. I commend our teacher for breaking out the straw hat and saving her lovely skin for years to come.
Posted by: Slice of Pink | June 06, 2010 at 08:09 PM