I Know It's December But...Protect Your Skin From The Sun

As I was diligently working my tail off yesterday at the computer I came across this gem of a blog. Pale Is The New Tan is run by a dude in Burbank and is quite hilarious. Scroll through and you'll find spectacular pics of victims of tanning beds, spray tanning, and the sun.

Why do I bring this up? A colleague mentioned how, although summer is over, I still seem to have a tan. I assured her that it was only the skin that she could see, that being my hands and face. Unfortunately, being one to play plenty of golf and surf as much as possible I will get exposed to the sun.

I believe that in spite of my time outside I've been protecting my skin since I still get mistaken for being much younger than I am...I hope. So what do I do?

Since I can remember, I've been taking care of my skin. Grandmama introduced me to Oil Of Olay when I was like 10 years old and told me I better start taking care of my face. It may sound odd, but she made an impression. I've used a moisturizer with sunblock since my late teens. In addition, I wear a hat and sunglasses wherever possible to protect my skin.

Even when I golf in the desert I wear pants and 3/4 sleeve shirts to keep as much sun off as possible. I keep a spray sunscreen in my bag so I can reapply the exposed skin as often as possible.

What about surfing?

This is more difficult but possible. I keep a waterproof hat on when I am longboarding in calmer waves but a hat isn't always a possibility in the more powerful stuff. I bought some Watermans SPF 55 and Zinka products from Rider Shack. I put the Watermans on all over my face, ears, and neck and then add a line of Zinka around my nose and cheeks for good measure and put lip product with sunscreen on thick. Sure, my face is completely white but who cares? I am certainly not worried about looking pretty when I am trying to catch waves. My poor hands get quite a bit of sun but I do wear gloves when it is colder.

The rest of my body is covered in a wetsuit and booties when I surf except for a few months in the year. If I'm wearing a shortie or rashguard and boardshorts I do get color on the exposed parts of my arms and legs. I do go in with a waterproof sunblock to start, usually a Coppertone Sport or similar product, but it doesn't stay on like the Waterman or Zinka products.

The bottom line for me is that I am not going to hide from the sun. I would much rather be outdoors and active. I will however, do what I can to protect my skin.