Sunburn and sunscreen

[Chirpbird]

I am a whiter than white red-head. I was also born and raised in FL; I've had more sunburns than I can count. I've passed out from sunburns and had tremondous blisters. My experience with sunscreen is below.

 

1) Apply 30 mins before going out.

2) Apply EVERYWHERE - fingers, toes, tops of feet, part in hair, back of neck, everywhere. Bring/use a chapstick like product with SPF. (Believe me, you DO NOT WANT to burn your lips.)

3) Bring it with you and reapply every hour.

4) If possible, don't go out between 10 am and 2 pm.

5) No need to go over 45 - 60 SPF. The higher SPFs simply do not stay on long enough for me to benefit.

6) You will get sun (and may be burned) walking on a sidewalk, sitting in the ocean or pool or under an umbrella. Even if you feel cool, put on more sunscreen.

7) If you notice you are already just slightly pink, GET OUT OF THE SUN. If you see pink while you're out, it will turn much much brighter after you're out of the sun.

[Chirpbird]

I forgot to add...HAVE FUN. I absolutely adore the ocean and being out on a beach. With the proper precautions, you can have a great, painless time.

[AdventureMom22]

Just got back from my first cruise. I was very worried about burning since I almost always do even with high spf and was especially concerned w/ the more intense sun exposure. I actually did something I haven't done since before I was married (14 yrs ago).. I did about 5 or 6 short tanning bed sessions the two weeks before we left. I think that, plus very diligent use of an spf 50 sunscreen during the trip helped me to not burn, plus I had color before the trip! I know tanning beds are horrible for your skin, but I felt to get burnt to crisp on my cruise would be worse for my skin and would not be fun! I did get a mild burn on my back during our snorkeling excursion because I forgot to reapply after getting out of the water. So, don't forget to reapply! Even if it says waterproof, I don't think they are really. Good idea to put it on in the cabin before going out, especially for kids who get so excited when the get to the pool/water slide & get impatient. The decks are windy and you will have no clue you are burning til it is too late. Have fun!

[sassmofi]

Be careful with the spray/aerosol sunscreens. You often inhale the product. Your lungs do not need sunscreen.

 

Here is an article on suncreen and some links on which are good suncreen.

 

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Examiner~y2010m6d20-Dont-get-burned-by-choosing-the-wrong-sunscreen?cid=publish_facebook%3A7158

 

And here are some sunscreen ratings:

 

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

[tnincy]

i use sunscreen everytime i am going to be outside. whether it's in port shopping, the beach, or the lido deck, i don't leave my stateroom without it. i recommend everyone use it no matter what your skin tone and potential to burn. i have an olive complexion, live at the beach and still wear sunscreen religiously. if you are fair skin i would recommend atleast a 30spf. reapply often especially if you are swimming or sweating alot. sunscreen becomes less effective if not applied 30 minutes before venturing out in the sun.

[bratgrr1]

I am a whiter than white red-head. I was also born and raised in FL; I've had more sunburns than I can count. I've passed out from sunburns and had tremondous blisters. My experience with sunscreen is below.

 

1) Apply 30 mins before going out.

2) Apply EVERYWHERE - fingers, toes, tops of feet, part in hair, back of neck, everywhere. Bring/use a chapstick like product with SPF. (Believe me, you DO NOT WANT to burn your lips.)

3) Bring it with you and reapply every hour.

4) If possible, don't go out between 10 am and 2 pm.

5) No need to go over 45 - 60 SPF. The higher SPFs simply do not stay on long enough for me to benefit.

6) You will get sun (and may be burned) walking on a sidewalk, sitting in the ocean or pool or under an umbrella. Even if you feel cool, put on more sunscreen.

7) If you notice you are already just slightly pink, GET OUT OF THE SUN. If you see pink while you're out, it will turn much much brighter after you're out of the sun.

 

I hate it when I forget to sunscreen the part in my hair. ouch!

[KandCsailing]

I take a couple small bottles of SPF 30 or higher lotion with us on every cruise. I like the sprays if I'm trying to apply them one myself (had a few finger size burns from areas I've missed with lotion, but I'm afraid of the sprays leaking when we fly and I've got DH to get the hard to reach areas.

DH and I don't sunbathe and he really sweats, so most the time we stay in the shade on board. We always try to wear it when we are walking around the ports, because it's easy to forget how long you've been in the sun with so much to look at.

I still manage to get a weird tan pattern on my feet every summer from forgetting to do them.

This year I finally bought myself a face sunscreen to use here at home, since I've started to get some age spots! :eek:

I also always wear a hat, sunglasses and lip balm.

[bankerbabe]

I haven't seen anyone mention it, but I REALLY like the Neutrogena products. I prefer the sprays, they are just easier to use, but they do tend to be more expensive as you can't get as many uses out of the can. Walgreens carries an immitation of Neutrogena that works really nicely.

 

I like the Neutrogena because, if you buy the right one, it isn't as greasy as most sunscreens. It seems to stay on pretty well, because we use it at the lake in the summers and only reapply a couple of times a day, despite a lot of water time.

 

I would recommend holding your breath as much as possible when spraying, though, as that stuff can't be good for your lungs. And make sure you are in a decently ventilated area - I did it in the bathroom on the Conquest once and about gassed myself out. Bad idea.

 

And I second what someone else said - be cognizant of who is around you so that they don't wind up eating your sunscreen. Not nice at all.

 

And don't forget your head!! I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten the part between my bangs and my regular hair. That REALLY hurts and is very unattractive when it starts to peel.

 

And, we learned this in Cancun this March, don't let teenage boys apply their own sunscreen. Poor kids looked like lobsters. I shouldn't have listened when they said they could do it themselves.

[tracyanns]

Oh come on...with so many sunscreen tips no one is going to burn and we won't have all those red people to make fun of at dinner...:eek:

[bankerbabe]

Oh come on...with so many sunscreen tips no one is going to burn and we won't have all those red people to make fun of at dinner...:eek:

 

I'm sure I can find something else to make fun of people for :)

[KandCsailing]

I haven't seen anyone mention it, but I REALLY like the Neutrogena products.

The face one I bought this year is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face. SPF 60.

[Fergus]

Please remember to use biodegradable sunscreen when you are going in the ocean! I read up on this recently and was amazed at how damaging regular sunscreen can be to the reefs and marine life!

 

And I'm also a HUGE proponent of sunscreen - I developed skin cancer at age 26. I can remember being burned over and over again at the beach when I was little, back in the day before sunscreen. You can bet I'm a fanatic with my kids!! My son is now 17 and left this week for ROTC camp - last thing I said to him was WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN!! :D

[MrPete]

Please remember to use biodegradable sunscreen when you are going in the ocean! I read up on this recently and was amazed at how damaging regular sunscreen can be to the reefs and marine life!

 

A pimple vs what's in the Gulf now.

 

It's silly to apply the stuff and swim before it's absorbed.

[babyher]

Once were the days before sunscreen when all I would use is Baby Oil.

 

Being Italian and olive skinned , I rarely burned and got really dark really fast .

 

I could keep a good tan almsot until the end of october if I worked at it.

 

Those were the days :)

[tracyanns]

Well, looks like he used sunscreen in one spot...(tell me he wasn't hurting for the next few days)

 

[BigDfromTN]

I saw a report on a national news show just the other day. It echoed the apply 30 minutes BEFORE going out.

 

The show also stated something I never knew. SPF is NOT a factor of how much sun is blocked but how long it will last. The number indicates the amount of minutes before another application is needed to be safe. This is much different than I had always thought..... So, spf15-reapply in 15 minutes. Spf50-reapply in 50 minutes.

 

Definately wear something!!

[Froufie]

I saw a report on a national news show just the other day. It echoed the apply 30 minutes BEFORE going out.

 

The show also stated something I never knew. SPF is NOT a factor of how much sun is blocked but how long it will last. The number indicates the amount of minutes before another application is needed to be safe. This is much different than I had always thought..... So, spf15-reapply in 15 minutes. Spf50-reapply in 50 minutes.

 

Definately wear something!!

 

Here is an explanation of spf:

SPF (sun protection factor): A number on a scale for rating the degree of protection provided by sunscreens. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.

 

SPF numbers on a package can range from as low as 2 to as high as 100. These numbers refer to the product's ability to screen or block out the sun's burning rays. It is a common mistake to assume that the duration of effectiveness of a sunscreen can be calculated simply by multiplying the SPF by the length of time it takes for him or her to suffer a burn without sunscreen, because the amount of sun exposure a person receives is dependent upon more than just the length of time spent in the sun. The amount of sun exposure depends upon a number of factors including the length of exposure, time of day, geographic location, and weather conditions

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen

[Maple_Girl]

Please remember to use biodegradable sunscreen when you are going in the ocean! I read up on this recently and was amazed at how damaging regular sunscreen can be to the reefs and marine life!

 

This is a great tip that I hadn't thought of. Thank you!

[Chief Cruiser]

Sunblock versus sunscreen: http://www.family-health-and-nutrition.com/sunblock-vs-sunscreen.html

(there is also a link to a searchable database so you can check out your current sunscreen!)

 

Thanks for the info Froufie! I wasn't happy with what I read about the sunblock I currently use. :( Interesting read for sure though. :)

[suzinva]

I can get a suburn in a bright light and it takes maybe 10 minutes of exposure for me to turn red. If I know I'm going to be in the sun for more than a few minutes (even in the car), I wear at least a 30. When I cruise, I wear a 50, a hat and a t-shirt if I'm in the water. I apply every hour to hour 1/2 if I'm not swimming or sweating, and every time I get out of the water if I'm swimming. I'm obsessed. But, I get majorly ill from sunburns (rashes, headaches, nausea/vomiting, chills, blisters, pain, etc) and I avoid that at all costs, plus I'm on medication which makes all this worse. Why ruin my vacation over something as easily preventable as a sunburn? And I love the sun, I don't limit myself in that respect, I'm just uber-careful, wear sunscreen, cover up and stay in the shade when it's possible.