Dear Fellow Beach Bum,
As you obviously know, it’s June and the UV index is the highest it’s been since you last felt any summer rays. You’ve been waiting for this feeling since August. School’s out, the temperature s rising, and it’s time to hit the beach. You pack your tote full of snacks, headphones, your latest favorite book, plenty of water and some tanning oil.
You head down to the sand with all of your friends and get settled in your Tommy Bahama backpack chair. After a few minutes, you apply your water resistant Banana Boat SPF15 and wait for it to dry. The waves are looking nice and everyone decides to test the water, but unknowingly ends up swimming around for over two hours. I bet you forget how hot it is outside, and that you should probably reapply sunscreen sometime soon to avoid looking like a lobster. But, you didn’t bring anything higher than SPF15 and some of your friends didn’t even apply anything.
The shower after the beach hurts like hell, but you don’t even realize your skin has turned a bright red until you look in the mirror when you’re washing your face. It hurts to even get dressed, and brushing your hair is out of the question because your scalp is on fire. As you lay in your towel, your parents ask, “Did you even put sunscreen on?”
All you wanted was a sun-kissed glow to start off the summer, but now you look like Clifford the Big Red Dog. Of course, aloe lotion can relieve the pain of the sunburn. But, what most people don’t realize is how harmful that sunburn and lack of sunscreen application is to your skin in the long run. Everyone has heard of someone who has had skin cancer, had it removed, and they’re "fine" now. That wouldn’t happen to me, you think. However, I’m here to tell you that it can happen to you.
Coming from an overly Irish family, my skin is as white as a ghost. My mom gets nervous every time I go out in the sun, even if it’s mid-December. If I sit on the back patio for too long, my cheeks get blushed and I have to go under an umbrella. I’ve tried everything from tanning oil to Jergen’s Instant Sun Lotion. I like to go to the beach and keep tabs on my bikini tan line just like every other teenager. However, it’s time that I come to terms with the fact that I will never be as tan as my Italian friends who are naturally bronzed by Memorial Day.
From experience, my advice to anyone who is so bold as to venture out of their house and to the ocean when the UV index is high is wear sunscreen, and a lot of it. Skin cancer, melanoma, and other incredibly dangerous health conditions can occur to anyone who thinks it won’t happen to them. Always wear an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply every hour, or two, while outdoors.
You’re probably reading this and thinking, who is this girl and why should I listen to her tell me how to live my life? I’m not a scientist and I don’t have a background of research and statistical studies. But, I do have experience outside with one too many traumatizing sunburns (see picture below) and wouldn’t wish that, or even more severe consequences, on my worst enemy. The sun is not your friend and skin cancer can happen to anyone. Wear sunscreen, reapply, and spread the word. Your teenage self will thank you for it later in life.
Sincerely,
Pale Irish Beachgoer
