All my life I have had pale skin. Most of my family tans within 10 minutes of being in the sun. I, on the other hand, burn within 10 minutes of being in the sun. So for all those tan-able people out there, I want to share what it’s like living under sunscreen and long-sleeves.
1. Sunscreen becomes a part of your everyday skincare routine.
When it takes less than 30 minutes of sitting in direct sunlight to get a decent sunburn, sunscreen becomes part of your everyday routine. Any skin that is showing or could possibly show due to shifting clothing gets a thick layer of sunscreen. While most people think this is crazy, I’d much rather deal with smelling like sunscreen and my skin not being able to breathe than to live everyday of my life as a painful lobster.
2. You suddenly become bloodthirsty when someone suggests the "15 Minute Tanning" technique.
Every time tanning comes up, someone has to suggest something along the lines of: “If you just spend 15 minutes outside tanning every day, it will start to build up. The tan will come eventually.” My response to that is: HA! I have spent at least 15 minutes a day in direct sunlight for my whole life and guess what, no tan. Some people just don’t tan, get over it.
3. When you put sunscreen on in public, strangers tell you to skip it to "get a good base."
For people who tan, a good sunburn will last a few days and then morph from a medium red to a beautiful tan. For those with pale skin as myself, this doesn’t happen. A good burn on me is nothing but painful and if I’m lucky it will only last a week and peel for a few days. The last time I spent a slightly cloudy day at the pool with no sunscreen, I ended up with second degree burns. Not just a red, slightly painful burn, but couldn’t move, blistered and scabbing skin that took weeks to heal while also suffering from sun poisoning. I had to take two days off school because I couldn’t stand the feeling of clothes. So, never suggest “a good base burn” to someone with very pale skin because it doesn’t work, and you might get drowned with sunscreen.
4. I'd be rich if I had a dollar for every time someone has called me too pale.
I’ll be honest, the light literally reflects off my skin at times. My friends and family have teased me about this my whole life, and it’s fine. I’m used to it. But nothing is more annoying than having a stranger tell you that you’re too pale or that maybe you should work on your tan. My reactions tend to differ based on how rude the initial comment was. They range from a smile and a nod to “I’m actually a vampire and this ring I’m wearing gives me magical walking-in-the-sunlight-powers.” I’m sure you’re thinking, “That doesn’t really happen does it?” It does—and if you’ve ever done this to someone, ya need to stop.
BONUS: For women with pale skin and dark hair--shaving is a scam!
My mom is only slightly less pale than I am, and she has beautiful blonde hair. So, when she shaves, she can go a few weeks without shaving again and no one will ever notice. I have a friend with dark hair and deeply tanned skin, she can also go a few weeks without shaving and no one will notice. I have dark brown hair and skin that is so pale it is actually almost white. And what I have learned is that shaving is a scam. I can take all the time in the world to exfoliate, shave, and apply lotion—and it still looks like I have stubble on my legs immediately after shaving.
Aside from having to refrain from beating random strangers and avoiding my arch nemesis, the Sun, I love being pale. So, if you’re pale, embrace it and remember to wear sunscreen.
