And We Thought the Sun Was Our Friend
By Cheryl Harbour

Chances are when you see someone out in the sun wearing a hat, that someone is either a child or an adult who has become more sensible with age. Many of us learned our lesson about the sun too late, after spending years in the sun, unprotected.

The standard course of action in our wild and crazy youth was to suffer the consequences of loving the outdoors. Early summer days at the beach or the pool, hiking or biking, tennis or baseball, resulted in the inevitable cycle of burn, peel, and then begin to build a tan.

To be a teenage girl in those days was to make it even worse. We’d find a nice patio or even a rooftop, slather on the baby oil and bake.  If you wanted a really great tan, you could engineer a roasting shield made of cardboard, covered with aluminum foil and hold it under your chin to intensify the sun’s rays.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING???

We were thinking of being golden goddesses. Looking good in halter tops and mini skirts. As we got older, we thought suntans made us look younger – and, sad but true, they probably did.

In our youth, we didn’t get much help from sunscreens, because that shelf in the drugstore had slim pickings. Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee SPF 4 was a favorite – because it made our skin look glossy and glazed while we baked – but that didn’t even come along until the early 1970s. The first SPF 15 was introduced in 1986 and not until the early 1990s did we have an SPF 30 -- time for us to be good parents and save our children’s skin. Now we have SPFs of 70 or even more. Now we know that time spent in the sun leads to things we don’t want – dark spots, wrinkles, or even skin cancer. But we didn’t know it then.

We gave up tans reluctantly – and moved to self-tanners that created an alien mustard orange shade, too often marked by streaks, blotches and spots. Self-tanners, supplemented by hats, sunscreen, and common sense, are not perfect, but they’re better than the alternative. Portable shade is now much easier to obtain, thanks to sturdy and large pop-up tents and gazebos. You can read this article to learn about different options to provide a safe haven from UV rays while you're enjoying time outdoors.

If you have dark spots on your skin, it may be a result of sun damage, although sometimes we develop these as we age. If you're interested in treating them, you have several options. There are over-the-counter lightening creams, but you have to be careful of certain ingredients that could be harmful to your health. A retinol serum can work wonders, too. You can visit a dermatologist for a prescription cream. Creams may take longer to see results and they may only work so well.

You may have better luck with microdermabrasion, a skin procedure that deeply exfoliates your skin. Combine that with a chemical peel for optimal results. The American Academy of Dermatology states, "In one study, some patients were treated with microdermabrasion once every 2 weeks for 16 weeks. About 40% of these patients saw their age spots completely disappear. The patients who received microdermabrasion and a chemical peel had better results. Half of these patients saw their age spots completely disappear." Your skin may have mild redness afterwards, but it usually fades within hours. And you must wear sunscreen if you'll be out in the sun, because your skin will be more susceptible to sun damage following these procedures.

It's always best to consult a dermatologist before any skin procedures.




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