When I was a teenager, I was a full on sun worshipper. The first sign of a sunny day and I was in a bikini and laid in the garden. That went on for a really long time and I didn’t think about what I was doing to my skin. That did all change though when my nan was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was not serious for her and easily treatable, but she got it by not using SPF.
From that moment, I stayed consistent with SPF, used high factors and preached to others. I do also have a high number of worrying moles. All have been checked by the doctors, but I need to be incredibly careful. So, I thought I would share with you some of the ways how I protect my skin from the sun.
Use a high SPF.
The first holiday that I went on with the girls when we left school, I didn’t even take sun cream. I think I had a tub of tanning oil and I had to scoop it out like thick lard. Crazy when I think about it now. These days, I wear nothing other than factor 50. I wear that all over my skin when I am on holiday and on warmer days here in the UK, I will apply it on all exposed skin. Plus, every single morning (even in the winter) I will use factor 50 SPF and I will always do this!
Cover my skin.
I know for a fact that this one may not be for everybody, but covering your skin is one of the best things that you can do. If I cant get out of the sun, I will always have something in my bag that I can cover my skin with. Normally for me, it is just a big oversize rock t-shirt. They sit on me like a dress and cover my chest (which is one of my main areas of concern). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something that you are comfortable in to stop the UV rays from hitting your skin.
Take breaks in the shade.
When I was younger, I thought that if the sun was up, I had to be in it. I am not going to lie, I had the most impressive tan, but at what cost? Now, if I go on vacation with my husband, we spend just as much time in the shade as we do in the sun. We go and get a drink, find a shady spot and do some reading. The thing we always try to get is a lovely cabana bed because they tend to stay quite shady most of the day!
Stay out of the sun at certain times.
I am sure that most of you guys will know this, but it is warmest at midday when the sun is at its highest. If you want to really look after your skin, try to stay out of the sun when the sun is at its peak. I understand that if you are on vacation you might not always want to sit in the shade for a chunk of the day. But, read my next point and jump out of the sun if you feel like the sun is getting too intense. It is simple but it is how I protect my skin.
Know my limits.
One comment that I always used to hear when I was on vacation with the girls is “OMG, I can feel my skin baking”. GET OUT OF THE SUN THEN. If you can feel your body burning from the ball of fire in the sky, fucking move. How can people think that is a good thing to do and that it is remotely healthy for their skin. As soon as I feel like things are getting too much, I tap out. There is nothing wrong with it and it is the mature thing to do!
I know that this kind of blog post about how I protect my skin is quite a detour from my normal content. I think that the combination of my nan getting skin cancer and my irregular moles, I am very paranoid about it. To be honest, I should have probably wrote this post in the warmer summer months, but I just wanted to get it off my chest. The skin is the biggest organ of the body and you really need to take care of it. You only get one skin and it is connected to all of your vital organs. When the weather picks up or if you are going on vacation, please use SPF and take breaks from the sun. As always, I would love to hear from you guys on this topic. Do you worship the sun, or are you very conscious of the lasting effects?
