Let the Sun Shine, Just don’t Get Burned

I am of a certain age, having spent my life on the water and at sea, that I now see my dermatologist twice a year and regularly have bits of skin cut off to be biopsied. Others in my seafaring clan have actually had carcinomas and pre-melanomas cut out successfully. So far so good but we remain vigilant. That brings to mind just what we do now, after an admittedly incautious youth and middle age, to prevent sun damage to our hides. First, full brimmed hats, with safety lanyards attached, are now part of our sailing wardrobes. UV certified sunglasses have made an appearance and we’ve gone with wrap-around styles to better protect the eyes. When we were young, sunbathers lathered themselves with baby oil to increase the tanning effect. Nowadays, we’ve migrated from SPF 10 to SPF 30, which cuts out about 96% of UV impact on our skin. And, Rosie, who has very fair skin, uses SPF 50, which is slightly better at 98%. Since the first bits of skin were cut off, we’ve started wearing shirts with UPF protection (ultraviolet protection factor), up to 100% in some models. We’re REI members so we use the brands they carry but there are others such as Solumbra and Coolibar that are just as effective and available through West Marine, Amazon, Walmart and many other online and box-store outlets. So, we’ve learned, we hope not too late, that taking precautions against sun damage is the prudent path to skin health. Let the sun shine, just don’t let it burn you.