Wear Sunshine, Not Sunscreen

I love a good cause as much as the next gal, but I found that the new Memorial Day pre-summer sun scare campaign hit two nerves with me. Not only is it just poor marketing, but it’s obvious to us all, that we aren’t tanning to “Fry” ourselves.

Enter the “Fry Day” campaign. My instant thought was that they are encouraging us to watch our waistlines this summer and avoid fried foods on “Fry Day”. Nope. Leave it to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention to come up with this beauty of a campaign. The campaign is set right before the summer sun really kicks in to get the message out to protect your skin. Of course, every year at this time, we all hear the same stories about how bad tanning is for you and avoiding the sun at all costs.

Well, I’ve decided give my thoughts on this whole sun scare craziness and address the tips provided to us by the NCSCP.

Here’s what they have to say:

“While most everyone enjoys a sunny day, keeping your skin safe from overexposure to UV radiation can be easy by practicing simple sun-safety tips.”

I am a believer in trying to take care of yourself when it comes to skin protection, so I thought I’d pick these sun scare tips apart, one-by-one. Enjoy.

What You Can Do to Be Safe in the Sun:

1. Do Not Burn

Danielle : That’s true! What’s the easiest way to avoid a burn? A base tan is the easiest and most effective way to avoid sunburn.

2. Avoid Sun Tanning and Tanning Beds

Danielle : A tan is my body’s natural protection against sunburn. If burning causes skin cancer, then I’ll avoid burning every time I’m in the sun, just by having a tan. Which by the way, happens to be very sexy.

3. Cover Up – wear protective clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.

Danielle: Not sure about you, but this isn’t my typical summer attire. Long sleeves and pants don’t do well at poolside. A base tan seems to work fantastic as a Cover Up! If you’re sensing an overall theme here, you’re right on. Why cover up to protect, when you already have a natural built-in protection? So go ahead and buy a cute summer cover-up at the mall just because you need something to throw over that itsy-bitsy bikini as the sun goes down.

4. Seek Shade/Use Umbrellas – The sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Danielle  : One of the most classic tips by these folks. While this is true, without a base tan, I’d stay the shade and umbrella isn’t going to help. You know how people get a sunburn, even when it’s cloudy, well it seems to work it’s magic around umbrellas, towels and clothes. Of course, never overdo it. Just be smart and use a 15 SPF when the sun is strongest.

5. Generously Apply Sunscreen Reapply every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.

Danielle : The idea here is to apply sunscreen when your natural tan just isn’t going to be enough to protect you. We all need sun exposure for life! Go ahead and soak it up. But do it in moderation. When it comes to sunscreen, anything more than a 15 SPF is not necessary. If your only protection is sunscreen, what happens when you can’t re-apply every 2 hours, or don’t have it with you? Now you’ve set yourself up for a serious burn.

8. Get Vitamin D Safely

Danielle : Wowzers! We agree??  Nope, afraid not. When the NCSCP reminds you to get Vitamin D safely, they think supplements and food will do the trick. For me, I’d rather take 15 minutes a day of un-protected sun exposure over 100 glasses of milk or 25 servings of salmon daily. But that’s just me. Check our video from years past about this wonderful topic. It’s an oldie but a goodie.

In summary, always remember to be smart in the sun. Tan in moderation and GOLDEN RULE: Avoid sunburn.

Now let’s get ready for summer! Cheers!