Baking in the sun lost its ap-peel
As I sit here peeling skin from my shoulders in that mix of odd pleasure (when a large piece comes off) and disgust (when a large piece comes off), I am reminded once again of the importance of sunscreen.
I never had much of a problem with sunburn in my life up until a couple years ago. As a child, I was always able to run around in the sun, my hair slowly turning yellow and my skin slowly turning bronze. I never stopped to think about sunscreen. That all changed after having children of my own.
One summer after my son was born, I got a fairly significant burn. I spent the day washing cars at a fundraiser and never stopped to think to apply sunscreen. My skin, of course, turned red, and it was painful and itchy. For a few days, I applied a cream to help keep it soft, but it kept getting worse.
When the blisters appeared, I just figured it was a bad burn, so I kept up my regular schedule of slathering on cream and hoped for the best. When my skin continued to get worse and I could no longer stand to wear clothes, I looked at the tube to see if there was an ingredient to which I could be allergic and read in the smallest of fine print: “DO NOT APPLY TO SUNBURN.”
Sheesh.
Days later, the pain abated and my skin finally began to heal. I never did quite recover to my former glory, however. Since that time, I burn far easier than I ever did in the past. Also – and I know this may sound strange – a sunburn makes my freckles hurt. (Don’t worry, I’ve been checked by a dermatologist.)
My typical sunblock these days is simply clothing. I came to accept I will have a farmer’s tan that stops at my biceps, and I can’t wear tank-topped sundresses. It comes with the territory. Besides, my opportunities for wearing cutesy sundresses are few and far between anyway.
But I did sneak the kids to the pool a week or so ago, and I decided I would jump in the water for a few minutes. Sincerely, we were only there for an hour or so, but I forgot my sunblock, so our short trip didn’t matter. After only that hour or so, I could feel the tingling in my shoulders beginning.
I immediately covered up my exposed skin and applied a skin-soothing spray made from essential oils everywhere I could reach. (Those places have hardly peeled, while the other areas have peeled several times!)
We cut our trip even shorter than intended because I didn’t want the kids to burn, as well.
I must be getting old, because I distinctly remember the days when you would actually oil yourself up before going outside to “lay out.” When you did everything in your power to turn golden brown. When being pale at summer’s end was the epitome of uncool.
Alas, with old age comes the fact that I no longer care. I officially stopped caring about being bronze. Or cool, for that matter. I just want my un-tanned, un-itchy, un-peeling skin back. Is that too much to ask?
Sheesh.
Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.