Nothing can spoil a nice sunny day quite like a nasty sunburn, and believe me, I've had some nasty sunburns in my life. Some that even lead to pealing, although there haven't been any nearly as the sunburn I got when I was 11-years-old back in summer 2005, yikes! My face, neck, and shoulders were all pealing off dry skin. The sunburn alone was painful enough, then adding in extremely dry skin. It didn't help that I had been swimming in a pool that had way to many chemicals (the water was legit white) in it, so I had chemical burns in my benders as well. Luckily it all cleared up before I began 6th grade, but it was certainly not a good experience. Had my 11-year-old self had thought to put on sunscreen before spending all that time outside, and chosen not to get in the pool, I would have been a lot more comfortable. I've had more sunburns after that, none nearly that bad, but they weren't fun. And just about every sunburn I had, I got because I neglected to put on sunscreen.
Learn from my mistakes, don't forget to put on sunscreen! Sunburn is certainly not very attractive, especially if you start pealing, and it's also painful. Not only that but it can lead to even worse skin problems down the road, including skin cancer. Taking a couple extra minutes to apply sunscreen, and reapply as needed, before getting in the pool or doing whatever you're doing outside will certainly benefit you in the long, and short run. Also call me weird, but I love the smell of sunscreen! So theres another minor benefit right there, LOL. A couple minutes is certainly worth saving your skin from premature aging, skin cancer, and other potential problems, along with the discomfort of the sunburn in the short term.
If you are going to spend any length of time outside, especially in the summer, then you need to wear sunscreen. Whether you are swimming, at an amusement park, playing a sport, or even just chilling outside, you should always have sunscreen with you. Even if it's a little chilly you should still wear sunscreen. I recently found out the hard way that, yes, you can get a sunburn, even if it's cold if you forget the SPF. Temperature has very little effect on UV rays. You could be getting a sunburn, even if you are shivering.
I would at least go for a sunscreen of SPF 15. If you want to get a tan, you can still get one, but you are still protecting your skin. However, if you burn really easily, I would recommend bumping up the SPF to 30 or higher to protect your skin. You'll also want to make sure your sunscreen is waterproof before you jump in the pool or do any activity where you'll get wet. It would be pointless to put on sunscreen that isn't water proof, just to jump in the pool and have it all come off. Also check how long you can wear your sunscreen before you have to reapply it to keep your skin protected, and when in doubt, reapply.
If you do happen to forget your sunscreen, there are a few things you can do to help ease a sunburn. But prevention certainly is key. Even if you don't burn easily, you should always protect your skin anyways. While you are outside, you should also protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses that block out the UV rays. For added protection you can also consider wearing a cute sunhat to help protect your face, or try to find make-up with SPF in it. Every little bit helps when it comes to protecting your skin. You'll have to live in your skin your whole life, so protect it and take care of it the best you can.
What is your favorite sunscreen?
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