As May comes to a close, so does "Skin Cancer Awareness Month," but that is no reason to forget about the sunscreen. Whether you wear UV protective clothes or slather on the lotion, make sure you are doing something to protect yourself outside.
Sure, it may not quite feel like summer yet for some of you, but with school's dismissal, suddenly we're all going to be spending a lot more time outdoors.
Here's a secret: I've already gotten burned this year. I had my UPF 50+ protective jacket unzipped a bit in the neck area for the stylish look of it all (V-neck is so much more flattering for my body type) but didn't apply enough sunscreen in that area. (The neck area is frequently forgotten, and it is delicate, so important to remember!) The good news of this burn (and it isn't bad, really - just a tiny bit red) is that it showed me that the UPF 50+ protective wear from UVSkinz totally worked -- because the areas that were covered with the clothing weren't even a tad tanned or pink.
Luckily, I sprayed a bunch of sunscreen on my boys, so they were doubly-protected: they wore UV Skinz and had sunscreen on. We use both Neutrogena and KINeSYS sunscreen sprays. I also use the Neutrogena lotion (slathered it on my neck as soon as I realized I had damage: sunscreen provides healing, too.)
I know everyone knows this, but sunglasses don't just make you look cool. Sure, they help you see better in bright light (and help with fatigue in bright cloudy light) but their most important role is to protect against UV exposure. Many of those cheap-o sunglasses don't block both UV-A and UV-B light, so be sure to look on the label.
The one sun protection item I am lacking is a hat. I haven't found a "cute" one that I like just yet. Yes, I spray my head to avoid a sunburn in the part of my hair, but I know I need to be better protected. (And sunscreened-up hair is not so pretty, anyway.)
So, consider this brief "service announcement" a reminder to put your sunscreen out on your bathroom counter so you remember to put it on -- stash one in your car, at your desk at the office, in your diaper bag, and by the front door. Get a hat (yes, I need to take my own advice) and some great sunglasses (my dad has pairs littered all around, as does Husband - better to have a bunch in different places than to squint-n-burn because you can't find your sole pair.)
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I received no compensation for this post -- just highlighting products I've reviewed in the past. I purchased the swimsuit pictured from dELiA*s (and got a beautiful one from Victoria's Secret as well. I learned last season that it is important to have more than one swimsuit, least my boys require that I put on a cold wet one when they want to go back in the hotel pool and hour later...) The sunglasses pictured are Fendi - but you can get UV-A + UV-B protection from less expensive brands (just not totally cheap-o.)
