SPF?

I use an SPF of 45 or 50. I'm outside a lot during nice weather, and with my thin skin, the sun quickly messes up my forearms if I don't use some good sunscreen.
 

Luckily, I live in fogland but did make the mistake of using some very strong "waterproof" crap, Bullfrog made for surfers. Terrible decision. It eventually got in my eyes, couldn't see a thing and got clobbered royally. Never again!
 
Me, I’m pale, except for all the freckles and age marks that have shown up over the years of no sunscreen. In the fall/winter/spring I use an SPF25 moisturizer. This is new for me. I replenish it in the afternoon, pre-walk, since I know it’s not waterproof. I plan to do the same this summer. Even the waterproof ones tell us to reapply after a couple of hours. They’re so darn heavy that my skin feels grimey by mid day.

For real summer, I’ll be using a tinted Elizabeth Arden SPF 50 or Neutrogena SPF 30 & a spray on my body. I also wear hats & sometimes SPF approved clothes - they’re hot.

If I’m outside, I’m in the shade. I even stand in the shade of a utility pole while I wait to cross at a red light.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I don't use anything other than a hat.

I don't spend much time outside the way I did years ago before anyone had ever heard of SPF.
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I understand that.. whereas, I'm outside as much as I possibly can get out there.

I wear hats, (not in my garden unless it's exceptionally hot)... everywhere in summer, wear sunglasses year round unless it's raining.. and I wear spf moisturiser as well as SPF...the ozone layer is a whole lot more dangerous than when we were young , and never used SPF
 
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I have 40 now but I have to get higher. Some spots on my face need it more than others. One spot I put a Band-Aid over it on a sunny day.
 
I am the odd one in my family. I am very fair skinned and avoid the sun as much as possible. I do wear a large brimmed hat if I have to be in the sun. I remember when I was a kid the neighbors would ask my Mom if I had gone on vacation to because the rest of the family came home with a tan, but not me. When we would go to the seashore for vacation I had to play under the boardwalk.
 
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SetWave said:
I've read a lot about the dangerous crap used in many of the popular brands. Do your research and be careful out there. :cool:
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Very true. The mineral ones are considered better, except they make me breakout and feel terrible so I’m less likely to use them.

IMO, the European brands are better, at least that’s what a pharmacist said. In the summer, I’ll buy one of these creams for my body.
 
Anybody remember smearing zinc oxide on your nose when we were kids. Damn I hated that look. But, it's actually very good.
"Zinc oxide gives you broad spectrum protection from UVB all the way through to UV-A1, meaning your skin is getting the best sun protection possible. Zinc oxide is a stable sunscreen ingredient that is much less likely than chemical ingredients to break down in the bottle or on your skin."

Zinka is a good product if you are interested:
https://zinka.com
 
I spent 4 years merchandising a best-selling suncare line in tourist-heavy gift shops in Central Florida.

A big part of my job was explaining to tourists that just because they "NEVER got sunburned in Canada or up-state New York" that didn't mean they weren't going to get fried to a crisp in Florida.

Some listened, some didn't. I'm sure a lot of them had their vacations ruined by bad sunburns.

My arm skin was ruined by learning this lesson the hard way. I tanned heavily for years and the damage was done. I used to make teenagers look at my arms and ask them if they wanted to look like that when they got older. They were always grossed out but would go ahead and buy the oil anyway. Sigh.....youth is wasted on the young.

The ones who listened the best were the Japanese tourists.
 
Back in my younger days as a lifeguard, we used sunscreen but didn't know what SPF was. After years as a summer lifeguard while in school, I don't do beach, pools, sun decks or lawn chairs in the sun any more. When riding, I wear sufficient clothing to not really need any sunscreen. The art of staying cool when riding in the sun is to cover up but with a difference - highly vented and moisture-wicking inner and outer wear. Moving air and moisture makes for some serious air conditioning without need of skin exposure.
 
jujube said:
I used to make teenagers look at my arms and ask them if they wanted to look like that when they got older.
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My grandfather (or maybe it was his brother, they all blur together in my memory now) used to pull up his sleeve and show us how good his arm skin was because of always wearing long sleeve work shirts. It seemed weird at the time but I totally get it now.

I try not to go out in midday sun, if I do go out to mow/garden I wear spf 45. But usually I am lazy and don't go out until late afternoon, and at that time I can get away without sunscreen.
 
I had an older gentleman come up to one day when I was merchandising and said he wanted some sunscreen "that had that SPF in it". I explained that "SPF" wasn't actually a substance but stood for Suntan Protection Factor.

He got quite upset with me and insisted that he had heard about a product "that had that new SPF in it". I tried again, showing him several bottles and explaining that the higher the SPF factor, the more sunscreen (like PABA or oxybenzone or titanium dioxide or another substance) it had in it.

He wasn't buying it! He KNEW what he wanted and he was GOING to get it. I was told I had no idea what I was talking about.

So I handed him a bottle of our product that was 60 SPF and told him he was right, the bottle was full of SPF. He left satisfied.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.......

Frankly, you don't need anything over 30 SPF *IF* you use it correctly and frequently. But, if one brand puts out a 50, the other brands have to put out a 60, then a 70, then a ...... It's just business.

A very pale young English guy told me one day that he was here for three days and he wanted something that would give him a deep brown tan. I suggested a tin of brown shoe polish. After we had a good laugh, I explained to him that he had two choices.....a faint "glow" of tan or a bad sunburn....but he wasn't going to get anything else in three days, not with that "English Rose" complexion.
 
hollydolly said:
Chet..I don't know.. is PA a particularly hot place in the summer ?
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It can get hot near 90F with humidity in the summer, and do a complete turnaround the next day. At our latitude it's either cool and dry Canadian air or hot and humid southern air. It's changeable. Heat waves over 90F last for 3 days or so and there are only a few.
 
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