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Skin Health in the Sun

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Frumious Bandersnatch
Joined
Nov 3, 1999
Messages
1,297
Location
Looking-Glass Land
I spend easily an hour, bare minimum, in the florida sun everyday (it's still hot here, hell this week we have hi's of 87 midweek!).

I have an extremely deep base tan, and understand the dangers of getting red/burnt (not that i'm even sure i could at this point even if i tried).

anyways, after 'extreme' exposure, like 2hrs+ during midday sun, especially if I go in the ocean at some point during the 2hrs and get salty, my skin will be very dry after showering (drier than i've ever seen my skin get)


I'm hoping to hear experiences/thoughts on this scenario, and if i even need to worry considering i'm basically at the "south american" skin tone now. The truth is i'm extremely hesitant to put any lotions on my face, and that's one of the worst spots for dryness/'after effect'. I tried last week and had a small breakout :| I want good skin but want to avoid skin cancer LOL!
 
Why don't you wear sunscreen?

The sun is extremely drying for the skin. There are plenty of face creams on the market designed for men. There is no 'one size fits all' answer, but I recommend attending a beauty counter that offers men's Skincare and asking for some trial sized lotions. Your skin may be sensitive to some of the ingredients typically found in skincare, or it may have reacted to the excess oils in the cream you used.

Do you cleanse your skin?
 
because I HATE putting creams/lotions on myself, particularly my face (if it's not non-comedogenic<sp?> and hasn't been reco's by someone i trust i can't get myself to slather it on..)

I (luckily) have great skin, like not-sensitive, not oily, not dry, etc etc, it's just this dryness from sun :(

I like this trial offer you speak of, will do that next time i'm near a mall that's a good idea!

/yes, i bathe daily at least once - i train in the FL sun everyday and we're still over 80 right now, not bathing would be hazardous ;PP
 
Please go to a reputable counter. You don't want to be putting just any old thing on your face. The consultant should do an analysis of your skin and make recommendations based on that. If they're worth their salt, they will anyway.

Also - your skin obviously needs moisture, so you're just going to have to get over this not wanting to put creams on your face thing. :p
 
Put on sunscreen a type that has a high SPF that's made for the face and not greasy/oily, and wear a hat. That's what I do.
 
Find a Aloe Vera gel that is all natural and not coloured or perfumed

Do your sunbathing and then use the Aloe Vera on areas of your body that usually peel

and if your skin starts getting red/dry in days to come keep re-applying its all you need

fuck getting sunscreen in your bloodstream
 
Would you care to share some peer review papers on what the effects of sunscreen are with prolonged use as compared to the decrease in skin cancer from its use?

You'll forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical. Friends of mine have had great chunks of skin cut out from skin cancer - and it's totally preventable. :|

BawsStatus the higher end brands do great actual non-greasy sunscreen, but if you only get incidental exposure you're OK with SPF in your face cream and foundation etc.
 
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i just say that because my mums a doctor and I trust her implicitly and she is against using sunscreen every time you leave the house

the uncool alternative is wearing a hat with a wide brim/ light cool clothes covering exposed areas if your going to be in the sun a long time

if your sunbathing then in Australia i just need 15 minutes on each side, not worried about getting cancer
 
i believe that cancer concerns are very very correlated to degree of change / session (ie, getting a deep/dark tan properly, via repeated sessions w/o burning/getting red, is fine compared to even burning once).
 
Australia and New Zealand have the highest incidence and mortality rates of melanoma in the world, according to Australia's Department of Health and Aging. In those two countries, the risk of developing melanoma before the age of 75 is 1 in 24 for males and 1 in 34 for females.
Click to expand...
From Forbes.com.

I would prefer to wear sunscreen and avoid prolonged exposure in the sun, than get skin cancer - or have to deal with having chunks removed from my skin. But that's just me. :|

As for skin dehydration, which was your original question bmxxx - I stand by my original statement, your skin is crying out for moisture. Aside from drinking lots of water, the next best thing to do is apply moisturiser topically. You can definitely get non-greasy types that won't cause break-outs.
 
wow. cannot believe the % there? holy jesus.
thoughts on "safeties" of different types of sunscreens or whatnot? or is the 'safety' concern of spf stuff just crying wolf?

and i've been using a lotion after shower/bathing past few days on everything but my face, makes a HUGE difference. has cocoa butter/aloe/vitaminE. Smells and feels f'ing disgusting :|
(and fwiw I drink ridiculous amounts of water, it's easier for me to just drink more than needed than risk even slight dehydration)

cotb- what about loofa's?(i'm sure i butchered the spelling...the sponge-thing you put soap in to foam/apply it in the shower). I always liked it because i felt that it kept my skin "fresh". am thinking my current scenario may call for just using my hand, i don't know that a rough sponge is the greatest idea with the amount of sun i'm getting.
 
well as im sure yu know the skin on your face, especially around your eyes is some of the most sensitive skin on your body, so def wear something to protect your face. sunlight is good for you, but like most things moderation is the key. you get your vitamin D (i believe, correct me if im wrong) not to mention the serotonin boost. just limit your sun intake to 30 mins tops and if you insist on going longer wear a light spf if you are dead set on getting a deep tan. a friend of my moms was a tanning junkie for lack of a better word and shes has dozens of surguries to fully remove a quite nasty melanoma that spread rapidly. MODERATION!
 
ya it's vitamin d, although to be fair you'd have to practically be a shut-in to not get proper D.

Any thoughts on the idea of "it's not so bad to be in a lot of sun, provided you've built up a deep/dark base in an appropriate manner" ?
 
bmxxx said:
wow. cannot believe the % there? holy jesus.
thoughts on "safeties" of different types of sunscreens or whatnot? or is the 'safety' concern of spf stuff just crying wolf?

and i've been using a lotion after shower/bathing past few days on everything but my face, makes a HUGE difference. has cocoa butter/aloe/vitaminE. Smells and feels f'ing disgusting :|
(and fwiw I drink ridiculous amounts of water, it's easier for me to just drink more than needed than risk even slight dehydration)

cotb- what about loofa's?(i'm sure i butchered the spelling...the sponge-thing you put soap in to foam/apply it in the shower). I always liked it because i felt that it kept my skin "fresh". am thinking my current scenario may call for just using my hand, i don't know that a rough sponge is the greatest idea with the amount of sun i'm getting.
Click to expand...
A loofah will remove dad skin on the surface of your body and remove 'flakiness'. The boy does it naturally, but it can e a good idea to give it a helping hand sometimes.
Your face is a different beast, however. The skin is a lot more sensitive. Gentle exfoliant is all you require for your face, and should only be done every two to three days. Any more often and you risk removing too much skin and leving redness and irritation.

'medicine cabinet' said:
well as im sure yu know the skin on your face, especially around your eyes is some of the most sensitive skin on your body, so def wear something to protect your face. sunlight is good for you, but like most things moderation is the key. you get your vitamin D (i believe, correct me if im wrong) not to mention the serotonin boost. just limit your sun intake to 30 mins tops and if you insist on going longer wear a light spf if you are dead set on getting a deep tan. a friend of my moms was a tanning junkie for lack of a better word and shes has dozens of surguries to fully remove a quite nasty melanoma that spread rapidly. MODERATION!
Click to expand...
30 minutes may be OK in a country without a massive hole in the ozone layer right above it. :p
There are conflicting views on how long one can stay in the sun, mainly because the sun 'strength' varies so much from country to country, state to state, season to season, location to location. I know here in Brisbane Australia in Spring 10 minutes in the open sun can be long enough to get sunburnt.

bmxxx said:
ya it's vitamin d, although to be fair you'd have to practically be a shut-in to not get proper D.

Any thoughts on the idea of "it's not so bad to be in a lot of sun, provided you've built up a deep/dark base in an appropriate manner" ?
Click to expand...
The darker your skin, the less likely you are to burn. If you have African American or Aboriginl skin tone you have a lot of tanin built up and won't burn as easily. However if you're Caucasian and have built up a deep colour from sun exposure, the damage has already been done when you got to that colour in the first place. Of course you're less likely to burn, but you don't have to burn for there to be damage to your skin?
 
why was there a question mark on that last sentence?

and i was always under the impression that *how* you get your base tan was very very important in effecting damage (the body tends to do well if it's able to adapt slowly to things).

i've got a nice dark/olive eastern euro complexion anyways so am prolly safer than most caucasians, but lately i've been getting more sun than i ever have in my life.
 
Was just reading in Men's Health (magazine) that people who drink more than 3 cups of coffee per day significantly lower their risk of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma), so since you're a coffee-hound you may be getting such a benefit.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coffee-may-help-protect-a
http://www.theage.com.au/national/a-coffee-a-day-seems-to-keep-skin-cancer-away-20110816-1iwf7.html

Ever since I had a blood-test a few years back and found I was really low in vitamin D (an incredible number of people are) I've never worn sunscreen even during ridiculously hot days as don't want any UV to be blocked. A day in the sun is a natural high, I find it seriously boosts your mood and energy. Tanning beds are also good, but my doctor said that's the worst possible thing you can do for your skin, even though it does maximize vit.D levels. Oh well I guess I'll worry about that when I'm 50, they'll probably have some sort of near-magical anti-wrinkle solution by then anyway.

Just make sure you get checked over by a doc for skin cancer once a year (even relatively young people can still get it), and look out for any growing moles.
 
I've researched this a lot and I have a split opinion on the issue. Ultra-violent light can definitely damage the cellular DNA in your skin but only if you have crazy burns. If you expose yourself to sun gradually to develop a tan, and then moderate your daily exposure, then sun screen isn't necessary. I hate sun screen and I prefer to wear really light long sleeve things in the sun, and hats. If I avoid the early afternoon sun then I almost never get burned.

Another factor in skin cancer is the health of your immune system, including your lymphatic system. UV increases interstitial waste products as the cells are killed off by heat, and if your lymph system is sluggish then your healthy cells will stew in those wastes and eventually suffer from mutation. In really hot weather people tend to eat more raw fruits and veggies. These can replenish body fluid, but also their anti-oxidant content can help to clean up those cellular wastes. Selenium, zinc, and vitamin C are all important. Most people don't get enough selenium so they suffer free radical damage more easily.

Omega fatty acids like an omega 3-6-9 supplement, taken daily, would also be helpful. The omegas improve cellular integrity to hold body fluid so that the sun will have less of a drying effect. Won't protect against cancer though.
 
^don't have insurance so 'preventative lookovers' are totally outta the question, but will keep an eye for anything unusual - would prolly notice something very quickly tbh.
re caffeine, i'm actually reviewing overall health effects again right now. given my large intake, and the time i spend on a bike-seat, i wanna re-review prostate effects :|

regarding "natural high", i never noticed the sun's contribution :/ (as in, i get into that zone about the same time/intensity, regardless of the sun)

foreigner-
paragraph1: that's how i had understood it - can you provide any of the research you mention? i'm grossly unfamiliar with tannins and how the skin adapts, though as with most physical adaptations, slow/steady seems to be easily handled by the body when it comes to "natural" stressor stimuli (i guess i mean i can totally "see" it being that way, but would like to understand specifics to confirm suspicion on the subject).

paragraph2: i take vit c after(should do it before but seldom remember) heavy sessions, thinking of free radicals from both the training and the sun.
and supplementing omega9's (and, usually, 6's) is counterproductive - while they are essential, the diet is almost always lacking most, by far, in the 3's. since it's not just the total amounts of these EFA(essential fatty acids) that matters, but the ratio of 3:6:9, it's ill-advised to supplement 6 and 9 unless your diet was completely lacking (in whcih case you should reevaluate diet b4/while looking for pill solutions).

and lol was "ultra violent light" error or play on words? ;P
 
Moisturizing sunscreen seems like the best thing.
If you hate putting creams on your body/face, there is nothing you can do. You NEED sunscreen.
If I go out in the sun for about 10 minutes, I will have a HUGE sunburn. It hurts like crazy. This happens about once a year. I then remember to use sunscreen because it hurts. For those of you who live in hot places, you don't notice how bad it is for your skin because you don't get the sunburns... you just get nice tans. BUT it's still EXTREMELY dangerous. Soooo find a sunscreen that works for you.
 
I love having a tan but I know it is not good for me.
I started wearing SPF 50 on my body this year in Mexico and still tanned.
I have worn 15-30 SPF moisturizer on my face for many years (after I started noting sun damage from my 20's :()
 
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