THEN: Sun Bathing
NOW: Sun Spots
When I was in high school, my girlfriends and I would spread out our towels by a pool or at the beach, turn on our transistor radios, slather our bodies with baby oil and lay in the sun for hours and hours. We talked and laughed, sharing our most intimate secrets. It was the perfect way to spend a summer day. And the perfect way to abuse our skin.
Not that we knew that fact then. And if we had, we may not even have listened.
We would sizzle in the sun, moving over a few inches every half hour or so, as the sun moved across the sky. As if we wouldn’t be getting enough rays if we weren’t directly facing that big ball of heat.
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Today, I’m paying for that behavior. A recent trip to the dermatologist reminded me of my reckless sunbathing. It seems that the majority of the spots on my arms and face were caused by too much sun. Several were pre -cancerous, most of them were not. And I say “were”, because thanks to my doctor, they are no longer decorating my skin. Using his nifty liquid nitrogen tool, he approached my body like a little boy with a toy gun, zapping away the dangerous discolorations.
It’s a little strange now to look down at my skin and not see the brown spots which, believe it or not, I had come to accept as part of the “older me.” My hands do look a bit younger, but certainly not young enough to justify my resignation in the senior citizen club.
I left the doctor’s office loaded with knowledge about sunscreens. It appears that the one vital and necessary ingredient for a good sunscreen is zinc oxide. Which, by the way, I did to apply to my nose back then. Thank God. My nose peeled enough times to qualify for onion status. I can only imagine how it would look today if I had not used the zinc.
So, now when I go out to the beach with my friends, we stretch out in the shade, turn on a CD player and slather our aging bodies with high powered sunscreens. We enjoy each others company, laughing and talking, sharing our most intimate secrets.
The best things haven’t changed at all.
This is just a test comment.
Love this blog. You really know how to capture those special moments in life. Although I hate my aging sunspot hands I don’t think I would have changed a thing from my youth. You brought me back to the feeling of the heat beneath my back while stretched out on the sand, the smell of the ocean , my FLAT belly getting tanner and tanner.
Thanks for this story.. loved it
Having just returned from a trip to Florida and the Caribbean, I bonded well with sunblock, Janie, although I kept missing areas. Glad that sunspots can be removed.
Ah, I remember those days of baking in the sun slathered in baby oil or olive oil. My dad actually DID warn me – “you’re going to ruin your skin.” I just laughed – 30 or 40 years was sooo down the road and I wanted my tan NOW. Of course, NOW I have spots and freckles and my doc occsionally zaps something from my skin. But, yeah, I wouldn’t trade those days at the pool and the beach and the lake for anything – not even perfect alabaster skin.
I remember when I was a teen, my parents encouraged me to “get color” because they thought it made me look and seem healthier! Now if my kids “get color,” I worry and remind them to be better with the sunblock!
I remember using baby oil to burn baby burn. I also remember a dermatologist seeing me after a weekend at the beach – burnt and somewhat blistered. He read me the riot act saying “if you continue to do this to your skin you’ll look forty when your 25”. I look at the tender skin on my chest which has become polka dotted crape paper and warn my daughter – USE SUNSCREEN!
Fun blog!
Lynne – We were crazy, weren’t we. But we did have a lot of fun in the sun!
Carol – When you’re a teenager, it’s all about NOW! I wouldn’t trade those days, either.
Arliep- A flat belly..what is that?
I remember those days! I was an outcast among my friends. Even then, I knew I couldn’t stay in the sun. In the days before sunscreen, no amount of tanning lotion would make me tan. My skin is just too fair. By the time I was a teenager, and all my friends were basking in the sun, I’d already come to the realization that I only had two color options – white or red. White was a lot less painful.
I’m the person buying the SPF100 now, and even still, I try to avoid being in the sun for long.
Anyone remember the early sunscreens? It was like gluing little reflective scales to your skin! I think it was a precursor to body glitter!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
You’re right, Janie; gabbing under the umbrella is still pretty great. But, God, how I miss the sun!
Roz- You were probably the only smart one in your crowd. Stay tuned for more memories.
Heidi – I still get more sun than I should, but I use plenty of sunscreen.