Joy Smith's Blog

Aren’t you sick of all those schoolteacher-type articles written to instill fear of the sun in you? I am. I love the sun. I love the feel of it on my skin, its warmth. How could something that feels so good be bad?

Like many of us, my idea of summer used to be oiling up and basking in the sun until my skin turned pink, because I craved the golden tan that was sure to result. But everything has its price, and today many of us baby boomers are having cancerous lesions removed and, slathered in SPF 50, are hiding from our old friend, Sol.

Avoiding the sun is a major problem for us boaters. It’s always there, beaming on us, and reflecting it’s warmth and brilliance on our skin from the white of our boat and the mirror of the ocean. Many of us are cavalier, even vain, about sun care. We use a weak strength sun lotion that’s barely a moisturizer and brag we never burn, or leave our sunglasses in their cases to avoid raccoon eyes.

This works fine until we notice Sol hasn’t been caressing us, he’s been beating on us. As boaters, we spend whole days, not just a few hours, in the sun, which means we need to give it some respect--enjoy its light and goodness, without abusing the privilege.

You know all this, you’ve read about it. Unlike all those repetitious articles on sun care, I’m not asking you to give up the sun--a little is good for us. It provides necessary vitamin D, prevents depression, and gives us a feeling of general well-being.

All I’m suggesting is that you do the obvious to preserve your body and protect it from harm. We all know that skin suffers from sun damage, but why is it we don’t think to up the SPF on our sun lotion until ugly brown spots and premature wrinkles begin to appear? You can spend big bucks on restorative creams, but the damage is done. I’ve been a boater for thirty years, yet people tell me my skin doesn’t show it. Yours doesn’t have to look weathered either.

Here’s what I suggest:
Begin each boating day, rainy or sunny, by coating any areas of your body—arms, legs, chest, back, and face--that may be exposed with SPF30 or better before getting dressed for the day. I know. You are thinking that you won’t get any tan with 30, and you’re tempted to inch down to maybe SPF 8. Look, if you are set on being a Bronze God or Goddess, buy your coppery glow in a bottle. I guarantee it will cost you less than a real tan.

Choose a sun lotion that’s right for your activities and for your skin type. Look for a broad-spectrum lotion with ingredients like micronized zinc oxide--which won’t turn your skin white, titanium dioxide, and Parasol. Water-proof or water-resistant lotions will last through a sweaty day. If you are going the self-tanning route, opt for tinted lotions that allow you to see missed spots when applying them, look natural, and have built-in sun protection.

The same products you use on your body are often too strong for your face. Lotions made specifically for the face or for babies work well on sensitive skin. If you are in heavy sun or go swimming later in the day, of course you will want to layer on additional sun protection. Remember that sun lotion loses its effectiveness over time or with temperature extremes, so throw out that cache you’ve been hauling out every summer. Under normal conditions most sun lotions are good for two years, but why take a chance? Buy fresh products at the beginning of every boating season.

Seek shade. Avoid blatant sun bathing—you’ll get plenty of sun just being outdoors. Our boat has a dodger and a bimni, which always stays up. Some sun always sneaks in, but at least the big stuff overhead can’t get through. On the beach, sit under an umbrella, a tree—anything to avoid direct sun. Always have handy some sort of cover-up to wear when you know you’ve had “enough.” If your skin is sun-sensitive, you’ll find cover-ups, shirts, and pants with SPF protection on line (www.coolibar.com, for example).

Wearing a hat is a form of shade seeking. The problem is that hats blow off in windy weather. I hate wearing hats, but I succumb to one when I will be in open sun, and I have a dorky big brimmed hat with chin strap that I wear on offshore passages, when good looks are a non-issue. Baseball hats are popular, but keep in mind that they expose necks or noses, depending on how they are worn. A visor is a desperation hat--in public that’s about all some of us can tolerate.

While we are on the subject of shades, don’t forget yours. Religiously wear polarized sunglasses that absorb the full UV spectrum, even if you wear ray-blocking contacts. Polarized lenses cut the sparkling effect of sun on water; a wrap-around style offers the most coverage and looks sporty. White rings around eyes won’t be an issue when as long as you wear a high enough SPF to prevent your face from burning or tanning. Not only are you staving off eye crinkles, but it has been proven that a lifetime of exposure to sun without eye protection causes cataracts and worse.

Your day of protection doesn’t end when the sun goes down. When you head for the shower, get rid of dead, scaly skin by scrubbing legs and arms with a loofah pad or mesh shower ball and follow with a replenishing moisturizer. (An ideal time to smooth on that sun protection lotion is after a morning shower.) A moisturizer adds needed hydration, not oil, and absorbs most readily on damp, exfoliated skin. Read product labels for extras, like “age defying” alpha hydroxide (AHA) and free-radical-fighting antioxidants, especially Vitamins C & F, and beta-carotene.

Applying lotions and wearing cover-ups often aren’t enough to prevent the most damaging rays—the great noontime sun that appears at the height of on-the water time—from attacking the DNA in your skin cells and weakening your immune system. Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer, and we boaters are prime targets. My dermatologist just removed a suspicious freckle on my leg, which luckily was benign. How she zeroed in on that tiny dark dot I’ll never know, but the experience underlines the importance of having annual skin checks performed by a specialist.

Using a highly protective sun lotion, seeking shade, and wearing good sun glasses, along with annual skin checks, will allow you to enjoy the wonderful warmth of the sun without frying in it. You see, you don’t have to worship Old Sol to enjoy his benefits; all you need to do is give him some respect.