#sunscreen

zooophagous:

gay-jesus-probably:

Hello everybody with summer fast approaching here is your regular reminder that:

• Everyone needs to wear sunscreen
• SPF 50 is pretty much the best protection you can get, an SPF higher than that will have the same effect
• Melanin does not protect you from skin cancer
• Tanning is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation
• Spending the majority of your life receiving regular large doses of UV radiation without any skin protection is a good way to get skin cancer
• Don’t use tanning beds, and don’t go sun tanning
• Wear your fucking sunscreen

If you’re swimming in the ocean, also consider looking for coral-reef-safe sunscreen! Some sunscreens are toxic to coral and in popular swimming destinations it adds up

elodieunderglass:

gay-jesus-probably:

gay-jesus-probably:

Hello everybody with summer fast approaching here is your regular reminder that:

• Everyone needs to wear sunscreen
• SPF 50 is pretty much the best protection you can get, an SPF higher than that will have the same effect
• Melanin does not protect you from skin cancer
• Tanning is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation
• Spending the majority of your life receiving regular large doses of UV radiation without any skin protection is a good way to get skin cancer
• Don’t use tanning beds, and don’t go sun tanning
• Wear your fucking sunscreen

Okay, people are clowning in the replies, so let’s try this again:

Sunburn is an uncomfortable short term problem caused by being out in the sun for too long without sunscreen. Some people are more susceptible to it than others. Melanin does protect you from sunburn, so people with dark skin are less likely to get burned, but also sometimes people just have a natural resistance to sunburn (or lack of resistance) - I’m white as hell, and literally the only time in my life I’ve gotten a sunburn was when I spent a whole day outside in a swimsuit without putting on sunscreen when I was a kid, and all I got was a minor burn across my shoulders. Never experienced that whole ‘peeling’ thing y’all are talking about, sounds super gross and uncomfortable tho. Rip to all the rest of you but i’m different.

Skin cancer is fucking cancer. It has nothing to do with sunburn, apart from both being caused by a lot of unprotected sun exposure. If you have skin, you are at risk of getting skin cancer. I have little to no risk of getting sunburn, but I still wear sunscreen, because I am protecting myself from fucking skin cancer.

If someone is basically immune to sunburn, then that’s awesome, but we still need to use just as much sunscreen as everyone else. Because we can still get skin cancer. Immunity to sunburn is not a sign that you can go easy on the sunscreen. And honestly, if you’ve got dark skin, you should probably be extra paranoid about applying sunscreen, because the majority of information on recognizing skin cancer is meant specifically for recognizing it on white skin. If you’re black/brown, it will probably take you longer to be diagnosed if you get skin cancer. And cancer is one of those things that you want diagnosed and treated very quickly, so you should be extra motivated to not get skin cancer in the first place.

Everyone needs to wear sunscreen. Wear your fucking sun screen.

There are a lot of charts like this readily available online.

The thing to be aware of is that type 6 skin typically has later diagnosis of skin cancer. There are a lot of factors that can play into this. People with this skin type may receive different medical care in some countries. It may be more difficult for people with this skin type to see warnings such as “unusually coloured moles”. But even in countries where type 6 skin is the majority, there is a lack of knowledge around skin cancer. People may assume that a suspicious mole is anything else in the world before they see a doctor about it.

Skin cancer caught early on can be as easily dealt with as cutting out a minor freckle. The “cure” can be less worrisome than getting a tattoo.

Skin cancer caught late can kill.

It’s very unfair, but it’s worth being aware that radiation damage through the skin can occur across the breadth of humanity.

gay-jesus-probably:

Hello everybody with summer fast approaching here is your regular reminder that:

• Everyone needs to wear sunscreen
• SPF 50 is pretty much the best protection you can get, an SPF higher than that will have the same effect
• Melanin does not protect you from skin cancer
• Tanning is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation
• Spending the majority of your life receiving regular large doses of UV radiation without any skin protection is a good way to get skin cancer
• Don’t use tanning beds, and don’t go sun tanning
• Wear your fucking sunscreen

All time classic

ladyofthesilent:

punk-jaskier:

fulgurite-and-petrichor:

dankmemeuniversity:

And cancer. They very much also had skin cancer.

Also yes they did wear sunscreen. Just not in the way most people think of it today. But people in extremely sunny areas have been wearing light fabric but long sleeved and full pants, or smearing mud on their skin for millennia.

Yes, your ancestors had more ozone layer, and yes, your ancestors did have skin cancer, but ALSO they did wear “sunscreen” just not the kind in a bottle from Walmart.

You all probably know the Himba from Namibia and Angola who traditionally wear red ochre on their skin: 

Guess what that’s for (and yes, it’s been scientifically validated: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-04663-0)