Sauron's Eye,
Out-of-control tanning tips are trendy on social media. A doctor shares the
dangers behind them.
From anti-sunscreen stances to out-of-control tanning tips, we asked a dermatologist to weigh in on some of the outrageous takes we're seeing on TikTok and beyond.
First up: skipping sunscreen altogether.
In a video with nearly 50,000 views, TikTok user @will.lamb.1 says he's "not going to wear sunscreen this summer, and neither should you" to his more than 80,000 followers. "Laguna Beach" star Kristin Cavallari raised eyebrows for a podcast clip in which she admitted to not wearing sunscreen. And in a video posted to Twitter with 1.2 million views, user @GubbaHomestead writes, "I don't wear sunscreen, and I never will," calling sunscreen the "enemy." Experts disagree.
I try to avoid sunscreen; I hate the feel and the smell. If I have to be out in the sun for a protracted period, (and that means a long time), like fishing, I wear light weight, light colored long pants and long sleeve shirts. But I will reluctantly wear it if I think parts of me will be exposed too long.
Of course, I walk the beach regularly for a couple of hours. Starting in spring, when I can get back into shorts and t-shirts, my arms, legs and face tan fairly slowly and without burns and pain. Will my skin age? Yeah, probably, but I'm 72. Will I get skin cancer? Maybe, even likely. Both my parents did at some point, and they were generally less outdoorsy than I. It's probably cooked in the skin by now.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Cheesecake Armor & Other Delights ready for you digital pleasure at The Other McCain.
I got skin cancer on the top of my ear. I believe it was from over 35 years of working in a steel melting shop.
ReplyDeleteI ran furnaces and other equipment that I had to stand over when taking a temperature or getting samples or making adds.
My ear often was burned on the top from the 3100 degree heat, and me not wanting to stand back, so I didn't have to go back a second time.