Skin conditions

[ZealJ03]

So, here's my problem - I have very fair skin, and it seems like no matter what kind of sunscreen I put on, I always get badly sunburned. For instance...this summer, I attended a week-long camp with The Cavaliers. Every day, I put on a sunscreen with an SPF of 70. By the fourth day of the camp, I had sun poisoning on my face and ears, and bad sunburns on my arms and legs. And that was just one week! I'm thinking about seeing a doctor soon to figure something out about this, but are there any other fair-skinned folks here who have had to deal with this problem before?

The SPF 50-60 types do not absorb in the short term very well. Put it on 30 minutes prior to you going outside. If you're sweating, chances are that your not going absorb the content. If it's a burn that's one thing, but if it's Sun Poisoning, that can be extremely serious, especially in the long run.

If you darken/tan with the sun, your chances of sun poisoning will dramatically be decreased. If you stay pale, then, I'd have to agree Drum Corps may not be for you.

Remember to keep your health over everything else.

[bearz]

That underarmor stuff is crazy. You'd think that long sleeves would make you hotter, but I've found that it actually keeps me cooler when I'm out here dealing with 95-degree days.

I'm extremely fair skinned and burn really easy. Back in the "olden days" I don't remember us having much sunscreen, and I remember lots and lots of burns. There were alot of 80 degree days where I wore my Blue Stars dark blue jacket on the practice field just to keep from burning. At one point my nose burned so bad it broke open and bled and I have a nice scar on the side of my nose from it.

Think about what you see in the tropics alot of times...long sleeved, white cotton, loose, gauzy type clothing. I'm sure that is to protect them from the sun and would be amazingly cool.

[DrinkinOuttaCups]

If you darken/tan with the sun, your chances of sun poisoning will dramatically be decreased.

Well, the areas of my arms and legs that have been exposed to the sun are noticeably tanner than the rest of my body. They're still pale by normal standards, but the sun's definitely affected them.

I've only gotten sun poisoning twice, and both times, it's been on my face. I've never gotten it anywhere else (not even my neck). The spot where it gets burned the worst is always on my cheeks.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I should have mentioned this before, but I think I have Rosacea (a very, very mild form of it). If you don't know what that is, it's basically a skin condition that reddens the skin on your face (or something like that...I'm not really sure what it is, but it does explain why my face is so red all the time). I'm not sure what this would have to do with sunscreen, but I felt like I should mention it. Hopefully it shouldn't affect what we're talking about.

[CuriousMe]

Well, the areas of my arms and legs that have been exposed to the sun are noticeably tanner than the rest of my body. They're still pale by normal standards, but the sun's definitely affected them.

I've only gotten sun poisoning twice, and both times, it's been on my face. I've never gotten it anywhere else (not even my neck). The spot where it gets burned the worst is always on my cheeks.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I should have mentioned this before, but I think I have Rosacea (a very, very mild form of it). If you don't know what that is, it's basically a skin condition that reddens the skin on your face (or something like that...I'm not really sure what it is, but it does explain why my face is so red all the time). I'm not sure what this would have to do with sunscreen, but I felt like I should mention it. Hopefully it shouldn't affect what we're talking about.

If you haven't spoken to a dermatologist about this already, you should.

Something to think about....irritation from Rosacea may affect absorption of the sunscreen as well.

Peace,

CuriousMe

[Martybucs]

Well, I marched on the field for over 20 years - Back in the day, you know, when the snow was way deeper and the sun was much hotter (Think it was only 75 million miles away back then!)

Just try to keep covered, use sun screen and wear a good brimmed hat for being out in the sun. I can't see anyone in their right mind not letting you protect yourself from the sun's harmful effects these days.

People always teased me about wearing caps and long sleeves and jeans all summer, but I only got a few bad burns the couple of times I wore tee shirts with short sleeves.

[Lousoz]

Well, the areas of my arms and legs that have been exposed to the sun are noticeably tanner than the rest of my body. They're still pale by normal standards, but the sun's definitely affected them.

I've only gotten sun poisoning twice, and both times, it's been on my face. I've never gotten it anywhere else (not even my neck). The spot where it gets burned the worst is always on my cheeks.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I should have mentioned this before, but I think I have Rosacea (a very, very mild form of it). If you don't know what that is, it's basically a skin condition that reddens the skin on your face (or something like that...I'm not really sure what it is, but it does explain why my face is so red all the time). I'm not sure what this would have to do with sunscreen, but I felt like I should mention it. Hopefully it shouldn't affect what we're talking about.

If you think you have rosacea, you definitely need to see a dermatologist.

The number one thing they recommend for it is to stay out of the sun, and wear sunscreen everyday ( I have it fwiw).

However, even without that, if you burn that easily you need to be getting skin checks yearly to make sure you aren't showing any early signs of skin cancer. I am pretty pale, but was able to march using 30 spf everyday. While other people were able to slack off about their sunscreen usage as the summer went on, if I didn't wear, I got burned.

As others have said, you need to consider the long sleeve shirts/pants and wide brimmed hats in addition to sunscreen. You might also want to consider a zinc oxide based formula vs "traditional" sunscreens.

[Michael Boo]

Beware of the Sun

This is a Fanfare column (with a link to another article on DCI.org about sun protection) that all marchers should read.

Sunburn is nothing to take lightly. As mentioned in the article, "There will be an estimated 55,000 new cases and nearly 8,000 people will die this year in the United States of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer."

[ekleve]

Beware of the Sun

This is a Fanfare column (with a link to another article on DCI.org about sun protection) that all marchers should read.

Sunburn is nothing to take lightly. As mentioned in the article, "There will be an estimated 55,000 new cases and nearly 8,000 people will die this year in the United States of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer."

Sweet! I'm quoted in that article!

Sunscreen is the most obvious requirement for going into the sun. I am very fair skinned, so I always wear sunscreen. But the other most valuable advice I've seen in this thread is to wear a hat with a wide brim that goes all the way around. A baseball cap is simply not protective enough. A wide brimmed hat will protect your face and neck, and I gaurentee your ears will never burn again!

[loud_lancer]

First of all, that whole thing about not needing anything higher than spf30 is crap. It may be true for those who don't burn that easily or aren't in exteme sun conditions, but for those of us who do burn, spf matters.

I teach skiing in California and am very fair-skinned. Over the years I've tried many things to avoid sunburn and here's what I'd learned:

1.) Wear a hat with a brim that shields your face.

2.) Wear sunscreen that contains either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. (I personally use the latter, because zinc oxide doesn't do anything for me.)

3.) As others have stated, apply lotion at least 30 min. prior to exposure and every 2 hours after that. You will sweat it off.

4.) Buy a new tube a lotion every year -- make sure it's not a left-over at the store from the previous year. Suncreen does expire. I once bought suncreen that was old and ended up burning so badly that the ski area sent me home. Not to mention the rash on my arms (Yes, we wear short-sleeve shirts in the spring.) Had to stay out of the sun for a whole week.

5.) If you don't wear gloves, put sunscreen on the backs of your hands. They burn, too.

6.) When skiing or on water, don't forget the ears, underside of the chin, and nostrils. You haven't felt pain until you burn inside your nostrils and use rough kleenex to blow your nose. I don't think this applies to drum corps, but I thought I'd throw it out there to complete the list.

What works best for me is stuff for infants, like Water Babies, spf 50, with titanium dioxide. I still turn pink, but it fades after a couple of days.

Good luck!

[bishtom]

be sure to talk to your corps medical ppl, and the director may also be able to have tips for you