Monday, June 22, 2009

Sun Scream

I am notorious for not putting on very much sunscreen. Or skipping it altogether. Or putting it on haphazardly, in a random pattern that looks like I have some dread disease. Phil gets so irritated with me over this issue.

As a kid, I can’t really remember ever wearing sunscreen. I always got very dark in the summer, and my girls have definitely inherited my coloring. A few trips to the pool, and they’re already sporting dark tan lines from their bathing suits. Davis, on the other hand, got his Daddy’s fair skin and will burn to a crisp under the hot Texas sun, unless we faithfully reapply every 2 hours.

I am, of course, vigilant about putting sunscreen on my kids. Sometimes I think I just get sidetracked when it comes to being vigilant about my own sunscreen. After making sure I get the 3 noses, 6 cheeks, 6 ears, 3 foreheads, 3 necks, 6 shoulders, 3 backs, 6 arms, etc. of my kids, I’m just plumb tuckered out. I halfheartedly swipe SPF 50 on my own shoulders, and am just getting ready to apply more when I am called to duty at the pool… “Mom, where are my goggles? Mommy, I think I forgot my towel! Mommy, I have to go potty!”

So, as a result, over the course of my 37 years, I have sunburned almost every conceivable part of my body. And I can tell you that a sunburn on the backs of the legs is horrible, but one of the worst is a sunburn on the tops of your feet. You can’t even wear flip-flops (my own personal brand of nightmare!). And laying out slathered in baby oil is NOT a good idea, teenage girls! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made the journey from ‘lobster’ to a skin-peeling ‘lizard’.

But even this is a new one to me… my bottom lip is sunburned. I didn’t even really know that lips could sunburn. But we were out at the lake yesterday, floating in the water for hours, and while I have a little bit of a burn on my nose, the brim of my hat must have shaded most of my face. Except, that is, my bottom lip.

Those of you that know me know that I have a… um… ‘generous’ bottom lip. Don’t get me wrong… I have always liked my lips. I’ve never had to worry about lipliners or ‘lip plumpers’, or buying expensive lipsticks whose sole selling tagline was that it would make my lips look fuller. But did you know that when your lips sunburn, they get swollen? And the only lip balm I can find right now is glossy.

Wow. Nothing like a big, fat... slightly painful (albeit glossy as hell) lip to start my day.

7 comments:

Veronica said...

Told you lips could swell! Stay away from anything acidic. Ouch!

sarah. said...

hahaha They make Chapstick with sunscreen in it for a reason. At least your feet didn't burn :)

Anonymous said...

This is useless without pictures.

jen said...

Ouch my friend.
I agree with Anonymous we need pictures!!!

Veronica said...

So, it does look really funny. You need to take a pic and put it on your swimbag as a reminder to always apply sunscreen. Wonder what would happen if you lathered yourself before the kids?

Kris with a K said...

Honey, I was a baby oil girl. Even with fair skin. I just "had to burn a couple of times for it to fade to a tan"....rrrriiiigggght.

I've people a couple of people's worth of skin off myself.

One summer I burned both my lips (yep, that does hurt) AND my eyelids at the same time. They peeled from eyelash to eyebrow THREE times. They were so purple it looked like the 80s eyeshadow I usually wore at the time.

And now I am having mole checks every 6 months. One basal cell carcinoma removed from between my upper lip and nose (7 stitches) and a squamous cell removed from my chest, just over the sternum.

Keep gooping up Davis!

Staci said...

Thanks for the words of wisdom, Kris! The gooping shall never cease... ;)

You've inspired me to get to the dermatologist!