Derm time
I’ve been particularly aware of how sunny it’s been this year. I think it’s because I started running in shorts and a tank in March and immediately had a ridiculous tan (most noticeable on my legs).
Sno-Kone!
I am not as good as I used to be about remembering to wear sunscreen. And I don’t wear a moisturiser each day that has sun protection in it. Couple those two facts with me getting a lot darker than I ever do in the summer (and a lot sooner) and I have been thinking about seeing a dermatologist, just to be on the safe side. Ideally, the dermatologist would look at my skin and tell me if I have any moles to watch for changes… and maybe they would even do one of those cool scan things that shows how much you have damaged your skin by being an idiot and running for hours in the sun without sunscreen on?
Knowing me, I won’t go. I could at least start wearing sunscreen though.
Have you ever been to a dermatologist? Are you getting particularly dark this year too?
Themocracy
I haven’t been outside much so no darker skin for me yet. But I have been meaning to make an appointment with the dermatologist too because i’ve had this red spot (that looks like a pimple) on my face for quite awhile now. I’d like to get it checked out just to make sure its okay.
When I was training for my marathon I would only wear sunscreen on longer run days. Coppertone makes a really great sports sunscreen that didn’t leave my skin feeling nasty when I started sweating. I feel like other sunscreens made it difficult to sweat properly… almost like it was holding the sweat in…. if that makes sense…. I mean I would still sweat but it felt different.
The coppertone also never got in my eyes I’ve had other sunscreens make their way into my eyes when I started to sweat and man that hurts.
Let us know what yod find out when you get to the dermatologist!
I know exactly what you mean about the sunscreen not letting you sweat properly…. and that is kind of why I do not wear it as much as I should. The spray ones work better for me but they leave me so sticky!
And I can never wear it near my eyes! Owwie!
I went to a dermatologist back in AZ and had a few moles removed. It was super easy and well worth it. It did take a long time to get an appointment (Troy just tried to schedule one here, and they wanted him to wait a year until they could fit him in) so you might have to be prepared for a wait! (Do it though!)
A coworker just told me yesterday her husband had to wait a year too! Geesh! I guess it’s good that people are concerned?
I am polish therefore I am very white. I wear sunscreen all the time because I burn. Also I like to not have funny tan lines from my tank tops so I usually slather that sunscreen on. My running buddy is wearing it this summer too since she is getting married in the fall and doesn’t want tan lines in her dress.
Has that been successful? Even when I wear it I still get the funky tans! Guess I need to reapply!
I need to be careful next summer so I don’t have the weird tans for my sis’s wedding.
I got to a dermatologist for my rosacea but I haven’t had her do a skin check for sun damage yet. She did tell me that the sun is not good for me and that I need to be really careful. But I am very fair with freckles and I hardly tan at all…
That said, I am careful about my face (always wear a hat when running outdoors) but very lazy about sunscreen on my legs and arms.
I hate wearing sunscreen for runs but I may need to start being better about that. I got a little sun on my shoulders yesterday but luckily it was just a 4 mile run so it wasn’t too long.
I have been to a dermatologist but not due to sun damage. I have eczema (they suspect) and I go to get steroid cream. I haven’t been in a lot of years now and my cream is nearly gone so I may be going in the near future.
GO! I’ll buy -no – make! you a sno cone if you go.
I will wear it if YOU put it on me!!!
I’ve been having the same battle with myself, especially about being better about wearing sunscreen on runs. It doesn’t help that I got VERY tan on vacation (I did wear sunscreen there) but now I am peeling and definitely did some damage.
Maybe if you keep writing about taking better care of your skin, I’ll follow suit. 🙂
Ha ha! I will try! 🙂
I had a skin check a few years ago. I had some moles removed then. She recommended a moisturizer with an SPF30 in it esp for the face. I am Polish as well and I burn first than tan eventually. BUT I get Bright PINK in my face. ugh. Horrible. If I am out longer than 30 mins I’ll put on spf. My kids get spf50.
I’ve never been to a dermatologist and have never thought about going to see one until now. But I think it’s a really good idea to go see one! I tan very easily and already have some great tan lines (shorts, running socks, and knee straps, oh my!) Unfortunately I’m not as good as I should be about putting sunscreen. I really only do so when I know I’ll be in the sun for an extended period of time time, although I do wear a daily facial moisturizer with sunscreen in it!
That Sno-Cone looks so delicioso, especially with these 90-degree temps we’ve been having all week!
I’m really bad about sunscreen. I’ve made more of an attempt this year to put some on but still have days where I skip it. I know I need to watch this though!
does blistering red count as dark??
YES. Red is darker than white! 🙂
I went for the first time last year, primarily to have a bothersome skin tag snipped off, but while I was there I had him look me over head to toe just to see if he was anything of concern. He didn’t. I think that’s a good idea to do that every now and then!
i’m so shocked to hear so many people say they don’t use sunscreen!! to me that’s like hearing people say they still chain-smoke… i thought we all agreed these things were bad for us 🙂
i’ve had many, many skin checks by derms over the years, with the most recent one resulting in my first Suspicious Removal (followed by a more extensive Oh Crap Let’s Also Remove Anything That Might Have Been Touching That excision).
my mom is sicilian and is one of those people who can soak up sun with very little burning…… and she just had SKIN CANCER removed. from her face. please please wear sunscreen folks!
Can you recommend a good day to day one? Or one that will not burn my eyes? 🙂
I must admit, that I don’t like to use sunscreen before a run, as I think that it makes me hotter, since I have a layer of oil/cream covering my skin. If I’m not wearing any sunscreen, I try to run around a park with lots o’ trees. However, I almost always wear a hat on my runs.
Yeah. That is why I don’t wear it too. We need an all shaded path. A lot of the Lake Co Des Plaines River Trail is!
We haven’t really had any sun this year so I’m as white as ever, but I try to stay that way all year.
Regardless of the opinions that have been shared with me a million times, I like my skin better when I don’t have a tan. I also worry a lot about skin cancer now that my dad’s had it. It’s bad enough that I tanned a lot when I was younger, I’m not about to take any more chances.
Do people give you crap about not being dark? Seriously… I prefer white or a natural tan. Those too tan people scare me! (no offense to your previous tanning days :))
I have been to a dermatologist for a skin check. It was a visual skin check (prepare to strip!), and luckily I didn’t have much to worry about. I hear it’s best to go when it’s winter/skin is calmer, but if you’re worried, I’d go now & again in the winter.
I also wear moisturizer w/ SPF in it. On my face, SPF 30, and in summer I apply body lotion w/ SPF 15 (Eucerin brand – specifically because of the SPF). If I’m going out in the sun (i.e. dressing for a run), then I apply actual sunblock SPF 50.
Ooo! Thanks for the tip! What is calmer about our skin then?
NAKED PARTY!!! (<-- this gets said a lot in my house)
I am an avid sun screen wearer as well as avoider of being in the sun. I just freckle and burn and it’s bad! Good thing I live in Seattle, right? 😉 I go to the Derm once a year to get my moles checked since skin cancer runs in my family.
Ugh, I could have written this exact post. I used to be MILITANT about sunscreen, but I’ve let myself slide recently.
Maybe you could find a tinted moisturizer…or some BB cream? That stuff is all the rage here in Korea (maybe I’ll do a post about it?) and it is supposed to protect your skin from the sun AND help with complexion, aging, and whitening. (Oh, Korea.) It’s all in one, and it gives me extra sun protection during the day!
Do post about it! It sounds interesting! DId you get some?
This is the first year that my feet are tan. I never tan..and I don’t wear my flipflops at the pool, so this is just running around tan lines. I use the kids spray sunscreen (70) and it works great, and we rub it in our hands and spread it on our faces. We don’t get that stinging, maybe because it is for kids?
I’ve never been to a dermatologist because I always figured that my regular doc would catch stuff like that first. Hmmm. Anyway, I’m getting better about sunscreen but I completely neglected it during my long bike ride and now I’m mad at myself about it!