No more excuses, wear your sunscreen

I love the continuous spray sunscreen. I am so pale I am almost transparent and since I started using the spray sunscreen I haven't had a sunburn. No matter how well I applied the regular cream sunscreens I would end up with a burn. I prefer the Neutragena (sp?) Cooling sunscreen as it has a very pleasant odor and it really does cool you down on a hot day.

My dad has had many cancerous (basal cell) lesions removed from his skin and has been treated with topical chemotherapy. After seeing what he has gone through I realize how painful and serious skin cancer can be. Sunscreen is such an easy way to protect your health and now that application is easier nothing should stop you from protecting yourself!

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OUCH, that sunburn in that pic looks PAINFUL!!!!!!!!! Living in Florida, we go through our share of sunscreen. I've used the spray-on type in the past and love it for the convenience. It's nice to be able to spray it on my kids backs as they run past me. :) It also is nice for the occasions when there is nobody available to put it on my back. Just reach over the ole shoulder and spray!

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I bought that Neutrogena Cooling Mist last month and am totally in love with it. The kids I nanny for are much more into getting sprayed then rubbed down too, lol.

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I am *loving* the continuous spray sunscreen this summer! I always hated rubbing that stuff on, trying to get it even and then my hands feeling all greasy. The spray on stuff is amazing, even if it is kind of pricey.

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I find it very convenient to use a daily moisturizer with sunscreen every morning. And then I rub it into my hands too. My mom pointed out to make sure to rub it into your neck.

Hats, too, folks! Don't forget hats. Model good behavior for your kids. My son loves wearing a hat, and we figured out it might be because his dad wears one so much!

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Just make sure to do it in moderation. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to get Vitamin D (it's not very well absorbed from food), and Vitamin D deficiency appears to be linked to a lot of serious internal cancers (which are a lot harder to detect and treat than skin cancer).

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Anyone have any ideas for sunscreening a fair-haired toddler's head? His hair is baby-thin, so the sun can reach his scalp. He often wears a hat, but there are times when he doesn't - swimming for example - and his little head gets awfully red. Thanks for the help!

Meanwhile, I will continue my quest for the spray-on sunscreen. I've heard so many good things about it, but can't find it near me (I live in farm country - you take what you find!)

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LS: There's a scalp sunscreen for babies on drugstore.com. I think it's made by Beach Blanket.

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LJ -- http://froogle.google.com/froogle?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22continuous%20spray%22%20sunscreen&sa=N&tab=wf

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Ouch.

I have had many a bad back sunburn after my 3 year old applied my sunscreen for me. It's not like I was going to ask the mom next to me to rub sunscreen on me when we hadn't even met yet! So I love this spray on sunscreen!!!

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Lord, I love the continuous spray sunscreen. I can coat all three of my sons in seconds flat. They barely have time to object before it's over.
I was out of the spray sunscreen today and had to use the old lotion time - it was like returning to the dark ages. The stupid bottle even leaked in my beach bag, just to underscore how bad the old technology is.

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I will have to go find some of this stuff...I burn extremely easily, and am at very high risk for skin cancer. My baby girl is also so pale she is almost transparent (as a previous poster said!), and I've been very hesitant to take her outside because I'm afraid she'll get burned.

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Echoing what Matthew said. Besides fighting many types of cancer, scientists think vitamin D also may help ward off Multiple Sclerosis. So a little sunshine on the skin is really beneficial.

I blogged about the benefits of vitamin D here: http://www.mlive.com/weblogs/neuroticmom/index.ssf?/mtlogs/mlive_mom/archives/2005_05.html#062148

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Regarding the Vitamin D comments, true, the dermatologists and bone specialists have been arguing for years. However, you can take Vitamin D supplements orally (400 to 800 IU daily recommended at the moment) but you can't turn time back and erase a sunburn.

Just one "lobster-burn" increases your or your child's risk of having skin cancer. So pop some Vitamin D supplements and spray on that 30 SPF!

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Forget about the Vitamin D. Yes you need it, but only about 20 minutes a WEEK. According to a recent NY Times article, 15 minutes a day during the summer can supply your body with a year's worth. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/health/06brod.html?ex=1151035200&en=3b22741b24715060&ei=5070

Not wearing sunscreen is not worth the risk.

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Well, we live in the north, and we're darker-skinned, both of which are factors that put us at risk for deficiency.

Also, multiple sclerosis runs in our family, so it makes sense for us to make sure we're getting enough vitamin D.

I will say that we're very careful about it, though, and my daughter (who is almost 3) has never had a sunburn.

As for D supplements, our pediatrician has never been crazy about them. She just recommends sunshine.

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The spray on sunscreen is fabulous. My older children can apply it themselves very quickly. No hassles! I was skeptical about whether it would work but they haven't burned yet. I can't wait to use it at the beach when they are covered with salt water and sand. It should be a snap.

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Thank you for this post! We tried the pump sunscreen about two years ago and sadly ended up with white starburts of protection amidst mostly burned skin, even after rubbing in. But after reading this about the new 'continuous spray' I raced out to get some and IT IS AWESOME! Wow! You really can cover a toddler in about five seconds flat! And I can cover my own back instead of asking my two year-old to rub it around. AND, they sell 2-packs at Costco to help offset the higher cost!

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