I’m also a moron. A tall, redheaded, bad ass, mother f@k’n moron. I never, yes, never, wear sunscreen. Have probably worn it over the years to some degree, but I work outside year round and never wear it.

This…This scares the crap out of me.

enough said.

Also- I agree with you- the kid has read hair and she is definitely a badass.

There were a lot of summers growing up that I didnt wear sunblock but now I do, every single day. Thank you.

Glad to hear everything worked out for you. I wear plenty of sunscreen now but didn’t at all when I was younger. Now I can only hope my former negligence won’t catch up with me.

I barely wear sunscreen myself, but I maintain that nice pasty San Francisco color year round. There’s about 14 days you can even think about getting a sunburn here.

i am fair and always, always, ALWAYS wear sunscreen or stay in the shade if possible. i’ve had many a stupid burn in my life and have had moles removed that have been fine. but it still scares the crap out of me because, well, ya never know.

you’re beautiful even w/ the stitches!

As a side note, you don’t have to do the immunizations on Friday. Listen to your gut. Mothers have instincts for a reason. I have seven kiddos and I chose to wait til they were all walking and talking before giving them so that if they had nasty reactions they could at least communicate what and how they were feeling. By then they had better developed immune systems, too. Just a thought.

Take care of yourself.

I remember reading Seventeen Magazine, blah-blah something about “Things to say to your less popular friends” and one of them was “if you have a better tan, say, “turn over – your skin is the same color as your bubblegum”” and I was soooo jealous because I was doused in sunblock daily from birth. Casper the Ghost could have used that line on me, but I was never going to get the joy of saying it to someone else. Ever.

Anyway, what you were saying about not wearing sunscreen – it was pretty much actively encouraged everywhere throughout the eighties, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

I’m glad you had that taken care of! I dealt with cervical cancer/hysterectomy this year, so I will back you up on people taking this cancer stuff seriously. It’s worth an hour out of your day at the doctor’s.

A note about sunscreen though… After my Mom discovered sunscreen when I was a kid, I always wore it until, as a teenager, I developed an allergic reaction to all the chemicals. My skin reacts as if it were poison ivy now, and I even have to watch out for shower gels and shampoos that contain related chemicals. So sunscreen is good, for most people, but long sleeves and big hats are even better. And there’s nothing cuter than a baby in a hat!

As a fair skinned person in the country with the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, she was very proud of the condition of my skin. I was like – see, all those years spent reading in my room/watching tv/going out to restaurants and brunch rather than going to the beach really have paid off.

Quick note on sunscreen: not all are created equal. Most block UVB much more effectively than UVA (the SPF refers specifically to UVB rays). Although this will stop the burn, it won’t completely stop skin cancer formation. UVA makes up 90% of the UV energy reaching the earth and can penetrate windows and clouds. The most effective UVA block is zinc oxide, followed closely by titanium dioxide. These have the added benefit of not causing allergic reactions like Laurel describes. Happy screening.