STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Kitty · Hermes

Pale Skin: A Rant

halleybird · Hermes

I am really pale, too, but I have a touch of olive in my skin and I tend to tan, not burn, first. But I feel for you. I try to be really conscious of it too, b/c there is a lot of skin cancer in my family (Irish complexions). I have to be really careful.

Some probably stupid questions, but are you using high-spf sunscreen with Parsol? I'd also browse the makeupalley reviews for sunscreen. There are a few listed that are SPF 55-60, which might work better for you. There's no such thing as building up resistance to the sun. ANY tan or burn is skin damage, no matter what.

My dad (who's had skin cancer 2x) is actually never supposed to be outside for ANY amount of time (as in, not even going to the mailbox) without very high-SPF sunscreen AND a hat with a wide allover brim. So you could try that too. Good luck!

member · Hermes

I'm not that bad - I can go out in the sun w/out getting badly burnt, but I am super pale and I never get tan. Or I think I get tan, but to most people I still look pale! Also, if I put SPF 15 or above on, I just don't get any color at all - no burn, no tan, no nothing. And if I wear lower sunscreen, I get burnt in blotches or patches. For instance, this weekend, I was sitting out by the pool and only half of my upper body got burnt! WTF! I feel your pain, maybe in a different way, but I feel it!

Kitty · Hermes

halleybird wrote:

I am really pale, too, but I have a touch of olive in my skin and I tend to tan, not burn, first. But I feel for you. I try to be really conscious of it too, b/c there is a lot of skin cancer in my family (Irish complexions). I have to be really careful.
Some probably stupid questions, but are you using high-spf sunscreen with Parsol? I'd also browse the makeupalley reviews for sunscreen. There are a few listed that are SPF 55-60, which might work better for you. There's no such thing as building up resistance to the sun. ANY tan or burn is skin damage, no matter what.
My dad (who's had skin cancer 2x) is actually never supposed to be outside for ANY amount of time (as in, not even going to the mailbox) without very high-SPF sunscreen AND a hat with a wide allover brim. So you could try that too. Good luck!

I do use sunscreen with SPF 50..but it doesn't work. I'm not sure what Parsol is? Is it in most sunscreens? I'm using Neutrogena right now.

When I said "building up resistance" I just meant I NEVER tan..my skin doesn't get even one shade darker.

And yeah, I am worried about skin cancer..I go once a year to get checked out.

I can't believe your dad isn't even supposed to go the mailbox...that's got to be so hard.

halleybird · Hermes

Parsol 1789 is an ingredient that absorbs UVA and UVB rays. I think Neutrogena has it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsol_1789

My dad DOES go out without his hat, LOL, but he won't leave the house without sunscreen. Next time I talk to him, I will ask if he has any brand recs. His skin is very, very white -- almost translucent.

Anyway, I have seen your pics and your skintone is lovely! I would never use self-tanner if mine looked like that.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

halleybird wrote:

There are a few listed that are SPF 55-60, which might work better for you. There's no such thing as building up resistance to the sun.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I had "heard" that anything over SPF 45 is essentially useless since it won't do much more good. I thought it was because of the way the actually numbers are determined:

SPF # protection is the time it takes your skin to redden times that # so that SPF 45 would give a person who burns in ten minutes 450 minutes of protection till a burn. So that's 7.5 hours and chances are that the sunscreen needs to be reapplied anywhere before the 7.5 hours are up so a person shouldn't ever get to the burn time.

I would suggest looking at the mix of chemicals that are in the sunscreen, making sure that you get both UVA and UVB protection. Other than that...check with a derm.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

copied and pasted from an email my friend sent me the other day when she was concerned that I got a tiny burn fom the beach. She's styudying to be a nurse and works in a cancer hospital, so i tend to trust her opinion on this:

"Honestly, you don't really need an SPF of 70.....b/c anything about SPF of 30 or so is pretty much all the same.....
spf 15 = 93% blocked
spf 30 = 97% blocked
So really spending money on a higher SPF is pointless b/c SPF 70 isn't going to block any more than an SPF of 30 really....b/c nothing blocks 100%

Also, be sure your sunscreen contains avobenzone - this blocks UVA rays....and it's not always about the SPF number.....you need to constantly reapply and should apply it 15-20 minutes before you are going outside...." She also went on to say you should reapply at least once an hour.

sounds like in your case, that avobenozine might be worth looking into.

brazilian · Dooney & Bourke

I have also heard that anything over 30 doesnt really matter. Also I'm not sure if it's new sunscreen or something from last summer, but you should but new sunscreen every year. I think some of the ingredients become inactive after a year or so. I'm not sure if your sunscreent shows in expiration date....but when you but a new tube just write the date so you dont forget.