Sun safety is very sexy

In 1998 Hollywood actress Jessica Biel turned up to a movie premier in a boob tube, flared jeans, platform shoes, and bikini tan lines. Now there’s a lot of things wrong with that outfit, especially for a red carpet, but it was the 90s, it was a different time. It goes to show how not only fashion has changed but also our attitude towards the sun. I know mine has especially changed.

No Hollywood star would dream of stepping out with tan lines of that intensity now.

Once upon a time women would coat themselves in baby oil and baste in the sun to get a tan. But with time has come education, and as the hole in the ozone layer becomes bigger the sun becomes harsher, especially in New Zealand due to its proximity to the hole.

In 2018 it was reported New Zealand had the highest rate of skin cancer in the world with 2500 new melanoma cases diagnosed a year.

Ministry of Health statistics show most cases occur in people aged over 75, with more than 300 Kiwis dying annually from melanoma.

I used to think I was invincible, that a little sunburn never hurt no one. If I got burnt it meant I would soon be tanned, which everyone wanted to be, right?

I never thought about the lasting effects it would have on my skin. Premature ageing, skin lesions, and a higher risk of getting skin cancer.

In the Western world everyone wants their skin to be a little bit darker, bronzed or olive, and advertising is saturated with ways for us to get there. Bronzing moisturisers, fake tan, Thin Lizzy, bronzer powders, and the old sun beds.

However, while travelling Asia I noticed in the likes of India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam women fiercely covered up from the sun and pharmacy shelves were lined with skin whitening products.

My first thought was ‘that seems unhealthy’ but they probably feel the same about us. It goes to show how we will never be happy with the looks we’ve got.

I can’t count how many times I have been burnt over the years but sunblock doesn’t even seem to protect me and it’s so expensive I can barely afford it.

I lather up and reapply but still I get burnt and get angry at myself when I do.

I’ve had some gnarly sunburns in my time. Like when I felt sick after going on an A&P Show ride so I lay down in the sun for an hour or two, which resulted in severe blistering on my chest.

Another time I fell asleep on the beach in Portugal, which led to burnt legs and tan lines that never really left.

And, still not learning from my mistakes, riding on the back of a motorbike in Vietnam in shorts left my leg with some more very unattractive blistering.

I’m one of those people that can’t really spend any time in the sun. Within an hour I’m a tomato. Luckily it doesn’t stay around for long and I tan the next day, but still, it can’t be good for my skin.

Gone are the days of me being ashamed or thinking I’m too cool for a sunhat. Now I have two wide-brimmed hats to stop my face and shoulders from getting burnt.

I take it as a victory when I get home after a day in the sun and am the same colour as when I left.

With my wedding coming up this year I vowed and declared to be sun smart this summer so I wouldn’t end up walking down the isle with bizarre tan lines. I failed.

Pretty much my first time out in the sun I got burnt. The amount of prep and upkeep it takes to avoid getting burnt is insane. The first coat of sunblock pretty much does nothing.

This weekend I sat at the beach and watched a family pick a spot to put their things before diving into the ocean. It look them a good 15 to 20 minutes to all sunblock up.

That’s nothing against them – full kudos to them for protecting themselves. I wish I had their diligence. It’s what we should all be doing.

I also just found out when researching to write this that you are not meant to rub in sunblock and are in fact supposed to ‘gently smooth’ it onto your skin.

I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time. No wonder I’m getting burnt.

I take it as a victory when I get home after a day in the sun and am the same colour as when I left.