Being of very pale skin, I put on a decent amount of sunscreen before 
going to the UM game last Saturday.  Being of pale skin, however, it 
didn't really matter.  I came home the darkest shade of lobster I've 
ever been.  Even my forearms were burned, and they NEVER burn.  It 
didn't hurt much, unless I scratched it, so I left it alone.

Now, though, it's peeling.  I've never had a peeling sunburn before, so 
I'm not sure what to do.  Lotion?  Wash the dead skin off?  I look 
weird.  =)

13 responses total.

If you wait a bit, you might be able to peel off BIG swatches of skin. 
When I was a kid and got burned a lot at the beech, I loved peeling
off the skin. It has a sort of voluptuous feeling.... 

Oh gods...  =)  No.

Well, I've had it happen too as a kid.  Gross but (after the initial sunburn
fades) not painful.  Just moisturize the skin, and don't forget to cast a
suspicious eye on that particular bottle of sunscreen.  Stuff goes bad...

Next time, put on an excessive amount of a serious, heavy-duty sunblock.
Dad has pale skin and was never careful - now he has to go in about ONCE 
A MONTH to have various abnormalties & cancers dug out of his skin. 
Extreme unfun, even with great medical coverage. 

It was SPF 50.  =)  I wish they made SPF Irish or Goth.  <smirks>

I was wearing sunglasses, and Steve put his hat on me to shield my face during
the 3rd quarter.  By then it was too late.  <le sigh>

I look funky.  =)

Re #3: the non-PABA sunscreens can go bad, as they use things like
coconut oil and other components that can decompose. PABA is pretty
stable and I still use tubes of it that are decades old.

A thin light-colored cotton shirt, long sleeves, would probably block more
sun than most sunscreens.  And a wide-brimmed hat to cover your neck.

I was wearing a jersey, which covered most of my arms since it was HUGE on
me, but I didn't think to bring a hat.  Oops.  That's why Steve gave me his.

Is it bad to peel your sunburn?  I washed my face several times the other day
whenever it itched, and that took it off without hurting me.  Today I woke
up and it was gone.  But, I'm wondering if I was supposed to leave it alone.

I usually take excellent care of my skin and protect it from sun, so that's
why I was so confused about this.  I *rarely* burn, and if I do it's because
of strange circumstances.

Re #7: clothes certainly prevent sunburn, but full-body swimming suits had
already disappeared when I was a kid, and generally one has one's face
exposed. Most of my recent sunscreen use has been skiing - at altitude,
and only to protect my head fixtures and neck. 

My impression is that the "SPF" number on the bottle *vastly* overrates
virtually every sunscreen on the market, and the higher the SPF, the
greater the spread ('tween label & reality).

I couldn't verify that. I find anything above 30 gives me total protection.
I'm not sure what would constitute an over-rating. 

Kinda strange, Sarah... when I get burned badly I am in agony. I went to 
the lake two years ago and used sunblock, but cooked terribly. I didn't 
notice until the next day how bad it was, but I got 2nd degree burns 
(arms, front of legs, upper chest, part of back... basically anywhere 
the swimsuit didn't cover). Had to get painkillers and steroids to kill 
the burn. And then I peeled like a LIZARD. My skin dried, cracked, and 
peeled in pieces (think of a dry river bed, that's how it looked). It 
took about 2 weeks to peel away, but there was normal skin underneath. 
Anyway, some light exfoliation (gentle gentle gentle) might help get 
some of the dead skin on its way. If it hurts, stop. But maybe a 
washcloth used very lightly will get some of the edges of peeling skin 
away. And lots of lotion too.

Oh,it stopped peeling a while ago.  =)  

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