Aloe Gator has been working for me 20+ yrs. SPF 45+ Gel for the face and ears, neck; SP45+ lotion for the head and legs. I religiously use a long sleeve lycra unless it is very early or very late in the day when I use a short sleeve lycra. Dark colors are usually better unless you light color is made with a heavy or double lined fabric. I have started using a long sleeve with integrated hood in under 8' surf -- that thing is sweet and really cuts down on the amount of SPF used.
I use a surf hat - the rim of the hat blocks the sun from my eyes, especially early East Caost mornings, and also blocks the sun and I don't have to use sunblock. In big surf it does get blown off my head sometimes when I do stupid sh_t and wipe out. Your eyes can get fuc_ed up too - sunpots etc And yes, I do believe that too much sunblock can cause skin problems maybe even cancer. Just like deodorant with aluminum.
Do you just wake up in the morning, and decide "Hey, I'm just going to post stupid s^%$ on swellinfo".......? You are about as useful as an autistic giraffe, Roy.I always enjoy your insightful posts lol
I had been using Waterman's and was pretty happy with it, but my last (very expensive) tube started to get chunky right away, so I decided to try something else. I'm on my second tube of "MD Solarsciences Mineral Screen Lotion, SPF 40+" and I'm liking it. Also Zinc and Titanium but the application is a little smoother and feels silky on the skin. Basically, I like stuff that goes on white and that I can still see some on my skin after a couple of hours in the water.
I'll add on another vote for Waterman's. I just used the face stick and stuff in the pump for all of last week in CR and it is very durable and never runs into and burns your eye. Also have used it in Hawaii and Barbados with similar results. The only downside that I can see (also has been mentioned several times) is the price but I figure if it works, I like it and thus use it everyday that I am in the water, it's worth it.
So no matter where you are even when you have the perception the sun is not so intense...it is. I have gotten some of the worst sunburns on a cloudy day Even though I am not Fair skinned I am probably screwed as I grew up in the Sun and back then no one used Sun Block except for the pool lifeguards who wanted to look cool with the zinc on the nose. I have tried most of the decent brands out there all of which are stupid expensive and they work very well. For all day sessions Headhunter and HIC(hard to find) worked great I prefer HIC. Watermans is alright but really stupid expensive. Sun Bum sucks. I got a bit of the Zinc and Beeswax stuff that I am gonna try this summer, but thats pretty expensive as well.
Age 40 got a diagnosis of thankfully Stage 1 Melanoma, then subsequently 15 procedures over the past 6 months to remove Dysplastic or "pre-cancerous" lesions. You guys can talk about sunblock all day but the reality is that surfers are high risk group, no way around it (other than quit, or move to Norcal) the key to not dying of metastisized melanoma is 1) joining the practice of a good dermatologist and 2) getting 2x year skin checks from a good dermatologist. Sun exposure does impact melanoma, but the reality is that like most cancer, its genetic. The same way that you can smoke 2 packs a day for 60 yrs and die at 85 in a car crash and the 25 year old kid who never smoked at all will get aggressive lung cancer and die in 3 months. You can get melanoma anyplace on the body and sun exposure is absolutely a risk factor....but not the main one. Here are a couple of warning signs that your dermatologist sucks 1) he doesn't ask you to take your drawers off and look at the nasty areas 2) he doesn't ask you about family history of skin cancer 3) he does'nt examine your scalp 4) he doesn't check the bottoms of your feet and 5) he gets defensive and haughty if you point out any of these things to him. Here is the deal with (too) many dermatologist: they make big $$$ on cosmetic procedures and not so much on skin cancer exams and procedures. If you spend 20 minutes in their office getting a mole cut and biopsied, they get $200 that they have to wait 7 months to get paid by your insurance company. So what YOU are to them is whats known as an "opportunity cost" since they'd much rather use that 20 minutes to give some cougar an acid skin peel treatment for $600 payable at the time of visit. If thats your guy, then get the **** out of there yesterday and find someone else.
I've been using this stuff the last couple years: http://www.allterrainco.com/ecommerce/natural-oxybenzone-free-sunscreens/3-oz-aquasport-spf-30.html I use it when I am on the boat and surfing around here and on my last two trips to CR. It can be a hassle washing it off if I've been fishing or just hanging out at the beach or pool which shows that it doesn't wear off easily. In CR, I usually do one application before going out and wouldn't burn at all. If I go out on a boat trip there, I usually do a second application after a couple hours. I haven't had a burn on our trip since I started using this stuff.
