My sunscreen failure

I know I have been all about sun protection lately, so I thought I should admit my failure so no one else has to have the same problem. I have had two major issues in the last few weeks of work. The first is that for some reason I keep forgetting to reapply. I get so caught up in everything that I am doing at work that before I know it my shift is over and it has been 4 hours since the last time I put on any sunscreen.

My other major problem is that the sunscreen I am using is from last summer. My mom is constantly telling me that sunscreen doesn’t work after it’s a year old. I remember it and I understand why it would no longer work, and yet it still kills me to throw away a half full tube. In hindsight, I think it would be better to throw away the tube and protect my skin with some new sunscreen instead of using the old stuff and getting burned or freckled and tan (which are both signs of skin damage).

I have been trying to wear my long sleeve shirt as much as possible, but with the summer starting to heat up, I have been getting really hot sitting in the sun. Part of the problem is that the long sleeve shirts for my job are made to be warm. They are the uniform for the guards in the winter, not a sun protection idea for the guards in the summer.

I haven’t gotten really burned yet this summer, and yet my arms are starting to tan, I have a swimsuit tan on my back (even though I put on sunscreen and then waited 20 minutes for it to really set before I got in), and my hands and forearms are full of freckles.

I guess this week I will be investing in some new sunscreen. And I will find ways to keep cool while wearing my long sleeves so I don’t have to worry so much about protecting my skin.