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Comment by Michelle on April 26, 2008 - 2:33pm

Dear Optimist, (love your screen name)

You are so right about our ears. We actually had a doctor friend who passed away from melanoma that went undiagnosed on his left ear. He was very athletic and only wore a baseball cap and I'm sure he never protected his ears with sunscreen.

I never go out without a wide, wide, brimmed hat, either! Such a great idea. The sun is so bad for our skin, period. If you want to look younger, we all know you need to stay out of the skin anyway.

Can you tell me if you have a special sunscreen you can recommend to the community? Any particular SPF?

Also, any brand of hat that you find works better for you?

Some hats are so awkward to take on a trip and there are some new hats that have news ways to protect your face as well as your ears that actually fold flat in your bag. Not the prettiest hats I've seen. But very effective.

Thanks for sharing this information. It's such a great "health tip". You should consider submitting it to our "Gift of Giving" contest. Just click the link below....

http://empowher.com/contest?pbb_qsi=1627008&=EngGrid262
You could win a $2,500 gift certificate to Tiffany's and more.

Good luck!

Michelle

Comment by Optimist on April 27, 2008 - 11:34am

Thanks for your comment, Michelle!

I don't really use a particular brand of sunscreen, just as long as it's 50 SPF or higher. I once found a wide-brimmed straw hat in Hawaii that was really inexpensive, less than $15, and I'm sure you could find one like it anywhere by a beach. I can scrunch it up in a suitcase and it always pops back into shape.

One thing I've started doing is wearing sun protective clothing. I find it so easy -- then I don't have to mess with putting on and then reapplying sunscreen on those body parts that are shielded by the clothing. One brand that's really good is Solartex. I think I remember reading that it was started by a mom in Australia who wanted to shield her children from the sun. You have to be careful because some sun protective clothing may not be as protective as it claims to be. Also some brands might easily be corroded by chlorine and/or salt.

Now I wouldn't even think of going hiking without my sun protective shirt and shorts. It's a no-brainer.

Comment by Anonymous on April 27, 2008 - 11:38am

I remember seeing a pamphlet in my dermatologist's waiting room about sun protective clothing, but it never registered with me that it would be something to try. Thanks for the input, Optimist -- I'm so fair-skinned that I'll definitely try it out.

Kristin Park
http://ppdsurvivor.blogspot.com