I’m officially in my late 20’s and can’t deny it anymore– (just turned 27 on St. patty’s day) and I’d like to think I’m not only getting older (sigh) but also getting a lot wiser…in many different ways.
For one, I used to be a fan of a dark ass tan! I mean who in their teen years and early adult years doesn’t want a tan – fake or not- we want it.
I will never forget going to Ann Hope (department store) with my Babcia (grandmother) when I was mmmm maybe six years old and having people grab my cheeks and comment on how “porcelain” (aka the nice way of saying extremely white) my skin was. In middle school, there was that one mean boy who called me Casper (the not so nice way of saying extremely white)
So, at a young age, having my mothers very fair skin and suddenly thinking it was a bad thing, I did anything I could to make it tan- from heavy bronzers, to tanning beds, to baby oil / tin foil in the sun (eeek) I remember saying that I’d rather be burnt than this white!
And the second scary thing was that I was not alone with those thoughts.I got my share of skin burns but it didn’t stop me from doing the same exact thing the following summer, and hearing and seeing plenty of girls and guys do it too.
![images](http://youbetyourpierogis.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/images.jpg)
Luckily, I realized (before it was too late) that tans fade but the signs of aging and skin damage do not. I still get carded at the bars when my friends may not and occasionally get carded to see a rated R movie – so I’m lucky I still have a baby face and my porcelain skin remains. However, this is not the case for everyone – I have seen firsthand what excessive unhealthy tanning has done to young girls – leaving an orange tint to the skin with a rubbery, texture – not to mention WRINKLES galore and they haven’t even reached their 27th birthdays yet!
Up until recently, I haven’t taken a good approach to the sun and to my skin care.
Last year – on our vacation to Jamaica, I used SPF 30 very very sparingly + no hat on the first day and then switched over to a SPF 8 OIL. The result: a burn — and a bad one –and major peeling.
This year- on our wonderful vacation to St. Thomas, I used SPF 50 every single day every 1-3 hours + sun hat. The result: hands down- the best natural tan I have ever had in my life. NO peeling (I didn’t think that was possible!)
I also have been using this Vitamin C serum from Amara Organics every day and night. I have a few sun spots on my right cheek from my years of being a little too crazy in the sun but I am already starting to see them lighten up and faint away.
It also moisturizes my skin – something all of us in New England desperately need right now with this dry, cold weather… winter is continuing into Spring! why ohh why!!?
I am thankful I stopped going to artificial tanning salons 2 years ago, wasting my money and that I FINALLY understand and believe the dangers of the sun and know how to stay safe and healthy in it! Think: would you rather be a dried up prune or be a smooth creamy coffee ice-cream? I’ll take the ice-cream any day!
Make this be the summer of SPF for you and your family too! Wait – do dogs need SPF?
Sidenote: tanning salons may be necessary for someone with Vitamin D deficiency or to boost endorphins during the long winter we’re having. Be smart and remember, it is never too early to protect, nourish and rejuvenate your skin!
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