I've lived in Florida since I was a teenager and I've ruined my skin from sun exposure. I remember back in the late 1960's coating myself in baby oil and lying on the beach for hours in the intense sun!! But, that was before I'd heard of skin cancer and before I knew about protecting my skin from the damaging rays of the sun ... before all the SPF was added to sunscreen/lotion. I've had a couple of actinic keratosis removed from my face the past few years, they are pre-cancerous raised spots caused by the suns utraviolet ray's. I use SPF 15 moisturizer daily but my dermatologist also recommended that I use Zinc Oxide on a daily basis as well. When she first said that I cringed and asked, "You mean you expect me to wear that white goop that surfers wear on their faces?" She laughed and told me about the SPF 45 Clear Zinc Oxide that looks white in the jar but goes on clear ... I now wear it every day after I apply my moisturizer! I always wear a baseball cap when I'm working outdoors, when we are out on the boat or going for our daily walk because my head tends to get sunburned. As LindaTX8 stated, the sun here in the south may be a bit more intense than other area's ... but Everyone, everywhere should protect their skin from sun damage and possible skin cancer.
Our UV Index every day this week has been at 11:
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk... which is at the extreme end of the scale but I coated myself with sunscreen before my 7:00 a.m. walk.
UV Index/ Exposure Level
2 or less Low
3 to 5 Moderate
6 to 7 High
8 to 10 Very High
11+ Extreme
