- Summer Wardrobe
In a few minutes I’m leaving for Longview to deal with another of the contingencies of modern life – a visit to my dermatologist. I’m sure that my grandmother never worried about her skin or did any doctoring for it. On the other hand, when she was a teenager in the 1890s it was hardly the fad to get as suntanned as possible and as allover as possible. Quite the opposite, to judge by the bathing costumes of that era.
I’m still of the belief that tan wrinkles and tan fat are preferable to the beached whale look but, for a number of years now, I’ve been working hard at changing my attitude. This summer’s weather here in Oysterville made it easy for me. We simply didn’t have enough sun to make a difference. I doubt very much if my doctor’s visit today will include the usual slip-slop-slap lecture.
‘Slip-slop-slap’ was the name of a health campaign in Australia a number of years ago. It urged people to ‘slip into a long-sleeved shirt, slop on the sunscreen, and slap on a sunhat’ before going out into the sun. The point was to cut down the upward rise of skin cancers and, according to my doctor, the results were hugely successful. Nyel and I both try to remember to follow the mantra but I have to confess that on our few sunny days this summer I reveled in exposing as much of myself as was decent to those cheering UV rays.
Which, of course, brings up the other side of the issue, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) caused by not enough bright light. Summer isn’t the proper season to experience it and I’m not at all sure that I did, but I have to say that the last few sunny days have noticeably elevated my mood and increased my energy levels. Optimistically, I now have my shirt, sunscreen, and floppy straw hat at the ready, so keep that sunshine coming!
The problem with the sun at the beach is that you can get it when you don’t realize it. Whatever you and your dr. are doing appears to be working well. It is supposed to be a very sunny day today. Have a nice ride to Longview.
When we visited Australia, the Slip, Slap, Slop campaign was in full force. It was a result of the discovery that Australia had the worlds highest rate of skin cancer. This was apparently due to all of those European types living in the tropics.
UV damage is cumulative throughout your lifetime. So those youthful exposures are still with you in one way or another.
There was another campaign that I remember. All of the trash receptacles has signs extolling “Do the Right Thing”. This seemed sensible enough until we learned the following from a youthful Canadian friend visiting Trafalgar Square in London. It was a beautiful day and there were many people wandering through the square. There was also lots of paper trash being blown by the breeze. Peter asked a guide that was in the square why they didn’t have receptacles for the paper. His had a one-word reply, “bombs”.