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Monday, April 19, 2004
4:17 PM

When Less Is Definitely Not More
As are many in my family, I'm fair skinned. Add to it several medications that increase sun sensitivity and it's a recipe for disaster. I've had second degree burns from the sun. In short, generally the sun and I do not mix. As a result, I am good about wearing sunscreen most of the time, at least in the places that really burn, like on my face and chest.

To help me win my battle with the sun, I have a whole variety of sunscreens with varying SPF numbers. There is a veritable cornucopia of sunscreen choices under the bathroom sink. But every time I go to buy sunscreen the numbers have invariably crept up more and more and I get concerned that I need the newer higher numbers. Pretty soon, the SPF available will be something approaching Avogadro's number, as will the number of bottles of sunscreen that I own. Until yesterday, I was never convinced that higher really is better. On the one hand why not? Same expenditure on my part and instead of 15 SPF I get SPF to an infinite degree. On the other hand I've heard of studies that say anything over 15 really isn't any better but just has more chemicals in it. And more chemicals really isn't my goal.

Unfortunately I learned the hard way this past weekend that those numbers really do matter. Imagine that! Who knew?

After a day of rain on Saturday, Sunday was beautiful. Sunny, clear, not too hot. So out we went to enjoy the Fabulous Yard. I grabbed the bottle of sunscreen Mark had used - a nice and healthy SPF 15 - and applied it all over my face. I usually go for the 30+ stuff, but because I didn't plan to spend much time outside, I figured 15 was more than enough. Big mistake. I spent a mere half-hour with my face in the sun. That fleeting half hour taught me that the higher the SPF number the better. Period. End of story. It also taught me that while one SPF may be perfect for my easily-tanning, olive-skinned hubby, it probably isn't going to do squat for me.

By 8 pm last night, my nose and parts of my cheeks were flamingly red. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Red. Glow-in-the-dark-like-hot-coals red. Really really red. And painful! And my face was only marginally better this morning.

Which leads me to the next phase of the lesson of "When More Is Better". More is better when it comes to makeup and you are trying to cover an extremely burned nose. I tried foundation (3 different types), undereye concealer (2 different ones), powder, etc. I think a putty knife would have come in handy this morning in applying my makeup. And in reapplying it periodically throughout the day. All in all, I think I've covered it pretty well, but when I get sunburned I get itchy. So my nose itches but I can't scratch it for fear of cracking the carefully crafted veneer of makeup and revealing the extreme blinding redness.

So as you read this, take pity on poor itchy-nosed-but-I-don't-dare-scratch Sarah. I'm sure I'll be suffering for several days to come.

And learn from my mistake. More is better. At least with sunscreen.

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