Monday, December 6, 2010

Brazilian sun - Gringo skin

Even with all the rain of late I am thinking about the hot sun.  Summer has kicked in.  When the sun is out it is STRONG.  Temperatures are up in the mid 30’s (low 90’s Fahrenheit).

Given our hustle-bustle lifestyle (NOT!), Luiz and I find ourselves at the beach quite a bit.  The sun’s warmth lulls us for hours; the cooling sea breeze conspires to keep us on the sand.  Even the largest of shade umbrellas is merely a pretext of sun safety.  Every sand crystal reflects penetrating solar rays, sneaking up into our shade oasis and nailing this gringo’s skin.

Sunscreen, hat, umbrella – forget it.  The only real strategy for skin protection is staying out of the sun (duh!).  But that’s no fun!

The good news is that after three years I have adapted enough that I no longer get heat rashes or flash burns.  Slowly but surely I get tanned, not burned.

6 comments:

The Reader said...

Gringo skin is definitely not fun in Brazilian sun, is it?

I reapply SPF 50 repeatedly, wear a hat, sit under an umbrella, and I still burn.

Luckily, the pos-sol stuff is very good here : ) I pack that when we travel to the beach, and it's all well.

Nancy said...

oh my goodness, what is a flash burn? I'm terrified!

Stephanie said...

I agree...what is a flash burn??

and you give me hope that maybe one day my skin wont be quite so senstive! Im out for about 30-45 minutes and i start to burn!

Rachel said...

sunscreen and reapply. Sunscreen again and reapply again. I also put my sunscreen on before I leave the house. Got to protect the whiteness.

Chris said...

I spent about an hour in the pool yesterday (first full day since arriving!) and even though I applied SPF 50, I turned pink. Guess I should get used to the intensity.

But, I'm so happy to be out of the cold and rain of Northern California now!!

-Chris
www.floridaguyinbrazil.com

American Heart Brazilian Soul said...

A good tip is to apply SPF 50 at home in the shade, before you start to sweat.
When you apply on the beach or the pool you are already sweating and the Sun Block doesn't penetrate the skin enough to protect you.
You still have to be careful, hats, shirts and shade, shade, shade!

Ray