Was it last year Maggie had the post about how sunscreens don’t neccessarily cover UVA (most don’t). I found that out that 3 years ago when I researched it when pregnant with my first child. The people on that panel knew it years before me. Wait around for the MDs and the media to catch up if you want, but I’ve got children to worry about now. Because of that research I’ve given my daughter 3 years of better cancer protection by using better sunscreens.

Because of my research, I took Vitamin D then without any MDs recommendation to do so (though I did clear it with them). I just had my second child and now they are recommending Vitamin D. I’m glad I did my own research.

Just curious – have you tried really small increments of sun exposure, so that your skin can adapt without getting seared?

The concept of the ‘base tan’ has been thoroughly repudiated by science.

Yes, I have tried doing without sunblock. It was incredibly obnoxious to deal with when I was a hyperactive and forgetful small child. It made me feel uncool when I was a teenager. And, frankly, I’m still somewhat forgetful today as an adult. 

My body doesn’t tan. I have enough melanin to freckle, but even in small doses of sun I will burn. I’ve literally started burning in 20 minutes of exposure in Minnesota in March. I’d much rather use sunblock then continue to add to my risk of skin cancer. 

This is actually like Donald Unger, winner of the 2009 Ig Nobel prize, who systematically cracked his left (but not his right) knuckles for over 60 years. There was no difference in his hands after this time, meaning he proved (anecdotally) that cracking knuckles doesn’t lead to arthritis.

Just like Donald Unger showed there is probably not much to the claimed link between cracking knuckles and arthritis, this suggests pretty heavily that sun exposure leads to visible signs of aging while it’s been conclusively proven that exposure to UV radiation can give you cancer.

Statistical evidence might be bullet-proof, but anecdotal evidence is still better than none.

I did some research and tried some in stores and hated them all until I found this. It dries and truly doesn’t feel greasy, doesn’t get nasty when you sweat, doesn’t do any damage to clothing, and it actually smells really, really nice. And crucially for me, it doesn’t block pores and give me acne.

It’s more expensive than most of the stuff on the shelf, but it isn’t $20 an ounce (more like $3-4 an ounce).

Dashboard, pedals and steering wheel should be attached to an inner horizontal rail that gives you the choice to drive from either side of the cabin, all you gotta do is unlock the whole kajigger, slide it sideways, lock in place and there you have it – trucker’s choice for an even tan.

“Some” was meant as a qualifier, downgrading the term citation. 
I don’t agree with the point of view concerns, in any case they stem from review, something a bOINGbOING post’s comment thread doesn’t count as. 

I’m impressed that you so quickly read, comprehended, summarized and counter-argued that citation even though you really wanted to just dismiss it*.  You care. 
*Me thinks. 

This subject ties with your post from yesterday: 
Skin coloration is a result of natural selection. 
All peoples have the pigmentation, or lack of, that enables them to live out their natural life expectancy of 30 to 40+ years, in the latitude and environment their ancestors  lived in. 

A tribe of imaginary Pleistocene Irish redheads living in equatorial Africa would probably have gone extinct from radiation damage while their African counterpart would have gone extinct due to Vitamin D deficiency living at the edge of the ice where today Ireland is an island. 
(Or would’ve eaten fish a lot.) 

We know Neanderthals had the ginger gene and I expect for science to show that “we” got “white” skin from them, enabling us to survive in  northern latitudes with their short summers without rickets and such. 
We didn’t have to wait for those mutations and the long process of selection to become Europeans.  We inherited that from our predecessors who had been Europeans for over 300.000 years when we met them. 

Sucks for many Australians. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/truth-sunscreen-labels-lying/story?id=16432348#.T804tJlYtod

I hate sunscreen though… I sweat and am hairy like gorilla

Clinique makes a spray sunblock. It’s about the consistency of bug spray, so not ideal, but still better than smearing ranch dressing on your skin.

Uhhh….  That’s b/c they only listed 5 products.  Doesn’t mean for sure it was 1 of the remaining 2(I don’t have access to the original article either).  But last time I checked 5 items doesn’t exhaust a list of 7 products. 

From your link:
“No-Ad lotion with aloe & vitamin E SPF 45 had a high overall score and at only $.59 per ounce,..”
Right… high score and cheap.

“It was listed as a ‘best buy’ given that it was so cheap for its fairly high rating.”
Ok.. and how is that not 1 of the best?  Certainly there are other, better products.  However, if I could buy a Toyota Corolla that did nearly everything a Lamborgini does… you wouldn’t think that was 1 of the best options available to you?

“It sounds like it might not be the cast that it is ’1 of the best’, but still very good, and very inexpensive.”
For me “cheap and effective” = 1 of the best.   It does what it says and you’re not spending 20$ an ounce.   Did you have a real objection or did you just want to mince words for no other reason than to be pedantic?   The stuff works, it works well and isnt’ expensive.  So what’s the problem??

I hate sunscreen though… I sweat and am hairy like gorilla, so blech. Usually I just wear a trenchcoat and fedora when I want to hit the surf.

Edit: Ah, yes, as per Maggie above. Should have seen that.

Hey, you should hit them for a kickback, though – this is a highly trafficked site.  Maybe they’ll send you a free case. ;)

Side note: This ‘condition’ maybe the reason their drive on the wrong side of the road in Europe with steering on passenger side.

Edit: They do now. In Europe Sunblockers have been required to block a minimum of 33% of the UVA since 2006.