Pool’s open, Skin cancer, Be careful

Memorial Day weekend began in earnest Friday. It was obvious to those who live in a tourist area – especially near a beach area. Up here in the North East we do not have beaches, we have a shore. So that’s where the flocks gather during warmer weather for weekend getaways.
I have never been to the Jersey shore. I am sure it is nice but I am too spoiled to the warmer water and broader beaches of the Gulf Coast, not to mention free access to public beaches and much smaller crowds. I may check it out during the week this summer. Mama would like that.
I love the ocean, but I tend to avoid going to the beach and to pools for that matter. Mostly because of the way people are underdressed. My father told me years ago that most people looked better with cloths on. As an anesthesiologist he had seen enough bodies in surgery to make that statement with a degree of authority. Go to any pool or beach area (fresh water or salt water) and you are unlikely to prove him wrong.
It is the exceptions to that rule that people often go to see. I am uncomfortable around women in general. I am very uncomfortable around women who dress as many women do at the water’s edge. In a situation where I should be enjoying the scenery it is unpleasant to look around and be embarrassed by what I see, or worse, what I catch myself looking at.
On the health front we need to be very aware that skin cancer is a very real threat – especially to our children. As parents and grandparents we need to be, as a friend of mine called his wife, “sunscreen Gestapo’s”. Since most sunscreen lotions offer very good protection against sunburn it is an easy solution in both the short term (minor burns) and long term (skin cancer).
Be on the lookout for reactions to any particular lotion used on a child. It is reasonable to think that there can be such reactions. If a rash or some other reaction occurs, test another brand of lotion. Also, bring cover ups of some sort, even the best sunscreens wear off and have to be reapplied more often that most children want to take the time for a conscientious parent to do so.
I usually stay covered up – long sleeved shirts and a towel over my legs – when out of the water. I also try to limit my time to twenty minutes of full sun before I retreat. I have been burned way too often. One time on the black sand beaches of western Guatemala, my brother’s and I blistered so badly it took many days to heal. I do not remember being out there that long, but my skin did. I will never forget the discomfort.
Have fun. Be careful.