Advice: Wear Sunscreen

[medic65726]

I was on a Westjet flight today and there were a number of Cadets (primarily Air and Sea), who were heading out for their staff positions at Camp. I was impressed as to thier level of dress an deportment and they are surely a credit to Cadets Canada. As a former Cadet I have a piece of advice for the summer, especially for Senior Cadets who will graduate High School next year. WEAR SUNSCREEN. Now things may have changed since I was a Cadet more than a decade ago, but we spent a fair amount of time at Camp, especially when on the Parade square, wearing our Berets (or wedges or caps in the case of the other services). None of these protect the head in any way from the sun. I went home from Blackdown in '95 with quite the tan line across my forehead. By late fall it hadn't faded, despite all my efforts of getting sun and selective application of sunscreen. My High School grad photos actually had to be retouched by the studio, to hide the white forehead.
So, if you can't wear a proper hat, at least wear sunscreenon your forehead.
Just trying to help.

 

[khanthe_onlyone]

well the thing is Sunscreen doesn't always work on people... for example me since I'm brown whenever I put on sunscreen at camp I got purple and purple until the last day of camp I waz PURPEL AS HELL itz bad on some ppl on the other hand it works on other people :skull:

 

[gt102]

I have never used sunscreen, and dont plan on in the near future unless I will be in/near water for prolonged periods on time.

I have only been burned ONCE by the sun. That was in scouts.  :

 

[aesop081]

I have never used sunscreen, and dont plan on in the near future unless I will be in/near water for prolonged periods on time.

I have only been burned ONCE by the sun. That was in scouts.  :

and when you develop skin cancer....i'll be first in line to point and laugh  :

 

[gt102]

and when you develop skin cancer....i'll be first in line to point and laugh  :

Ill take you up on that. I just stay covered. Its a pretty awsome deal.

 

[Muir]

Some people are lucky. They complain about becoming tan. I wish I could tan. But nope. Here I am as white as paper all year round, except when I forget to wear sunblock when it's warm out, then I turn a lovely shade of lobster red. And some people who get burnt, when it peels (I just love this part, being all itchy and huge chunks of dead flesh peeling off) they become tanned. Me? Nope, no such luck, I go right back to being white as paper. I burn within 15 minutes of being exposed to direct sunlight. I use SPF 50 sunblock, do you know who's skin SPF 50 sunblock is designed for? Babies! Don't get me wrong, I love sunblock, I practically worship it and it's lack-of-sunburn powers, but when I have to pack around a bottle of sunblock that says water babies or something on it, you can understand my wish to not have to put it on, though God help me if I don't.

And besides, it can be considered self mutilation to not put on sunblock, especially if you are going to a place like Vernon, where the temperature is in the high 20s to 30s most of the time, or Whitehorse, where the sun doesn't set during the summer months. And it's understandable, to see it as such. Who, except for someone who wishes harm upon themselves, wouldn't put sunblock on and therefore allow themselves to burn and blister and cause them a higher chance of enjoying the oh so wonderful disease known as skin cancer.

Well, that's my philosophy on sunblock, one of my favorite things in this hot, sun baked world of ours.

 

[Springroll]

Do you no longer have ball caps at camp?

Regardless of what kind of skin you have, you should still wear sunscreen. Not only will it protect you from those nasty UVA and UVB rays, but with a good one, it will keep your skin moisturized which will help prevent the "George Hamilton" look in the future. Plus, too much sun can give you that premature aging look...looking 60 when your only 30...you get the point.

 

[yoman]

Do you no longer have ball caps at camp?

We wear Tilly hats while in pt gear.

And on that note, I got to head to the airport in a couple of hours. Have fun everyone. 

 

[D. Nicholson]

... and if you're in a water based activity reapply regularly. At RMNACSTC I was doing mountain biking and we crossed a lot of rivers so my sunscrean wore off. The skin on the back of my arms literally started to melt and it could get likes globs of it off myself. Rather gross.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Plus, too much sun can give you that premature aging look...looking 60 when your only 30...you get the point.

Uhmm  George Hamilton is in his sixties....

dileas

tess

 

[army_gurl_74]

WEAR sunscreen.

Trust me, there are days, especially at blackdown where you will FRY. And it will hurt like hell if you don't at least wear some sort of sunscreen.

And to the person who said they wore spf 50 sunscreen... I wear the highest I can find that is oil free because my skin is the same too .. it burns like crazy.

 

[p_imbeault]

Uhmm  George Hamilton is in his sixties....

dileas

tess

:rofl:

+1 for sunscreen though, I usually have a small bottle tucked away in my kit bag whenever I go out for a bit.

 

[Trooper Hale]

Listen to that, Vernon? Blacktown? High 20's? HAHAHAHAHA etc.
You Canucks dont know what sunlight is! Try any training range in Australia in the summer, 40c in the shade (high 20's means its winter)! You burn and end up looking like Embarrassed Eddie here :-[ , trying to smile although your face is telling you not to change expression lest it cracks your cheeks off.
Sunscreen is something that most of us should wear but often dont. There's days when you'll thank God you have it and days where you'll hate putting it on, its always worth it in the end though.
Back home we take being Sun Smart pretty seriously, we'r not even allowed to roll the sleeves on our combats up like you guys do.
If you can keep yourself covered your all good, but i reckon one of these days as you get older and wiser you'll find that you'll appreciate theres a time for suncreen and a time later on to think about why you didnt put it on.
When your out in the field for a big stretch (a few weeks at least) you need to be at the top of your game all the time, if you get burnt on the first day your just asking for a tough trip. You got to respect your body and it'll respect you. Sunscreen is a good way of doing that.

 

[Muir]

Listen to that, Vernon? Blacktown? High 20's? HAHAHAHAHA etc.
You Canucks dont know what sunlight is!

The point is that you can burn easily. We know what sunlight is and we know how it can easily be harmful if you don't cover up. The point isn't to say 'we got it worse than you' it's to say it's common sense everywhere. And the temperature doesn't always count. It could be 40 in a rain forest but the trees are so thick the sunlight doesn't touch the ground. It could be -40 and you can still become burnt.

It's not the temperature always that determines sunburn, it's the sun. And in Canada's wonderful north, around this time of year, the sun doesn't set, so the cause of sunburn is always there.

 

[Springroll]

Uhmm  George Hamilton is in his sixties....

dileas

tess

I am aware he is in his 60's, but the texture of his skin from all the sun exposure has made him look rather leathery, don't you think?

 

[the 48th regulator]

I am aware he is in his 60's, but the texture of his skin from all the sun exposure has made him look rather leathery, don't you think?

sure,

dileas

tess

 

[medic65726]

Wow, my original posting stimulated lots of discussion. I was not even talking about burning, or skin cancer (both of which are more valid points than mine). Even if you are one of the luck souls, of any race, that can stay out in blazing summer sun all day for weeks and not burn, WEAR SUNSCREEN. I was talking about the tan line that will inevitebly develop across your foreahed if it is not protected. I got a wicked tan line from my beret, just being out for short periods all day. So wear a Tilley, or boonie hat, but if you have to wear your beret, wedge, cap, glengarry, balmoral, or any hat without a brim, WEAR SUNSCREEN at least on your forehead or you will go back to school in fall with a rather idiotic looking white forhead. Another tip I was given was to, on a daily basis, slightly adjust wear you wear your hat to further blur the tanline.
If you think you know better, then fine, I'm just trying to help.

 

[Klc]

Listen to that, Vernon? Blacktown? High 20's? HAHAHAHAHA etc.
You Canucks dont know what sunlight is!

Those are the colder days... I remember being on standdown because of 35-40 degree heat.
Battalion CO's orders to drink 1/L water per hour, and walk through outdoor showers whenever outside.

But that's okay... its a dry heat - you can tell by how the grass has turned to dust where theres no irrigation.

 

[qyrang]

When I did CL Band at Blackdown, we did several parades off base and most of these parades were about 2 hours long. I know for a fact that the vast majority of the band had beret/ wedge tans and ugly t-shirt tans. Hence why when your staff and drum major (me) suggest that you put on heavy sunscreen, you should do it. This was only a suggestion when I should have instructed. Mind you it is kinda funny when the people who think you are crazy have a nice red triangle in the middle of their chest. Moral of the sunscreen: wear sunscreen whenever you can during the summer. You may feel really greasy at first, but its worth it in the end.

 

[primer]

Sunscreen is very important. 
I have seen cadets that were giving it to use but they didn't use it, after hearing them  :crybaby: from the burns they received then asking Sir can I go to the MIR for some burn cream. Then missing 1 or 2 days training  .

Why am I being RTU'd  for again :'(