Sunscreen / UV avoidance advice

[Reg0928]

I don't burn easily at all, but, like Supra, I'm fairly heavily tattooed. That means long sleeved hooded sun shirt, hood up, UPF pants, hat, etc. at all times for me.

My face is pretty much all that i leave exposed, and I rarely burn bad enough to notice. It'll usually burn a couple times at the beginning of the season, but then I just kinda "leather up" and don't even need sun screen on my face for the remainder of the season.

[nyker]

A neck wrap/sun buff are good and worth wearing in the sun (and in buggy conditions too) and helps when you forget the sunbock and acts like a sunblock in many cases.
Check out some of these clothes/headwear used for fishing in the flats where the sun can bake you:

https://hookandtackle.com/collections/s ... thing-hats

[randalmartin]

Clothing > Sunscreen. Long pants, long sleeve shirt or sun shirt. Ball cap/Buff combination. That only leaves face that needs sunscreen. Use zinc oxide based stuff. The chemicals in most sunscreens are not good for you.

The sunshirts with hoodies are nice and I have a couple of those. Using the ball cap under the hoodie is nice to keep the hoodie out of my eyes and more structure for winds.

[Wentzl]

I resent sunscreen so I use only a sun hoody with a hat under the hood, and I never get sunburned. If I'm on snow I'll put sunscreen on and under my nose only.
Black Diamond's Alpenglow is my go-to.

Why Resent Sunscreen?

https://www.wbiw.com/2023/02/01/banana- ... ncer-risk/

[Ebenton]

Hi, I was born in Colorado, lived about 1/2 my life there, I live in Massachusetts now, bit of an old duffer these days. Two years ago I went to a dermatologist, for various things on my face. One was a basil cell carcinoma, the doctor did a mohs procedure over my left eye brow. Another spot or two appeared, a precancerous lesion frozen above my right eye brow about a month ago. I usually just burn, it's difficult to slather sunscreen all over, then have it run down in your eyes. I don't like baseball style hats, they leave the sides of your face, & neck exposed. What's all mean? No simple answer I suppose, cover up, have a dermatologist examine you now and then. ATB

[gb]

Man, some of you are nuts. "leather up" and "I don't like sunscreen"? At best you'll be so wrinkled by 50 people will think you had a lifelong 2 pack a day smoking habit. At worst, you'll be getting cancerous skin cut off your face on a yearly basis, if you're lucky.

I'm all about the Patagonia sunshirts, they're practically life changing. And I look stupid, but I've worn full coverage bucket hats that shade my neck and ears for years. I don't want wrinkles or cancer. SPF 50+ mineral sunscreen all the time.

[pvnisher]

Mountain sombrero at all times.

I started wearing some cycling arm covers (bicep to wrist) that are great. Light, thin, white, and then you can convert to regular short sleeve easily once the sun gets low.

Paired with zip off pants (which you can open up a bit and vent), you get coverage without chemicals.

On multi day stuff I really do my best to avoid getting caked in chemicals: sunscreen or deet.
Easier to wash sweat off than it is to wash off 5 layers of sunscreen before getting into a sleeping bag.

[Wimyers]

I resent sunscreen so I use only a sun hoody with a hat under the hood, and I never get sunburned. If I'm on snow I'll put sunscreen on and under my nose only.
Black Diamond's Alpenglow is my go-to.

Why Resent Sunscreen?

https://www.wbiw.com/2023/02/01/banana- ... ncer-risk/

Oh nothing legit, I just hate getting my hands greasy if I’m climbing, or getting my face oily on a multi-day trips, and when I perspire it always goes in my eyes. I’ve started using sunscreen sticks and they’re alright, but generally I’ve found I can go without and not get red. I also think layers are superior to sunscreen because you won’t have to remember to reapply.

[Bombay2Boulder]

I resent sunscreen so I use only a sun hoody with a hat under the hood, and I never get sunburned. If I'm on snow I'll put sunscreen on and under my nose only.
Black Diamond's Alpenglow is my go-to.

Why Resent Sunscreen?

https://www.wbiw.com/2023/02/01/banana- ... ncer-risk/

Oh nothing legit, I just hate getting my hands greasy if I’m climbing, or getting my face oily on a multi-day trips, and when I perspire it always goes in my eyes. I’ve started using sunscreen sticks and they’re alright, but generally I’ve found I can go without and not get red. I also think layers are superior to sunscreen because you won’t have to remember to reapply.

Specifically for the oily part have you tried TJ's Daily Facial Sunscreen? https://www.traderjoes.com/home/product ... -40-073568
It's amazing if you really don't like feeling greasy after applying sunscreen. It's a much cheaper off brand model of the Supergoop unseen sunscreen which is the rage and expensive. Will highly recommend trying it out if you can find it, they sell super fast when stocked.

[terrysrunning]

Man, some of you are nuts. "leather up" and "I don't like sunscreen"? At best you'll be so wrinkled by 50 people will think you had a lifelong 2 pack a day smoking habit. At worst, you'll be getting cancerous skin cut off your face on a yearly basis, if you're lucky.

That's a substantial overstatement. I'm 51 and naturally fair skinned and worked construction (outside in the sun all day every day) for decades before I started climbing mountains and have always been terrible about sunscreen. Probably cumulatively have used a tube or two in my lifetime. I don't look at all like leather or like I smoked a couple packs a day. Generally told I look young for my age. I hate sunscreen because it's annoying and inconvenient and because I don't like to slather myself in some of the ingredients in the standard sunscreens and the more "natural" ones I've tried are gross and look ridiculous. Also I'm lazy.
I'm not saying my way is the best. I know I should have been and still should be more careful. I might get skin cancer earlier. So far so good, though, so your "at best" and "if you're lucky" assertion is either wildly incorrect or extreme hyperbole.
I do generally wear a brimmed hat now, that covers the back of my neck and everything, when I do long days in the sun. And sunscreen on my arms when I remember. Which is not very often.
The data on Sun exposure is not as simple as most seem to think. Sunburn is bad; on that pretty much everyone agrees. But some kinds of skin cancer (melanoma) you get LESS of if you get lots of sun (as long as you don't burn).
And regularly avoiding sun exposure has been shown to increase all-cause mortality. Presumably because some of those people don't get outside much so aren't very healthy, which wouldn't apply to most on this forum. Also hypothesized that those people aren't getting enough vitamin D, as well as other mechanisms. So hopefully you guys' militant anti-sun measures are reserved for big days up high where you'll burn, not day-to-day.

[justiner]

Sun protection is fairly personal, it seems some can get away with less than others and there's a lack of understanding across the spectrum of what one needs and what one doesn't. 15 minute bike ride yesterday for me? I've burnt the back of my shoulders. I've been ridiculed online about looking for solutions to better cover my face, but I know what my own reality is - getting badly burnt is very painful for me.

[MaryinColorado]

Ooh, this is one of my favorite topics. I'm a pale Irish redhead who burns just thinking about being in the sun.

My main philosophy is "cover up", but I have my limits because I'm also heat sensitive. I don't do face or neck covers. I'll generally do a long-sleeved sun shirt and pants. I do have one sun shirt with a hoody, and that's my go-to on a longer day. On top of my head, always a hat whether that's a baseball cap or a wide brim. (I don't particularly like the wide brim because it always catches the wind magnificently and becomes really annoying.)

For anything left that's exposed - generally face and neck - my go-to USED to be the Neutrogena SPF 100. But, my dermatologist said I really need to be using a zinc sunscreen. I really like Elta MD's UV Physical Broad-Spectrum SPF 41. (It is lightly tinted which is a nice bonus. No, not tinted like makeup, just tinted for ghostly whiteness avoidance.) For me, the key is simply being super cognizant to reapply every couple hours.

And this is something I think every peak hiker should be doing: get your skin checked by a dermatologist annually.