Sunscreen, that magic white gook.

Sunscreen is yet another must have on any sunny riding day. I forgot mine yesterday morning. Oops. I know all of us cyclists are pretty stinking proud of our tan lines no matter how goofy they look. But face it, vanity really isn't worth the end result.

By now, just about everyone knows that UV light is the cause of skin damage from the sun. There are two types which are classified by the amount of energy they carry. UVB which is higher energy and tends to be the primary cause of sunburn and UVA which is equally dangerous in high doses, but less obvious.

Because of this it's important to make sure your sunscreen covers for both UVA and UVB. Sunscreen is rated in sun protection factor which we all know is higher numbers for higher protection. The scale is roughly designed so that SPF 30 makes 30 hours in the sun the equivalent of 1 hour of unprotected exposure, SPF 15 then makes 15 hours exposed equivalent to 1 hour unprotected etc.

There is much debate these days about whether or not sunscreen is really doing any good in preventing skin cancer. But the evidence shows that it certainly doesn't hurt. Also, it definitely helps to slow the aging of skin caused by large amounts of sun exposure and damage. That is if you use it correctly. This means putting it on in advance and using enough which happens to be quite a lot.

The American Academy for Dermatology is crazy about sunscreen. They even recommend using it every day no matter what the weather is like. To me this a little extreme. But to my PA sister-in-law who now works at a dermatology clinic it makes perfect sense. I just can't muster up the will to slime my face every morning. It just feels kind of gross.

Ultimately no matter what your choice of shade, you need something. Sunglasses, hats, umbrellas, long sleeves, sunscreen and more will all do the trick. Funny, huh? We need a little light in our life to help us with Vitamin D and our mood, but too much is a bad thing. Sounds like lots of things in life...

So get outside and play, but don't forget your sunscreen.