Memorial Day celebrations create the kick-off for 2018 summer season, and we had our sunscreen ready. Unfortunately, the forecast has predicted Mother Nature will be bringing in rain for the famous holiday. The storm already has a name. “Subtropical Storm Alberto is the first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season, even though we’re officially not in the hurricane season yet.”
In fact, we just learned that the famous Sarasota Memorial Day Parade has been canceled due to Mother Nature’s threats. “This is the first cancellation of the parade in its more than 30-year history, according to Dan Kennedy of the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee.” The same weather forecasters who are warning us that our Memorial Day Weekend will bring damp picnics are predicting that the following weekend will bring the gorgeous, sunny weather we all anticipate. Either way, you must have your Summer of 2018 sunscreen ready.
Memorial Day Flag Flies in our hearts: Red, White and Blue at Sarasota, Rain Or Shine!
Damp or dry this weekend, summer officially begins. Dr. Orlando Cicilioni and his staff see summer also as the beginning of the most dangerous time in Florida for your skin. Thus it is that in spite of our Memorial Day rainstorms, we still know the sunshine summer is coming. And we want to prepare you with proper sunscreen habits.
A Mini-Case Study: Memorial Day, Melanoma and Haley’s Complaint
Last year we brought you the story of golden-haired Haley, with her translucent skin. Now, we don’t want you to think we are trying to frighten you, but Haley was astonished to discover her beauty mark was diagnosed as a melanoma mole. She trembled with fear and outrage, “How could I have melanoma? I used sunscreen,” she said tearfully. ” The truth is she did not use her sunscreen; she abused her sunscreen. You might be doing the same things this weekend if the sun peeks through the clouds at your Memorial Day picnic. Likewise, with great weather predicted for next weekend, we feel compelled to bring you information about 5 ways you might be abusing instead of using your sunscreen:
Altiora’s Traditional Memorial Day Warnings against Sunscreen Abuse
1. Don’t Break the 30 Minute Rule: Do you know sunscreen takes 30 minutes to activate properly once it is applied to your skin? Don’t wait until it’s “too late” to protect yourself. When you put on your swimsuit or cute summer clothes, put on your sunscreen indoors, out of the sun. Do not wait until you have put your towel down on the beach! Dr. Jeannette Graf, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York says, “You actually want to apply your sunscreen 30 minutes prior to exposure.”
Memorial Day means summer starts and sunscreen gets serious.
2. Please stay alert when you apply your sunscreen. The beams of the summer sun can probe into tiny spots you do not protect. Then, insidious melanoma can claim some strange places on your skin. Specialists at Altiora Medspa remind you: Smoothly cover your toes, side, bottom, back and top. Slather the sunscreen onto your underarm area as well as inside each upper arm. And do not forget the back of your neck. By the way, sunscreen for your body is really different than the formula for your face. Apply facial sunscreen all the way up to your hairline, around your ears and on your eyelids. Plus, lips demand their own high SPF lip balm.
Dr. Orlando Cicilion: New Sunscreen Developed
Just in case you don’t know–We would be remiss if we did not mention that our very own Dr. Orlando Cicilioni has worked with chemists to develop an amazing sunscreen for Altiora. Read or review the facts about our Melanin Shade. It’s the perfect protection from sun. Remember, overcast days require sunscreen as much a sunny days. Find the story in one of our previous blogs.
3. Wear Your Birthday Suit! Many people are unaware that sunscreen does not work effectively if it is not applied nude. Consequently, you are not protected if you just slap it up the hems of your clothing. A case in point was Haley in the opening story, whose mole was on the inside upper area of her arm, a place that’s easily missed with a swipe of sunscreen.
4. Remember to Set A Sun Alarm. Many true confessions from sunscreen companies claim only 30 minutes of active protection. Some sunscreen is effective for an hour. Even on overcast days, re-apply it if you are slick with sweat or soaked in water. Note that if you wipe down your sweat, you lose your sunscreen.
This is why you should not dose in the sun. No two-hour post-barbecue naps in the sunshine for your Memorial Day, even if the sun does peek through the storm! Have a Designated Driver for your sunscreen bottle wake you for reapplication after no more than 45 minutes.
A Favorite Component of this Tip:
Remember that Clouds and Window Tint Are Not Sunscreen. If you cruise around under a cloudy sky, the sun can still hurt you here on the Suncoast. Window tint is very limited in its protection; yes, you should wear sunscreen in the car. You see, if melanoma or sun damage doesn’t attack you, premature aging will. So make your sunny holiday safe! Rain or shine, Altiora Plastic Surgery & Medspa wishes you a Happy, Skin-Safe Memorial Day Weekend!
Memorial Day Observations from Altiora: Show Your True Colors—Red, White and Blue
Celebrate. Remember. Honor. Memorial Day and Music for Our Heroes
We know picnics, barbecues and outdoor trips are the heartbeats of the All American Holiday and summer. However, we must not forget the prime reason for establishing this holiday. Even though weather has canceled the customary parade, let us all remember Memorial Day was created as a time for honoring the soldiers who gave their lives to defend American freedom.
Take Time To Remember The Reason for the Holiday
We hope you will take the time to lay a flower on a soldier’s grave and perhaps remember President Ronald Reagan’s words in a Memorial Day Speech long ago:
A Heavenly Salute to our Memorial Day Heroes
“Yet, we must try to honor them—not for their sakes alone, but for our own. And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions, we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.
He added, “Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper.
And he concluded, “Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we—in a less final, less heroic way—be willing to give of ourselves.”
It’s a time to remember our fallen heroes, a time for gratitude for our military heroes. True, we celebrate the arrival of summer, but we’ll reserve some of our “fun” time to honor and remember those who gave so much to keep us free.
From our Family to Yours:
The Doctor and his staff at Altiora Plastic Surgery & Medspa wish you a sun-safe, healthy, happy Summer and a Blessed Memorial Day. Please Drive Safely.
