Saturday, 9 April 2011

Slip, Slop, SLAP

There are a few thing guaranteed to put me in a homicidal rage, (Greggs closing early, The thought of Puck leaving Glee, Chelsea throwing away the premiership, again) but NOTHING makes me see red more than seeing red.


I HATE it.

Why do people do it? There is absolutely NOTHING as unattractive and downright dangerous than sunburn!!

Bright red skin that is sore to the touch? No thanks. Why would anyone choose to literally cook themselves to death that way.

I'm not saying a bit of sunshine isn't good for you. The amazing Caroline Hirons says a bit of sunshine is good for you and her word is LAW. Read her post on the subject ------------> HERE

But for the love of all things crispy DO NOT BURN.

SPF isn't an accessory, it is a must.

More and more people are dying each year of skin cancer in the UK than ever before.

You know that big flamey hot planet in the sky? It isn't going anywhere. It also does not require the ritual sacrifice of your skin each year to make it come back!!! People fling off their clothes at the first sight of it, The Sun is the Iglesias of the sky. (You know, Enrique, Julio? Keep up people i'm on a tight schedule here)  

It is April, not August, yes it is unseasonally warm but we have a whole summer ahead of us. Pace yourself people. and stop offering up your shoulders to the Goddess of the Sun to touch you with her burning rays of love. 

And for the love of fricking god, if you know what is good for you put suncream on your children.


If YOU get sunburn, I will laugh in your face, lecture you on skin cancer and show you my deep scar on my back where I had to have a mole removed as they thought it was skin cancer. If I see your child with sunburn, chances are I'm calling Social Services................. Because that my friend is child abuse, If you can't be arsed to protect your child in the sun then you deserve all I can rain down upon you.

I've heard every excuse under the sun.

"They went in the pool"

Waterproof suntan lotion, or reapply the stuff, it isn't on rations you know.

"It wore off"

Reapply then, Seriously? Are you rationing the stuff?

"They don't like having it applied"

Then they don't go out, simple. Anyway who is the parent here?

"They don't burn so no need to apply it"

Oh Puh-lease, it is not just the damage you are doing NOW that counts, it is what happens in the future. Skin cancer doesn't care who it affects and it is not discriminate about how age. Skin cancer is a ticking time bomb that may not go off today, or even tomorrow, but it will do.

(And I do know what I am talking about. I have THREE children and not one has ever had sunburn-I practice what I preach)

Children need us as adults to explain WHY they need to wear suntan lotion to protect them from the rays as well as apply it to them, and if we can't do that for our children then we need to take a long hard look at ourselves in the mirror.

I don't know about you but I find that the men I know are so much worse about wearing sun tan lotion, They treat sunburn like a badge of honour!!!


End of.

So seeing as this weekend is meant to be a beautiful one, why not make sure you have some sun protection to hand........ and face...........and shoulders........... and back.

What do you think?

Am I being too harsh or should more people be warned about the dangers of sunburn?

Let me know

Big Fashionista x x


  1. Nope, I agree. People are so irresponsible when it comes to suncare. There's really no excuse now either, as those once-a-day sun creams only need to be applied...once! (Obv you still need to apply after being in the water)

    I had a friend who used to apply baby oil to her skin instead of any form of sun protection, then accused me of being 'sad' for applying sun lotion. *Sigh*

  2. So glad someone posted about this issue. It is so, so important to protect your skin in the sun no matter what country you're in and preferably ALL year round too.

    I tell every single one of my client's that mention they'll be doing lunch on the grass or going away on holiday to slap that SPF on, and I mention it a couple times before they're out the door too. I know the majority won't listen but I can't sit back and ignore the madness.

    People also need to remember that the higher the SPF does not mean they won't tan, it means they'll be protected for a longer time frame whilst enjoying being in the sun. They'll always tan, just slowly. As it should be.

    Your post is brilliant and I'm so happy you mentioned the kids too. :0)


  3. I burn ridiculously easily, always have. Even with reapplied factor 50 I can burn within a couple of hours, using the recommended amount of cream. I'm also on meds that make my skin sun-sensitive. I do do everything I can to prevent burning, last year I even sat in a beach tent in the garden at home!


  4. Amen. To be honest it still shocks me that some people dont wear sun protection and dont seem to understand the dangers. Either that or they dont care?
    When i was on holiday with my oldest son who was just 3 at the time i was constantly slapping cream on him, made sure he had a hat on as i was paranoid about sun damage. He is dark skinned as his dad was half Jamacian and i had 3 different people say to me. I dont know why you keep putting cream on him he looks a lovely colour he wont burn ???? Grrrr.
    Obviously i told them differently :)

    Also there was one couple who sat frying on there sunbeds with a little lad who was constantly bright red. Poor little thing. I ended up applying sun tan cream on him as i couldnt stand it. His mum had the same excuse. He doesnt like cream. WHAT ? Anyway i could rant about this all day but i wont. Another great post xx

  5. Stef aka @PrincessofVP9 April 2011 at 09:09

    Excellent rant. I completely agree.

    I love lying in the sun with a good book but I'm fair-skinned so I know I have to protect myself. It's simple - wear sun-protection, cover up, have a hat etc.

    And as for people not looking after their children... If I see this myself I'll be calling you to come & have a word!

  6. Great post Kellie. Totally agree! I too have had a mole removed from my back. Thankfully it was all ok, but it quite easily could have been something a whole lot more serious. It's unavoidable too! That's what gets me. And if people are letting little kids burn, it's simply unforgivable. I haven't got any kiddies now, but when I do they will be getting covered in SPF, like it or not!

  7. Brilliant, timely advice. OH played golf yesterday and has come home with a sun burnt face and head just because its April, had he been playing on a sunny day in June he'd have had his base ball cap and his sun block on before he left the house, not sure why in his head the forecast 23 degrees was going to be less potentially damaging yesterday than it would have been in Summer, but I do think a lot of people do make that mistake. xx

  8. Great post, totally agree. My dad got skin cancer on the end of his nose and he wasn't even a sunbather, its a horrible disease and there simply isnt a good enough reason to not protect yourself! I'd rather fake than bake too. Its guaranteed that I will see a number of people with sunburned skin whilst I'm driving down Blackpool prom over the next couple of months, and there's no sodding excuse for it! PS glad everything was okay for you despite having to have a mole removed xx

  9. Had this argument with the bestie when she went on holiday to Tenerife a few weeks back. She said because she went on the sunbeds a few times before she went away (don't even get me started on that!!) then SPF8 was all she needed. I turned purple with rage then figured she was an adult so let her get on with it...
    Then she got to spend a morning in the local hospital when her face went bright red and burned and finally peeled everywhere at the end of the holiday. Being the best friend I am, I didn't say 'I told you so' OR slap her on the pinkest bits but the temptation was there...
    Meanwhile, I'm off to reapply the Factor 30 before I go and sit out and enjoy it today, even tho I'm naturally quite dark and have only sunburned twice in my life (and never in the UK). Because that's how I roll...

    Excellent post, can't 'AMEN' you enough.

  10. I absolutely agree 100%. Especially about protecting your children. Only a complete moronic twat would allow their children to be exposed without sunscreen.

  11. I agree, but I think it's like protected sex and all that. With all the information out there, I can't imagine that that many people do not know about harmful sunrays and skin cancer... It's on the news, they talk about it on daytime tv, it's on articles in magazines, on posters at the gp etc etc...
    I think as mentioned above that it's like protected sex. The information IS out there, people can't deny it. But they just choose to listen to whatever bit they want or to ignore it. All the teenage programs and magazines go on about unplanned pregnancies, STDs etc, but yet so many youngsters don't practice safe sex.
    People need to get a grip on reality. That way of thinking "Oh it's never going to happen to me" doesn't work. But usually they're provent that too late.
    As to the actual sunburn, honestly, why would people willingly fry in the sun and then endure days of pain. Especially when actually suntan lasts longer if built up gradually !

  12. Harsh? Not at all! I know mates who suffered skin cancer and yes I still see people I know oiling themselves at the first sign of the sun! I wear factor 50+ on a daily basis and refuse to sit and boil in the sun without protection. Thanks Kellie, more people need to read this and also parents who let their kids go out into sun without sunblock really irritate me! Yeah preach away Kelz! XXX

  13. Great's sad that so many still avoid suncream and worrying that most people don't really understand what the different SPF's mean; maybe a topic for another time?

  14. Did you know that if you let your kids get sunburn you could be charged with neglect and have your kids taken away, mainly because its so easy to stop them burning.

    I'm a big advocate of slip, slop, slap, wish it had been around in the 80's. I remember many times having skin peeling on my neck, arms and face where my parents had let me get burnt.

  15. Thing is tho, that some research points to skin cancer actually seem to be more common in people who have used sunblock. It's on Wikipedia if you don't believe me. Also, people who burnt more times and who had been in the sun more, seem to fend off melanoma better than those who avoid the sun. I think the reason is that when you apply sunblock you only block UVB and thus the skin does not develope the melanin needed to protect the skin from UVA which is the more dangerous type of radiation. I don't know how many articles I've read about people who developed skin cancer and claim to never have burnt or been in the sun much. It almost seem more common than the other way around.



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