SPF is an art and a science

I was packing up our stuff last night for the return trip home, and I laughed at the bathroom counter. The bottles of sunscreen are like a little chemistry lab.

I have bad skin. I inherited this from my dad, who also has bad skin. I have the skin of a redhead without red hair. It's also prone to rosacea and acne, and when I get a pimple it scars. So yeah, it's great.

Thanks to all the damage I've done to my skin over the years {I was the manager of a tanning salon in college, for pete's sake} I do tan. But it's not evenly distributed. My arms tan more than my legs. My chest tans in about ten minutes and then moves straight to burn if I haven't put on sunscreen.

The last few years I've noticed my legs have stopped tanning. They are remaining startlingly white despite lots of sun exposure and very little sunscreen on them.

So I have SPF30 for my face. And my daily lotion from Skinceuticals has SPF30, too. Then I have SPF15 for my chest and shoulders. And SPF4 or 8 for my arms, depending on how dark they already are, and SPF 4 for my legs, or nothing. Only nothing if I'm not going to be out long.

The sun, she isn't my friend anymore. She causes spots and wrinkles and she ages me more than I'd like to admit.

Ahh, but she feels good. So I'm keeping her as a friend. She'll be one of those toxic friends you know you need to get rid of, but it would be so hard.

So it's back to the cold midwest with me. And back to the personal dramas I'd rather not admit that I have. And it's back to the stomach ache from anxiety.

Cripes.

Vacation should last forever.