My doctor appointment last Tuesday was for the dermatologist. Get ready, I’m going to lay down some free info for y’all.
I’ve had acne ever since I was a small tyke. I’m also extremely pale – I swear you will see the correlation in a moment. The doc gave me a stronger cream for my face and warned me I would be more sensitive to the sun. Thursday I was outside for maybe 15 mins chatting and I could feel myself getting burned. Sensitive is right.
I did ask her about sunscreen and if using it would negate the benefits of the helpful cream. She was emphatic in her NO and that I should definitely be using it when I am going to be outdoors (I’m sure she wants me to wear it all the time but baby steps folks). I asked what would be the best for my oily prone skin and she suggested a Neutrogena product – Ultra Face or something like that? But then she said the spray ones are good because they are an alcohol base so it won’t grease me out! Brilliant! Just spray some on my hands and rub all over my face. I feel this is a game-changer in my war against being tomato red all summer.
The other day, I used some bronzer. Since it’s been sunny, using a bit doesn’t look completely unnatural. During the cold winter months where I didn’t go outside, it looked stupid. I felt like an oompa-loompa. Or a cast member from Jersey Shore.
While it was chilly, I used a muted blush instead, which I thought looked nice. Then on the day I wore the bronzer, a co-worker exclaimed: “Oh GOOD! You got some sun. Man, you’ve been looking sickly lately”. Hmm… that is just my face. I also get the whole “wow – you look exhausted” since I naturally have darker circles under my eyes which are more pronounced since it’s surrounded by white. Or how about, “I’m blinded by your white legs!” It used to bother me but now all I want to retort with is, “making you happy is not worth getting skin cancer”. Or something like this. I need to work on it.
Anyway, for you other pale faces out there, I think the spray sunscreen is a viable option – especially if your current product makes your face feel gross like it does mine. I certainly don’t need any help with shiny-face syndrome during the humid months! This information alone was worth the $30 co-pay.
Also, I’ve embraced my pastiness. I fought it for a long time and would say things like, “well, at least being red is better than being pale!”. Yes, I was a misguided dummy. In the last few years, I’ve been attempting to get a tad smarter about skin/sun care. I certainly can get better – sometimes I forget or don’t realize I’m getting any UV’s. But I’m not toasting myself in a tanning bed so I’m calling this a bit of progress.
Cheerio friends – I must run tonight. Tuesday night I woke in the middle of the night thanks to my furry roommate and as I was trying to go back to sleep something dawned on me. I have a 25k in two weeks. Hmm… I’ve gone back to my habit of tapering in the middle of training when I should be amping up. Now I will (again) pile on the miles straight up to race morning. My brain certainly is a conundrum…
Amy's Recipe for Disaster 
Hello fello pale person. It does seem like a struggle, and I have to say, I use to hate how light my skin was but I’ve definently learned to accept it as I’ve grown up.
Yes, it took me some time. One of the definite perks of growing up-skin acceptance!
Plus, it felt like there was a time when pale skin was in! Hopefully that ‘trend’ comes back :)
I hope so too!
As a fellow pale person I feel your pain! I started using Neutrogena sport, they have a cream called ‘sport face’ and a spray called ‘ultimate sport’ I use for the rest of me. Both I find are non greasy and perfect for exercising in hot weather :)
Thanks for the suggestion-I’m going to give those a try. Plus the names make me feel all athletic!