[at-l] Sunscreen

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

re: zinc oxide

For a long time, that was what people out in the sun
who burnt easily, would use.  It naturally absorbs UV
radiation and is almost totally insoluble in water.
Which is why you would see lifeguards in years past
wear it.

The drawback is strictly aesthetic: makes a thick
paste over your face. 

I suspect that many of these new sunscreens with zinc
oxide in it have found a way to make the zinc oxide
transparent. No thick white goo all over your face,
while retaining the same properties that make zinc
oxide so good for sun protection.

In the past, have used it personally for nasty burns
when I worked in a hospital kitchen back when I was in
high school. 

As for how often I go through sunscreen? Do not use
much myself. Prefer a widehat and long sleeves for sun
protection in high elevations and/or exposed areas
(i.e., the Whites). Hate to carry more than I have to.


YMMV.






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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau