Did you know that sunscreen has a best before date? You’d likely never know by looking at the tubes of it in your bathroom cupboard, because many don’t provide any indication of this important information. You wouldn’t eat yogurt after the expiry date, because it could make you sick. Well, speaking from a person who has had half a dozen patches of skin cancer over the years, the sun can make you sick, too. Sorry to sound like Bossy #1, but we need to protect ourselves.
I’ve been really lucky, because so far my cancer has been a more innocuous form called Basil Cell Carcinoma, which only required some snipping and stitches without any follow-up treatments. My first go-round was confined in a tumour along the skin of my upper lip – a very common place (along with the chest and neck) for women. Men often get skin cancer long the top of their ears, which aren’t covered by frequently-worn baseball caps. I was in my early 40s when that first episode happened. It was a regular doctor’s check-up when I mentioned I thought I had a bit of eczema on my lip. I think that’s skin cancer, my doctor replied. Strange that such a big word could fit into such an innocent circle of skin.
Sun damage caused it, years of sun damage. Mom had started us off right, slathering us with lotion and making us wear hats. When we spent summers at Sylvan Lake, she would bring little blouses to the beach for us to cover up with in the afternoon. But then I got older and started making my own decisions about my relationship with the sun. We used to climb the up the fence and onto the garage roof to be closer to the sun as teens. We’d lay out all day, basing ourselves with baby oil and turning over to get the right ‘doneness’ on each side. Just like barbecuing any kind of meat.
Then tanning salons, just a few times to ‘get a good base’ before the odd winter trip away. Or backpacking for months with no room to carry sun protection around. By the time global warming brought heat that shattered all previous records summer after summer, I was pretty much clued into the importance of sun protection. Including sunscreen that has not expired.
It was my daughter who pointed it out to me recently. We checked the half dozen various bottles and tubes of sunscreens in the bathroom. Various levels of SPF, stuff specific to the face, to being waterproof for the lake, to staying on through various sports. But not a single bottle had a best before date on it. I jumped in my car to continue my sleuthing at two different well-known drug stores, which carried shelves and shelves of sun products. None of the bottles I sampled indicated an expiry date.
So it appears we are on our own when it comes to sun protection. Sunscreen should be used within two or three years of opening – so get out the old marker and write the date you bought the bottle right on it. That way you don’t have to stop going outside and enjoying our great big beautiful world!