Straight off the bat, let Trident assure you of one simple, indisputable scientific fact – extreme exposure to the sun is bad for you.
At best, by the time you reach your early 50’s you’ll resemble a sundried tomato you forgot fell under the couch from an artistanal pizza. At worst, the sun can kill you. You heard it here folks. And you no doubt heard it from countless other sources as well. Do not – repeat – DO NOT – play silly buggers with the sun. Slather sunblock on your face and body, and massage it in like you’re caressing the goddess Venus herself.
In the 70’s and 80’s, a healthy glow was considered just that; a healthy glow. However, it’s more likely said glow was due to the radioactive nature of the sun’s rays. Indeed, it’s a wonder of nature none of us salty coastal folk ever developed super powers from all the exposure to the sun. Note: Trident did indeed develop superpowers and we vow to fight evil in all its forms. Snaking, dropping in, missing waves – expect a stern word or two from us. (That’s or superpower).
Sunblock. Your skin’s armour.
When it comes to sun protection, Trident has a personal affinity for the thick, transparent, greasy stuff. It stays on yer mug, doesn’t leak too much into your eyes when you sweat, and provides a fair bit of prolonged protection. Sadly, the flip side is you can basically only remove the stuff later with either a blowtorch or sandpaper. That stuff ain’t going nowhere folks. Indeed, it’s so damn greasy you can probably use it to lubricate, well – just about anything. Let your mind run free and grease that, uh – object.
Other folks prefer the sun stuff that you can actually see. Also very effective for prolonged sun exposure, the white sunblock resembles war paint. In fact, you can look like you’re auditioning for a role as the Joker. Just add a rictus grin and a maniacal laugh in the water, and pre- or post-surf other surfers should be doctoring their cars’ headlights to resemble the bat-signal in no time.
The myth of melanin.
Darker skin contains more melanin and is more resistant to sun damage. However the myth that darker skinned folk don’t need to worry about sun exposure is just that – a myth. Sure, you’ll be last in line to worry about the negative effects of the sun, but you’ll also be least likely to get your skin checked out. Again Trident repeats – do not play silly buggers with the sun.
For most people, the effects of nasty sunburns are similar. The most common complaint is reddened, burnt skin (sometimes even blistered), accompanied by feelings of heat, and in more severe cases – nausea and dehydration. Heatstroke can result in a swift trip to the hospital, fam. Anyhow, assuming it’s not too bad, sunburns will dissipate in days, followed by a tan and/or your skin peeling away like a snake moulting.
As mentioned, decades ago a healthy tan was considered, well – healthy, but these days we know better. Any tan is an inevitable result of sun damage. So for every attractive person with bronzed skin you see strutting about, consider what they’ll look like in 20 years time. Yep. ET with a hipster haircut.
