Embracing Pale Skin

It was the middle of day in the dead of summer on Long Island. I don’t normally like to be out in the direct sunlight at that time, but the tide was low and the bald eagles that I like to photograph were flying around, looking for lunch.

I love seeing these majestic birds dive down to scoop a delicious meal right out of the pond, so I stuck around to wait for great shots. That meant spending a lot of time around others who shared my love for these birds and the challenge of photographing them.

Ignoring sun safety in the mid-day heat

I’m normally covered from head to toe with a hat, and a long-sleeved shirt and pants that offer a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50. Any exposed skin is coated in sunscreen and bug spray. This day was no different.

However, most everyone else wore clothing that exposed a lot of their skin to the sun and its burning rays. Some wore sunscreen, but most did not.

A cancer survivor with a blind spot

I met this one person named Tom, an up-and-coming photographer who is intelligent and was picking up things very quickly. Tom understood the interplay between capturing light, having the correct shutter speed and composing the photograph. He was well on his way to being very good. He is a cancer survivor as well. Yet, as I got to know him something concerned me.

Despite his cancer history, he seemed very uninformed about skin cancer and the dangers of sun exposure. He mentioned needing a base tan so that he could safely tan on his vacation. He talked about tanning to look good for other people who might scrutinize him and he mentioned wanting to impress old friends and acquaintances with a tan. Eventually, he backtracked, saying he only wanted to look tan for himself.

He wanted that tan, but he also said he did not want to expose himself to possible skin cancer.

Echos of my former self

I felt like I was listening to myself as a college student back in the 1980s. These were all the same reasons that I tanned. I was always trying to impress others and always comparing myself to others, whether it was my physique, my mental acuity, my accomplishments, my social game or my tan.

I was surprised that this accomplished man was still doing the same, especially with all that we now know about skin cancer.

True skin cancer prevention begins with self-acceptance

Here is my point. For some people, knowledge of the risk factors and the dangers of sun exposure isn’t enough to persuade them to protect themselves against skin cancer. What matters most is how they see themselves and what they want to see in themselves.

That knowledge needs to come with self-reflection and self-acceptance. For me, I had to first come to terms with having pale skin. I had to be okay with ME. Once that happened, my behavior changed. I no longer needed affirmation or attention from others. I became comfortable with my natural skin tone.

How about you? Are you happy with your skin tone without tanning?