[nfapps]

Also being from the Northeast we have found the same phenomenon.

My wife is quite fair skinned, and could not be out in the sun without covering up or risking a sunburn. Here in LV she can spend more time outside and we find she actually tans a bit instead of burning. I have no idea why this would be as the sun seems more intense here, but it is clear she would burn much easier back in the Northeast than here.

We discovered this a while back while here on a business trip. We spent a couple of hours out at one of the hotel pools. Having lost track of time we both thought, oh great we are really going to regret this tomorrow and we will be fried. For some reason it didn't happen, we were both fine and she tanned a little bit. Go figure. Interesting map from unforgiven - thanks for the link.

[SoCalCpl2]

Being one who has had 2nd degree sunburn twice in their life because I am very fair Irish skinned.. I have found this out about sunburns...

You will burn more under cloudy or partly cloudy conditions than you will in direct sunlight.... The reason for this is because the clouds diffuse the uv rays that come thru and let more fo the "bad" ones thru than the others..... So since you think it is not sunny you might tend to stay out more than in direct sunlight...

Kind of like when you have a campfire.. You put your hand directly over the fire and it gets hot quick and you move your hand away... BUT hold it off to the side of the fire near it and you don't fell the intense heat so you keep it there and pretty soon you notice your hand hurts and is rough and blistery like....

I have also found that the spray sunscreen that is clear seems to work better than the others no matter what SPF it is..... In other words a lower SPF in the clear spray seems to work better than a higher SPF in a cream or "white" spray....

[Buzz123]

I have also been of the opinion that people in cooler climes tend to put more stock into having a tan then people in warmer climes. It could be that they are spending more time in the sun than we are and they lose track of how much time.

I was under the impression that SPF is more of how long a sunscreen will last before you need to reapply than how well it works.

SoCalCpl2 do you often burn your hands like that?

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

SoCalCpl2 do you often burn your hands like that?

Yeah, he puts forks in toasters, and eats those packets that come in a new pair of shoes, too. (Just kidding )

I have to be careful with sunscreens. If I go much over an SPF 15 on my face, I tend to break out and I am getting way too old for zits.

I don't recall ever getting a sunburn here, but I do have some UV damage on my face because of a misspent youth trying to obtain a tan in tanning beds.

They say the incidental damage is what harms your skin the most. Driving in the car, walking around the golf course, etc. You don't get a sunburn from those activities generally, but the exposure adds up.

[swagger]

Just don't sunbathe at the Vdara pool and you should be ok.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by swagger

Just don't sunbathe at the Vdara pool and you should be ok.

Ha Ha! Remember the big dustup about that illustration when Righthaven sued over it?

[SoCalCpl2]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

Yeah, he puts forks in toasters, and eats those packets that come in a new pair of shoes, too. (Just kidding )

I have to be careful with sunscreens. If I go much over an SPF 15 on my face, I tend to break out and I am getting way too old for zits.

I don't recall ever getting a sunburn here, but I do have some UV damage on my face because of a misspent youth trying to obtain a tan in tanning beds.

They say the incidental damage is what harms your skin the most. Driving in the car, walking around the golf course, etc. You don't get a sunburn from those activities generally, but the exposure adds up.

Hey those packets in the new shoes are VERY nutritous..Not to mention good roughage...LOL

And you are correct about incidental damage..Which goes back to the campfire thing.. Direct heat you shy away from..But fall asleep or even get cozy near a fire and stay a while and then you move or wake up and can feel the heat and then next day the damage to the skin or hair....

And Buzz here is what the experts say about SPF factors -

The sun protection factor of a sunscreen is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sunscreen — the higher the SPF, the more protection a sunscreen offers against UV-B (the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn).
The SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on skin with the sunscreen on, as a multiple of the amount required without the sunscreen. There is a popular oversimplification of how SPF determines how long one can stay in the sun. For example, many users believe that, if they normally get sunburn in one hour, then an SPF 15 sunscreen allows them to stay in the sun fifteen hours (i.e. fifteen times longer) without getting sunburn. This would be true if the intensity of UV radiation were the same for the whole fifteen hours as in the one hour, but this is not normally the case. Intensity of solar radiation varies considerably with time of day. During early morning and late afternoon, the sun's radiation intensity is highly diminished since it must pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere while it is near the horizon.
In practice, the protection from a particular sunscreen depends, besides on SPF, on factors such as:

• The skin type of the user.
• The amount applied and frequency of re-application.
• Activities in which one engages (for example, swimming leads to a loss of sunscreen from the skin).
• Amount of sunscreen the skin has absorbed.

[PinkString]

If I stay in the sun too long, no matter where I've lived, I burn. I am very fair skinned. If you are going to use sunscreen, wait to apply it after you have been in the sun for 15 minutes. That way you get the natural Vitamin D from the sun that is beneficial to you before you slather on a bunch of chemicals that are not good for you. A better bet would be SPF clothing and sunglasses. If you have to use sunscreen, buy a natural one like from Origins or another natural type company.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2

Being one who has had 2nd degree sunburn twice in their life because I am very fair Irish skinned.. I have found this out about sunburns...

You will burn more under cloudy or partly cloudy conditions than you will in direct sunlight.... The reason for this is because the clouds diffuse the uv rays that come thru and let more fo the "bad" ones thru than the others..... So since you think it is not sunny you might tend to stay out more than in direct sunlight...

Kind of like when you have a campfire.. You put your hand directly over the fire and it gets hot quick and you move your hand away... BUT hold it off to the side of the fire near it and you don't fell the intense heat so you keep it there and pretty soon you notice your hand hurts and is rough and blistery like....

I have also found that the spray sunscreen that is clear seems to work better than the others no matter what SPF it is..... In other words a lower SPF in the clear spray seems to work better than a higher SPF in a cream or "white" spray....

Spray sunscreen is one of the best things ever invented! It's so fast and easy to apply and applies much more evenly than a lotion type. I go through at least a few cans of that in the summer, easy.

And, yes, you can burn more easily when there are any clouds. Maybe that is mart of the non-burning thing? In LV there are much fewer clouds due to lack of humidity than there are in a place like I live.

[palepeople]

Speaking as a redhead who grew up in in Vegas ..............Get a couple of good sun hats and always wear sunscreen. Vegas is at a relatively high elevation with no cloud cover..... if you are fair skinned you will burn quickly.

Also, find a good moisturizer, and apply liberally