Protect Yourself!

This weekend is the Memorial Day weekend here in the USA. Monday is a national holiday which makes this the first 3-day weekend of the 2018 Summer season. Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 21 but most meteorologists recognize this long weekend as the the unofficial beginning of the season of sand, sun and surf. The sunlight is at its zenith and so are the opportunities for sunburn – the skin discomfort as evidenced on the back of the gentleman in the above picture.

Sunburn is easy to prevent, all that’s necessary is the proper application of a commercial sunscreen that isn’t all that expensive and convenient to carry around. Products are available in a variety of forms (lotions, gels, oils, foam) and a definite necessity to not only prevent the burning and blistering of the skin but other skin/health hazards that may or may not manifest themselves immediately. Foremost among these are skin melanomas (cancers). At the opposite end of the spectrum are dry skin and premature aging.

The dude in the above photo is in the process of re-applying sunscreen to his body. How do I know it is a re-application and not his initial covering? Easy. The initial application of sunscreen on any given day needs to occur 15 minutes prior to sun exposure for maximum protection. For additional information on sunscreen, such as SPF ratings, types, proper application strategies, etc., visit my post published here last year. Click here to view:

Before You Bare, Cover Up

Common Myth: 

There are numerous tidbits of misinformation that need to be dispelled and one of the most common is that persons of African descent do not need to wear sunscreen. All people of the human species need to protect their skin; black people, brown people, white people and any other shade of people benefit from the use of sunscreen. As a Greek man, I know this how? Because my spouse, Aaron, is African-American and I can vividly recall his incident with severe sunburn when we first met.

In the above photograph, Aaron is covering himself in sunscreen. However, this picture was made after his serious folly regarding sunburn on unprotected skin. He know fully appreciates the protection that sunscreen affords anyone but especially us bare practitioners (naturists/nudists). All it took was one severe mistake for him to learn the error of his ways.

We initially met at a social nudist function that took place on an early evening in May, 2010. It was the weekend before the Memorial Day holiday. Although Aaron was already a bare practitioner, he had very limited experience in being nude outdoors, in the sunlight, for a prolonged period of time. We met one another, realized that we were seriously interested in being together, and proceeded to begin seriously and exclusively dating only each other.

The following weekend, the second of our romance, he agreed to accompany me on a skinny-dipping (swimming naked) outing. We drove together to the riverside site stripped off our swimsuits and dashed into the river. After spending some time frolicking in the water, I noticed Aaron’s skin becoming ashen. I asked him if he’d applied any sunscreen. His reply: “Sunscreen? I’m black, I don’t need sunscreen!” 

Mind you, my current spouse holds a baccalaureate degree in nursing. In other words, he should know better.

By late afternoon, without any sunscreen, he began to feel uncomfortable. By early evening he was in pain, especially in areas of his body that rarely received any direct sunlight (specifically, his penis and buttocks). As the evening progressed, he not only was in pain but was feeling miserable, especially below his waistline.

Shortly before midnight, I drove my future spouse to the local hospital trauma center. By this time, all his self-assurance had disappeared and he lost his usual cockiness and calm demeanor. My man was in excruciating pain.

I casually and callously reminded him that I’d mentioned sunscreen to him earlier. The look that he gave me would have caused a ravenous lion to shrink away into oblivion. Later, when I tried to humor him by commenting: “I guess this means that we won’t have sex tonight to celebrate our first week anniversary.” He gave me the same look only with murderous venom in his eyes.

(First lesson that I learned from this experience: Never, ever, make a joke about sex when your partner has sunburned genitalia!). Been there, done that and it ain’t pretty!

Needless to add, Aaron eventually forgave me for my insensitive sense of humor. We were married on August 15, 2015. And no, I don’t sleep with one eye open at night, watching my back.

(Lesson that Aaron, my beloved, learned from this experience: Never, ever, go outside bare without applying generous amounts of sunscreen, no matter how dark your skin.). Been there, done that and it ain’t pretty!

Before you bare it all, please use the link provided to read last year’s post, if you haven’t already done so. Take care, stay bare and be healthy!

Naked hugs!

Roger/ReNude Pride