After reading various sources including Dr. Baumann and Paula's book, I am convinced that protecting from the sun is so important! That includes wearing broad spectrum suncreen, staying out of the sun between 10am-4pm, wearing a wide brim hat and long sleeves. Yet, it seems that noone does any of that. I look around me on a summer day and no Caucasian is wearing hat, they're out basking in the sun on a patio or beach, they wear clothes that expose their upper back and decolette and arms. I see their skin and it's all sun damaged. I don't think they realize that the thick, leathery, rough, mottled, and dark spotted skin is actually sun damage. It seems to me they still consider that beautiful! I just absolultely cannot understand the "Western" idea that tan (with other signs of skin damage) equals beautiful. I am shocked that non-Asian people have absolutely no fear of the sun and will purposefully seek it. I really need someone to explain that to me.

The people walking around with hats and sun umbrellas are mostly Asian older women. In fact, I have been teased using a sun umbrella..."it's not raining"! I have accepted my dorky look when I wear a hat on a sunny day. I just tell myself, I might look dorky now, but I'll look great when I'm older whereas the other people look great now with all the sun tan, but will look dorky with all the wrinkles and dark spots when they're older. Does anyone share similar thoughts?