Back in the '80s when I was growing up, sun protection wasn't really a big deal. Sure, there were creams with SPF 8 to 15, and I probably used the highest one available, but still, summer automatically meant red skin and peeling sunburn.
It wasn't until I was on a student exchange in the US that I first heard about sunblock with SPF 50. I thought my teacher's emphatic warning was a bit over the top, but I dutifully slathered on the high-factor stuff anyway.
You see, I'm built more like Boris Becker, and I used to have strawberry blonde hair too. So I'm definitely the type who starts turning red after 10 minutes in the midday sun. Now I often work on the Canary Islands, which are only 3,000 kilometers from the equator. A place where the sun definitely packs more punch than in Germany.
And despite always wearing sunscreen, I've now been diagnosed with skin cancer. Caught early, it's not that serious, my dermatologist says. But it doesn't just go away on its own, so now I have to explain to everyone that I don't have a strawberry jam stain on my face, but rather that it's skin cancer that was frozen off.
Recently I was standing on a beach in Fuerteventura with a model. Midday sun, 28 degrees Celsius. She had already applied sunscreen that morning with SPF 10. "That's plenty for me," she said. "I tan quickly." Three hours later, she looked like she'd tried to kiss a light bulb. The photo shoot was ruined, but the lesson was learned. At least by me.
It's fascinating really: people who buckle up when driving and wear helmets when cycling suddenly become daredevils when it comes to UV radiation. "Oh, a little sun is good for you," I hear regularly. And that's true. A little. But we're talking about Canary Islands midday sun here, not a gentle North German April breeze.
So I've now become one of those people who gives unsolicited advice to others. That's because I'm 50 now and I see enough young people making the same mistakes I made back then.
Tanned skin is damaged skin, no matter how healthy it looks.
Baz Luhrmann was right, by the way: if I could give only one piece of advice, it would be about sunscreen.
Note: The cover image simply shows the sunscreen I currently use. This article is not sponsored, and I am not endorsing any specific sunscreen product.