Anyone Want Premature Wrinkles?... No? Better Read This : )

[DJ Wang]

Hi Everyone!

My name's David and I planted trees for 2 seasons with Lloyd's Reforestation (Hey Guys! ; ) and Bugbusters (now part of Spectrum I think) for 1 season.

I wasn't a particularly good planter...Ok, I'll admit it. I sucked ass. : (
I averaged about a 1000 trees a day (some days less...a few days more...)
Yet, despite the fact that my tree planting experience didn't develop into a marvelous financial success (money is going the way of the Dinosaur in the not too distant future anyways), I did learn a lot of stuff, and I'm going to talk about some knowledge which is very dear to my heart.

SUNSCREEN!!!

"Wear Sunscreen. If I could offer you only 1 tip for the future, sunscreen would be it." (Baz Luhrman from the 1999 song "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen")

Here's the fact :
90% of all wrinkles are caused by sun exposure.
The other 10% is caused by the natural movement of muscles below the surface of the skin and the consequent creases that are formed by the skin doubling.

Man...so that means pretty much ALL of a person's wrinkles are caused by exposure to the sun.
That means...if a person protects themselves from the sun's rays, they could prevent 90%!!! of the wrinkles they get in their life!!!
WOOT!!!

Yes. That's right...unfortunately...80% of the damage to skin cells has already occurred by the time a person is 18-20 years old.
Why?
Because as kids we indiscriminately run around under the sun without sun protection, believing that are skin is an invincible wall that the sun will never get through.

That's not the case.
The skin is kind of like a piece of paper.
If you fold it and then flatten it out, it will show a nice crease where it was folded.
The skin does a great job of regenerating itself and retaining its pliability, but, the protein fiber called Elastin is very susceptible to sun damage.
Think of it as the foundation of a building. Over time, the foundation erodes until it can no longer support the building.
Now, Elastin does repair itself, but the ability to be repaired diminishes over time, and having been bashed around by the sun heedlessly when we were kids, really doesn't help.

UVA / UVB

The sun produces 3 types of Ultraviolet radiation.
One of the types (UVC) is completely absorbed by the atmosphere.

The two types which make it to the Earth are both detrimental to the skin.

UVA (Ultra Violet "Aging") Radiation can be thought of as long wave radiation which passes through the top layers of the skin and penetrates deep into the dermis.
There it is responsible for causing damage to the skin's 2 vitally important protein fibers :
Collagen : provides support and structure to the skin giving it its "plumpness", and,
Elastin : again, responsible for the skin's Elasticity
UVA also damages skin cell's DNA, further inhibiting its ability to maintain and, most importantly, repair itself.

UVB (Ultra Violet "Burning") Radiation can be thought of as being short wave radiation which does not penetrate beyond the epidermis of the skin.
UVB is responsible for eliciting the "Melanin Response" (Tanning) to sun exposure, and, unfortunately, is responsible for causing skin cancer.

Sunscreen : Stuff You GOTTA Know

Not all sunscreens are created equal. Far from it.

SPF : indicates ONLY how much UVB protection a sunscreen provides. That is, wearing a sunscreen with a high SPF will protect you from skin cancer (which is great) but not from skin aging (bummer).

In Europe, they have a star system on sunscreen bottles to tell the consumer how much UVA protection the sunscreen affords.

Here in North America, we have to read the back of the bottle and check out the ingredients to know if the sunscreen is providing us with UVA protection.
No prob though, since there are only 4 ingredients which provide UVA protection anyways.
They are :

1. Parsol 1789 (aka Avobenzone) : been around since the 1970's. It acts as a UV absorber, absorbing UV rays and rendering them harmless.
Avobenzone MUST be accompanied by a "photostabilizer" because it breaks down under sunlight.
The most common one is Octocrylene.
Make sure that it is in a 2:1 ratio with Avobenzone (that is 2 parts Parsol to 1 part (Octo).

2. Titanium Dioxide : the white pigment you find on Lifeguard's noses. Acts as a mineral blocker, actually physically deflecting UV rays. Its effectiveness isn't perfect, so it should be accompanied by chemical UV absorbers.

3. Mexoryl SX : Another chemical UV absorber, it is effective with the shorter part of the UVA wavelength (as opposed to Avobenzone which is most effective absorbing the longer part).

4. Mexoryl XL : Another chemical UV absorber, it is effective with absorbing both the shorter and longer part of the UVA wavelength.

Buying Sunscreen

To make your life easier, I will list here the 2 brands of sunscreen you can buy and then stop worrying about the sun's rays.
If you're like me though, you'll say to yourself,
"He's a nice guy and all for doing this, but I think I'll do some of my own research first and then make my OWN choice."
What do I say to that?
"nice decision." ^_^

So, I recommend :

Equate SPF 45 : Wal-Mart's brand of sunscreen. It's inexpensive. It's got lots of UVB blockers and it's got Avobenzone at 2% concentration and Octocrylene at 1.6% concentration (remember the 2 parts Avo to 1 part Octo. this sunscreen follows the rule. : )
I use this sunscreen on my body because it spreads easily.
Now, I know, I know.
It doesn't provide any protection against the shorter part of the UVA wavelength.
This is a bother to be sure...
I don't have an answer for that as of yet.
I'll be keeping my eyes open, and I recommend you do the same.

L'Oreal's Ombrelle SPF 45 : This stuff is thick! I use it on my face and I end up looking like I'm auditioning for clown school (the Titanium Dioxide paints the skin with a nice whiteness). I don't care though. I already have more wrinkles on my face then I care for, so I'll look like a hyperactive Lifeguard if it means I can stop the wrinkle madness.
This stuff has a whopping 3 UVA blockers!
It's got the good ol' Avobenzone.
It's got Titanium Dioxide (yes, you will look like a clown. , _ , ....
and it's got Mexoryl SX (working together with Avo to protect you against both the short and long part of the UVA spectrum).
Wear this stuff, and you know no UVA is getting to your skin to nasty you up with some wrinkles.
You will look like a bit of a dork though...

If you have the cash $$$ though...
you might want to try La Roche-Posay's Anthelios Sunscreen line.
They use Mexoryl XL.
It adds yet another layer of UVA protection (protecting from UV rays is like protecting from Icy Winds. the more layers, the better).

I don't know of a good brand of sunscreen which doesn't have Titanium Dioxide though...
I can understand some people might not want to look like Krusty the Clown...
If you find one, maybe share it here. : )

If You Get Burned

The magic panacea for sunburn is : Aloe Vera.

I use :

Fruit of the Earth 100% Aloe Vera : You can buy it at Wal-Mart (I know. I buy a lot of stuff from Wal-Mart. I'm poor. What can I say? I'm rich in ideas and optimism though. ; ) the money will come...and then Money will go the way of the Dinosaur once our species has matured just a bit more. sigh. i can't wait. )
This is a great brand. It's cheap. No Animal-Testing. And it's alcohol free.
Here's a bit of advice for my fellow males :
DO NOT USE AQUA VELVA!
Alcohol feels cool on the skin, but it actually is a major skin drier.
I recommend using a Vitamin E cream instead. Much gentler.

Wear Sunglasses!

Make sure the glasses state specifically on the label 100% UVA/UVB protection.

You can find cheap glasses at Wal-Mart, London Drugs, and Save-On Foods.

I would recommend the Wrap-Around style.
You know "Crow's Feet" (the wrinkles on the sides of eyes).
Not so hot is it?
Wrap Around glasses protect the sides of your eyes from the sun's rays.

A good addition to consider is a Glasses Strap.
The strap will hold the sunglasses in place, so they don't fall off due to all the bouncing up and down you will most likely be doing jumping from log to log.
I recommend the straps with the tube slots for connecting to the glasses' arms.
The straps with the eye holes for connecting to the glasses' arms fall off pretty easily, or break with continued pressure.

Again, Wonderful (yet symbol of all that's wrong with Capitalism) Wal-Mart, has inexpensive straps, or you can buy them at The Sunglasses Hut

sigh...i wish I'd worn sunglasses on the block...
Do I have wrinkles around my eyes now?
...i'd rather not talk about it... : ' (

Wide-Brimmed Hat

Baseball Hats are ok. I used one and it kept the sun out of my eyes, but, now I would use :
The Legionnaire
It's a really cool hat invented by an Australian father for his kids.

Here's a scary fact :
1 out of 2 Australian's WILL develop skin cancer in their lifetime
That means in a family of 4, either Mommy or Daddy is getting skin cancer, and,
little Sarah or Joey is getting skin cancer.
brrr...that's freaky.
The fact that our hedonistic, Capitalist excesses punched a nice hole in the Ozone layer doesn't help.
Poor Australia.
They're the world's bitch, when it comes to greenhouse gas accumulation.
The way the trade winds blow, they concentrate CO2 and the other nasties right above Australia.
It's like having a hole in a tablecloth you can never fix because some idiots (I'm looking at you Monopolistic Evil Corporations) keep lighting matches underneath.
sigh...we so have to move beyond Capitalism...we're killing ourselves... : ' (

The Legionnaire is a hat which combines a baseball cap with a : neck cape.
The neck cape hangs off the back of the hat and drapes itself right across the back of the neck.

This combined with sunglasses, and sunscreen make your beautiful face an impenetrable fortress against the sun's battering ram rays.

Straw Hats, Oriental Rice-Paddy Worker Hats, and even an Indiana Jones style Fedora are not too bad either.

Sun Protective Clothing

There's a very simple experiment you can conduct to determine if your clothing is providing you with sun protection :
just hold up against the sunlight and see if you can see through it.
If you can see through, the sun can see you.

I recommend layering up.
I used a combination of a bike shirt from Umbro and a long sleeved button shirt (Value Village).
The tighter the weave of the shirt, the better sun protection you're getting.

For the legs I recommend biking tights (I use Sugoi brand), and just some comfortable kakhis.

For the hands, I recommend using gardening gloves, the ones with the rubber grips and the cotton tops.
If you don't wear gloves :
Put Sunscreen On Your Hands!!!

I've already got a bit of "old man hand" going on with my hands.
Compared to my brother's beautiful hands, I look like I'm 80.
It sucks!
Protect your hands!

The Sun : Source of All Life...and Source Of All Wrinkles

I love the sun.
I know it's the source of life, and I enjoy basking in its warmth.
I can understand why so many cultures deified and worshipped it.

That said, whenever I look in the mirror I find myself silently cursing the sun for giving me the wrinkles I shouldn't have.
I know. I know.
Getting wrinkles is a normal part of aging...isn't it?...

Here's a secret : I-Don't-Think-So.

90% of wrinkles are caused by sun exposure.
What if, you'd always protected yourself from the sun's rays.
Do you think you'd be wrinkled when you were 30? 40? 50?
Maybe...but probably not.

I just wish I'd know everything I've unloaded here before I went planting...heck...when I was a little kid would have been better still.

I have no qualms with getting old.
Just not so keen on getting ugly. Y'know?

Fixing the Ugly

When I can afford it (sigh...primitive monetary system of governing resource allocation), I'm going to get a couple of Micro Laser Peels done at Dr.Joanna Day's office in Vancouver.

The skin can be thought of as a plot of earth (the dark, rich, odoriferous kind).
Wrinkles are like furrows and trenches in the plot of earth.
Now, laser resurfacing is like running a hoe over the earth, removing the excess earth.
With one pass, the trenches depth is reduced because the height of the surrounding earth has been diminished.
With each subsequent pass the trenches depth lessens and lessens, until...the trench is no more.

What does this mean?
Laser Resurfacing can remove ALL your wrinkles.

But. It takes a LONG time, depending on the depth of your wrinkles.

The skin is blasted, then healed, blasted, then healed, so on and so on...

Wrinkles take a long time to form, healing them does too, and it costs mega bucks.

For me, with still (thank you me for staying alert) fairly shallow lines, it'll probably be $2000.
It would be in the tens of thousands for those poor souls who have been baked by the sun mercilessly for years upon years.

Still, it's nice to have the option, and the technology keeps improving.

One day, stuff like this will be free, because aesthetic health is just as important as physiological health.
If you look in the mirror in the morning and feel like smashing it, that really makes your day suck.

My Blog

If you liked what you read and you're still hungry for more, I've got more info on my blog :
http://thesagittariusspeaks.blogspot.com

I write about TONS of stuff.

I'm particularly fond of my new project, changing the approach to education.

Imagine this, when you're 12 years old (Grade 7) you are completely freed from didactic-style education and empowered with the ability to direct your own education.
6 hours a day.
5 days a week.
for 6 years.
Every day, you call the shots about what you are going to study.
Can you imagine how freakin' awesome! you would become at what you like doing?
I would have known the entirety of Shakespeare like the back of my hand.

It's really easy to determine if the current education system works or not :
Give any adult one of their old high school tests and see if they can pass.
The verdict : probably not.
Unless...it's in a subject they liked...what's the secret?
The freedom to choose what you're interested in. duh.

Thanks for Reading!

Use my regrets to your advantage!

Protect yourself from the sun and enjoy a long life of wrinkle free splendour.

After all,
There's no shame in getting old, only in getting ugly, because, that really is a shame, since it's so easily preventable.

[Tupperfan]

Best ad I've ever read on this website...

Scooter got any revenues from that one?

[krahn]

wow! thanks for the info.

[Mr. Amazing]

Got any tips for fighting cellulite? Screw it, I like my cottage cheese ass...

[Scooter]

I actually met David several years ago, in Quesnel, I think. Their camp was about to be put in just up the road from ours, and he stopped to say hello.

[Mr. Amazing]

You shouldn't worry about this stuff too much, David! Sure, nobody wants to look like an old shoe by 30, but there are some benefits to (not-excessive) sun exposure, and the subsequent tanning process (ie. vitamin D, and getting laid)... Don't waste your money on some laser procedure!!! Take a nice beach holiday to to the north coast of Norway, or something (might be able to get away with, like, an SPF "0" right now...).

[DJ Wang]

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for the responses!

I wrote this post straight from the heart.
I'm probably the only person in the world obsessed with their appearance though (cough. cough)
Still, I felt I had to put something out there to the Tree Planting community, alerting them to what I learned the hard way.
If anyone goes through planting and years later can still look in the mirror at a mostly unlined face (that they're happy with), I will be satisfied.

Oh yeagh, I added a tip about using Glasses Straps to hold sunglasses in place while planting.
Straps were invaluable for me when I was using glasses to plant during my 2nd season.

I'll now reply individually to everyone's kind responses to my post :

====

Hi tupperfan!

Thanks for the compliment! : )

Revenue? Probably not, unless people clicked on the banners advertising skin care products.

====

Hi krahn!

You're welcome for the info!

My total pleasure!

If you want info about a skin care regimen (also very important to keep skin smooth and unlined), you can visit my blog at :
http://thesagittariusspeaks.blogspot.com
and check out Pamphlets 16 A and 16 B.

====

Hi Mr. Amazing!

Cellulite? Tree Planting is the cure my friend. ; )

You know, I admit I'm pretty preoccupied with my appearance, but, if you can free yourself from that kind of preoccupation, it is definitely a liberation.

Speaking for myself though, I believe that the human experience is one of : mind, heart, AND body.
All 3 must be healthy and fulfilled for a person to be whole.

As the Romans would say, "Mens sana in corpore sano." (Healthy Mind in Healthy Body)

====

Hiya Scooter!

Was it outside Quesnel?
I have to admit all the places we went to kind of blurred in my mind.
I was usually sleeping when poor Paul (my Foreman) was driving from town to town.

It was cool meeting you Scooter!
Honest to goodness, thanks to your site, I came out planting prepared to the 9's.

I suffered no problems other than sore muscles and bug bites (and wrinkles, phoey = (

Thanks again for the INVALUABLE service you provided to newbie planters.
I mean hey!
Everybody starts new at something, sometime.
Isn't it nice for more experienced guys and gals to share their wisdom so the young'uns don't suffer so bad?
I think so. = )

====

Hi Mr. Amazing!

but there are some benefits to (not-excessive) sun exposure, and the subsequent tanning process (ie. vitamin D, and getting laid).

Agreed.

From what I've read though,
if you stick your arm out the window in the sunshine for 20 minutes, your body will have been stimulated to produce all the Vitamin D it requires for the day.

So I guess you could leave an arm bare of sunscreen for 20 minutes while planting, and then slap some on once the 20 minutes were up.
Personally, I think that the body gets enough UV stimulation even through the sunscreen.
Also, clothes are not UV proof, and I'm sure enough gets through to achieve the daily quota required.
Admittedly, I'm no expert though, and I can only give facts I've read about (often without the sources, because I've forgot them. )

Don't waste your money on some laser procedure!!! Take a nice beach holiday to to the north coast of Norway, or something (might be able to get away with, like, an SPF "0" right now...).

Thank you for the kind and thoughtful advice my friend, but, I feel,
that most girls (women I guess, at my age) would rather be with a guy with a nice smooth complexion, than a tan.

I know I would in the reverse.
And : to any girls reading this, I'm not shallow. Personality IS what counts for me, and I go out with girls more for that reason. But. Let's be honest. Looks are important too. And I think a white girl being milky white is plenty hot, no need to BBQ her poor skin.

As for Norway...
I think Socialism is a pretty awesome system, far superior to Capitalism.
Unfortunately, it is just 1 step short of truly capturing the essence of human nature and thus providing a seamless form of government.
What is it?
People need to feel special.
Socialism makes life too bland. Pleasant. Smooth. But boring.
I actually have designed an alternative (I know. I know. I'm shameless with my plugs. What can I say? I want nothing more than to grow and help others grow.)
If you're interested you can find it on my blog.
Pamphlets # 8 and 9.

====

Thanks again for all the compliments and empathy everyone.

I'm definitely going to get laser done.
My lines are fairly shallow and I'll look almost as good as I did in high school when I'm done so it will be worth it.

I have this crazy idea that human beings are designed to live not 100 years, but 300 years.
How do I figure?
It's very unscientific.
I'm almost 30 and yet I feel like I know as little as a 10 year old.
With all the aspirations and understanding I want to be exposed to, I figure I need 3 times more life than what we currently are living.
Nature has sense in what it does.
Being human and being able to explore the entirety of a human imagination seems to be a logical thing.
So, I figure that human beings should be living 300 years.

To this end, I should be looking pretty darn young.
And thoughts, have an enormous effect on the body.
In fact, that is the key to longevity I believe.

I'll conclude with a thoughtful question :
"What if you could control the metabolic rate of your individual cells?"
You could control aging.
Impossible?
...hmmm...

[salbrecher]

I couldn't care less if I have wrinkles. Cancer yes, wrinkles from aging and sun, hell no. Wrinkles are part of aging. I would hate to fall victim to what society and marketing tells is supposed to be seen as beautiful (no wrinkles). Embrace the aging process for what it is. Wrinkles, gray hair, old man strength, bring it on! There is also some recent data that suggests that the benefits of being active in the outdoors outweigh the risks of sun exposure. Here is one article, it's not the study I was thinking of but I can't be bothered to look for it right now.

From the Journal of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
These data, together with those for internal cancers and the beneficial effects of an optimal vitamin D status, indicate that increased sun exposure may lead to improved cancer prognosis and, possibly, give more positive than adverse health effects. http://www.pnas.org/content/105/2/668.abstract

[Tupperfan]

I couldn't care less if I have wrinkles. Cancer yes, wrinkles from aging and sun, hell no. Wrinkles are part of aging. I would hate to fall victim to what society and marketing tells is supposed to be seen as beautiful (no wrinkles). Embrace the aging process for what it is. Wrinkles, gray hair, old man strength, bring it on! There is also some recent data that suggests that the benefits of being active in the outdoors outweigh the risks of sun exposure. Here is one article, it's not the study I was thinking of but I can't be bothered to look for it right now.

Right on!

Besides, I'm more concern with the possible side-effects of a shitloat of wireless connections going through my body 24/7. And that, even if I'd cut mine off...

Of course, any ill effects remain to be proven, so hopefully, it might be all good. Yet, wasn't there a time where the negative aspects of shit like tobacco were unproven?

[TheHamsterizer]

I couldn't care less if I have wrinkles. Cancer yes, wrinkles from aging and sun, hell no. Wrinkles are part of aging. I would hate to fall victim to what society and marketing tells is supposed to be seen as beautiful (no wrinkles). Embrace the aging process for what it is. Wrinkles, gray hair, old man strength, bring it on! There is also some recent data that suggests that the benefits of being active in the outdoors outweigh the risks of sun exposure. Here is one article, it's not the study I was thinking of but I can't be bothered to look for it right now.

Right on!

Besides, I'm more concern with the possible side-effects of a shitloat of wireless connections going through my body 24/7. And that, even if I'd cut mine off...

Of course, any ill effects remain to be proven, so hopefully, it might be all good. Yet, wasn't there a time where the negative aspects of shit like tobacco were unproven?

I wouldn't be too worried about wireless waves, all kinds of waves go through your body all the time, and since long before wireless transmitters were around. TV, microwaves, magnetic, radio, sound, solar, acoustic etc. Brain waves are the only ones that are important:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... html?cat=5

[salbrecher]

I couldn't care less if I have wrinkles. Cancer yes, wrinkles from aging and sun, hell no. Wrinkles are part of aging. I would hate to fall victim to what society and marketing tells is supposed to be seen as beautiful (no wrinkles). Embrace the aging process for what it is. Wrinkles, gray hair, old man strength, bring it on! There is also some recent data that suggests that the benefits of being active in the outdoors outweigh the risks of sun exposure. Here is one article, it's not the study I was thinking of but I can't be bothered to look for it right now.

Right on!

Besides, I'm more concern with the possible side-effects of a shitloat of wireless connections going through my body 24/7. And that, even if I'd cut mine off...

Of course, any ill effects remain to be proven, so hopefully, it might be all good. Yet, wasn't there a time where the negative aspects of shit like tobacco were unproven?

I wouldn't be too worried about wireless waves, all kinds of waves go through your body all the time, and since long before wireless transmitters were around. TV, microwaves, magnetic, radio, sound, solar, acoustic etc. Brain waves are the only ones that are important:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... html?cat=5

Cell phone use of greater than 10 years shows an increase in certain types of cancers. Some waves may be dangerous.

Occupational and Environmental Medicine
http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/64/9/626

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY
http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?as_q=c ... =&safe=off

American Journal of Epidemiology
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/conte ... /167/4/457

[vacationer]

Wow. I'm not a redneck, but even if I was, I don't think calling you gay would even cut it at this point.

[theoldman]

beauty is only skin deep. ugly goes right to the bone.

[vacationer]

The guy comes on a planting message board, goes on and on (using several emoticons) about how terrified he is of wrinkles, describes how to avoid them and THEN discloses he's going to spend al his money on a cosmetic procedure to get rid of his? I have nothing against him, but he was going to get trolled one way or another.

[TheHamsterizer]

The guy comes on a planting message board, goes on and on (using several emoticons) about how terrified he is of wrinkles, describes how to avoid them and THEN discloses he's going to spend al his money on a cosmetic procedure to get rid of his? I have nothing against him, but he was going to get trolled one way or another.

c

Flame deleted... sometimes I just feel like flaming someone, but then I almost always feel bad about it.

[Mr. Amazing]

Don't flame this guy. David is just sharing his insights... Take it for what it is.

[TheHamsterizer]

Don't flame this guy. David is just sharing his insights... Take it for what it is.

NO!

[newb]

...

[Mr. Amazing]

I think I look pretty good after all these years of little sunscreen, and countless late nights. Here's me in 1998, and just the other day in Cambodia:

[Tupperfan]

I think I look pretty good after all these years of little sunscreen, and countless late nights. Here's me in 1998, and just the other day in Cambodia:

I see no difference indeed!

[krahn]

this is going to be my first year tree planting but now i am scared of premature wrinkles. i am thinking of quitting

don't let that make you quit! i've been doing it for almost a decade and hardly wear sunscreen, except on the hottest days, and i may eventually get skin cancer but i don't have any wrinkles yet. what makes your skin age far more prematurely is smoking. which includes most treeplanters. it obviously doesn't affect everyone equally, but some people really do look beyond their years until they finally quit, and then their faces start looking a bit less weathered once again.

[DJ Wang]

I decided to return to review some of the responses to my post.

I don't have much time since I'm moving to Ottawa, but one post in particular caught my eye and I will respond to it.
To all the flaming I got, I'll respond to you guys next time when I have a few more moments.
I understand what I posted is somewhat upsetting, but here's a little test for yourself to see if you care about your appearance.

Before You Leave The House In The Morning, Do You Check Yourself Out In The Mirror?

Sorry my friends.
Everybody cares shitloads about their appearance.
Just the way it is.

====

this is going to be my first year tree planting but now i am scared of premature wrinkles. i am thinking of quitting

Hi Newb!

Don't quit.
Tree Planting is really intense work, but extremely worth it too.

It's a glorious test for yourself.
You will push yourself to levels of mental and physical exertion you didn't think possible.
It's really very worthwhile.

Now.
Simply follow my advice from above.
I'll review a bit here.

1. Put your sunscreen on in the morning before you head to the trucks. This will give the sunscreen a chance to be absorbed by the epidermis of the skin where it will stay for hours.
2. While on the block, reapply when you have a chance. Try to make it every 3-4 hours. This keeps the layer of cream thick on your skin.
3. Wear your sunglasses. Wrap-Around style. With a Glasses Strap so they don't fall off.
4. Wear a hat. Any wide brimmed hat will do. Again, I like The Legionnaire. You can buy it at Ono Trading in Nanaimo, or from MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op).
Here's a picture of it from the MEC website.
http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp
It runs $23. A bit pricey, but just think about older guys and girls with neck wrinkles.
Not so hot huh?


Follow Scooter's excellent guide on his replant website and you will be just fine.
He has all the bases pretty much covered.

====

For everybody else, again I say, EVERYBODY is obsessed with their appearance.
My little test above proved it.

Look, if you know that not eating will cause you to starve,
not drinking to be thirsty,
not brushing your teeth to cause cavities,
smoking to cause lung cancer,
then why not accept that the sun will wrinkle your skin.

Here's one more mental experiment.

Imagine a Grape. Put it out in the sun. What happens? You get a raisin. Fruit is 70% water. Guess what we are?

Our skin does repair itself constantly, but, like the foundation of a building, it wears out with time and with all the insults we heap on it from not protecting ourselves from the sun for years.

====

Why do I care so much?

Because looking good is important to me, and I wish to God somebody had told me all this stuff when I was younger so I wouldn't have to hate looking in the mirror so much, and look forward to paying $2000 to fix all the sun damage I have.

I'm not Gay guys.

My weakness is, I care too much.

P.S : Thanks for the support Mr.Amazing.
P.P.S : Again, I may sound vain and appearance obsessed, but that's not really the case. This is only one part of me. I just REALLY want to help people learn from my mistakes. I have nothing but noble intentions.
P.P.P.S : For all you guys and girls whose faces do bear the marks of sun damage, do the young ones a favor. Tell them the sun will damage their skins. Don't you wish somebody had told you. And, don't worry. Technology to fix sun damage keeps getting cheaper. We'll be able to fix it all in the very near future.

[the_dude]

I'll be honest Wang, I cant tell if this outrageously large thread that you continue to propagate is serious or an extremely drawn out joke. I find it completely impossible for someone to devote this much time to something so superficial as wrinkles. Surely your neurosis can be directed towards the pesticides/fungicide problem, or on safe vehicle operation, or even the maximum allowable % of deet you can apply without putting your body in danger, or the 100 or so other issues which need more attention then this.

and maybe, if you still feel that wrinkles are THE issue, maybe letting people in Phoenix, LA, and Calgary (all cities that get a lot of sunlight year round) deal with your suggestions, as opposed to a tree-planters forum. I'm all for safety and health consciousness, but come on, even someone concerned with wrinkles must find this much effort unnecessary. It's essentially a very trivial topic, and is so because everyone who works in the bush kinda tacitly agrees to some damage, be it scars, wrinkles whatever. Also, does everything you write have to be larger then my biggest research paper?

please keep your answer to this succinct.

[Pontius Pilatus]

Wang man, this neurotic behavior of yours will be a source of more problems than you think you are fixing, calm down. It's really too bad that you are ashamed of your own face.

If something, like the_dude just said, use this energy to look into the effects of DEET or fungicides/pesticides.

[Scooter]

He is definitely serious.

I don't know, I think it's a decent topic. Nobody else has really written about it. It's not like there are a ton of other threads about this, so if you don't care about the sun, you can just not read the thread.

I do agree that we need more threads about other dangers/hazards that planters face though.

[Pontius Pilatus]

It's not really about the sun.

I just think we underestimate, by far, the effects of neurosis and shame.

But yeah, I'm waiting for planting season, hate my current job, so maybe I'm just wasting time here.

[Pontius Pilatus]

In respect to the topic though, I think it would be interesting to keep an eye out on the effects of certain of these chemicals in sunscreens.

Like titanium dioxide. Yeah, it's the natural form of titanium, but, according to some, there seems to be some issues with nano-sized/ultra thin titanium particles, which don't occur naturally. These are neat because they are transparent, so, great for sunscreens. But that's beside the point, nano sized or not, just because it's natural doesn't mean much. Oxygen is natural, and even absolutely necessary to our survival, but breathing air too highly concentrated in it is totally toxic. In fact, it pretty much is what will kill a lot of us (oxidization of the body.) But being fueled by oxygen, we have mechanisms/abilities to put up with it. I don't, however, see any precedent to make me trust smearing titanium dioxide all over my skin.

Look, I obey certain principles like "because I'm thirsty I drink water" and the such, but we aren't in any position to equate putting on sunscreen to drinking water.

I don't know though, sometimes I'm not really into science.

[Scooter]

I just think we underestimate, by far, the effects of neurosis and shame.

God damn boy, you've hit it!

THAT's why I don't have wrinkles yet, after 20 years of planting! It's because whenever I get the rum into me, I have no shame!

That, plus I think it kind of pickles me, like an Egyptian mummy.

[newb]

...

[Tupperfan]

Dude, the guy is 30, and he just wants to get laid. Stress kills, lets not kick him while hes down...

Dear Wang, the more seeds your plant, the more will grow. But you gotta wait till the plant seeds grow before you f&ck the plant...

Dude.

No matter what's your position, this thread is getting pretty ridiculous...

[DJ Wang]

Sorry for reviving this old thread.
Last post here. Promise.
And feel free to flame me all you want.

Moisturizing Hands After Planting

I recommend moisturizing your hands at the end of the day after you return to camp.

My favorite cream is :
Yes To Carrots Hand Cream

Any cream with ingredients like

Shea Butter
Vitamin E
Glycerin
Aloe Vera
Olive Oil

will be great for your hands as it will help restore the skin's moisture barrier,
and it just feels really nice. : )

I have a case of old man's hands now which I regret.
I do not regret having gone planting.
I'm happy I went.
I learned a lot.
I regret not having moisturized my hands at the end of the planting day so they could have stayed looking nice.

Oh, and I also recommend wearing gardener's gloves.
My old Foreman (Hey P!) recommended this to me and one of the reasons he gave was to protect the hands so they stayed looking decent.
Gloves protect from the sun's rays and they also protect from abrasion from dirt and rocks in the Earth.

=====

Ok.
You can start flaming me now.

Yes. I am very preoccupied with my appearance.
Yes. Getting laid would be nice.
No. I am not gay (although being so is fine with me)
Yes. I am almost 30 and still think like a 20 year old or younger.

Love me or Hate me friends,
all I wanted to do here was help.
And Bottom Line :
If You Don't Protect Yourself From The Sun, You Will Get Early Wrinkles And Seriously Increase Your Chance Of Skin Cancer.
Sorry to be so blunt,
but I can't change Gravity, or the fact that Earth revolves around the sun, or the fact that the sun is harsh on skin.
All I can do is pass on what I know from reading and personal experience.

Man. I'm saddened that my wanting to help has evoked so much ill will.

...well...I have to admit, I can be rather preachy.
I've been told numerous times I'd make a good Priest.
But, despite appearances, I like girls too much to become a Priest (though I do admire the quest for kindness and brotherly love they are on).

I'm also a Sagittarius and I have the sign's distinct lack of tact or ability to hold back.
My apologies for being very profuse, but I don't like holding back either.

====

Well.
There's my last post on this thread.
Promise.

Take Care Everyone!
Good Luck On Your Planting Adventure!
You All Rock! (even you guys who flamed me. truth is, I can be too much. it's just who i am.)

David.

[The_Bearslayer]

The Bearslayer dispenses the following observations for the edification of all:

We just think it's a bit odd for someone to be so concerned with the appearance of their skin. Being comfortable enough to not give much of a shit is a better goal. If your reflection on two years of planting is, it was great but if I could do it over again I would have moisturized, then you might want to give your head a shake.

[TheHamsterizer]

There's my last post on this thread.
Promise.

Thank god that's over. Blablabla, I'm like this, I'm like that, it's the way I am, me me me. What is this thread even about anyways?

[gilkie]

Well, I can't say I have any idea what this thread is really about, but I for one would like to advocate FOR premature wrinkles. Bake in the sun with no protection, smoke like a chimney to aid the process. I for one think many will look way better with some wrinkles piled on. Seen Sean Connery lately? The guy's a stud. He's so wrinkly (studly) he got to stare at Catherine Zeta's tooshie for two hours in a movie about avoiding red laser beams! How about Clint Eastwood? The man epitomizes badass. Here's a guy who successfully launched himself to stardom by following the one simple step of staring into a bright light for long hours at a time to increase eye wrinkles AND squintiness, thus creating 'mysteriously cool badass look'. The guy is a hundred for pete's sake and I'm sure the lady's are still banging down his door. You think that if Horse Face (aka Hilary Swank) hadn't lost her arms and legs in that movie about girl's gone wild in the boxing ring shouldn't wouldn't have jumped his bones by the end of the movie?

Come on, let's be serious people... of course she would've.

[Mr. Amazing]

This is a bit unrelated, but fuck it, this whole thread is unrelated...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLDbGqJ2KYk

[mblackfly]

I didn't read it all, sunscreen is for lowballers. real planters plant naked

[Coaster]

This whole thread is kinda pathetic so I must be there too just for posting - but whatever. Being so concerned about looks is only gonna hurt now or later. Now is the time to let go of that attachment. I've heard all of these reasons why wrinkles lurk for all of us. But really lets face it, the deck was dealt before you had any control, it's mostly in the genes. You're stuck with yourself for the foreseeable future. Positive thoughts bring positive results, negative thoughts...

[jdtesluk]

Pathetic thread my ass. This thread yielded us this absolutely priceless piece of worldly observation from Gilkie. I think this very well might be the single greatest thing I have ever read on this site.

Well, I can't say I have any idea what this thread is really about, but I for one would like to advocate FOR premature wrinkles. Bake in the sun with no protection, smoke like a chimney to aid the process. I for one think many will look way better with some wrinkles piled on. Seen Sean Connery lately? The guy's a stud. He's so wrinkly (studly) he got to stare at Catherine Zeta's tooshie for two hours in a movie about avoiding red laser beams! How about Clint Eastwood? The man epitomizes badass. Here's a guy who successfully launched himself to stardom by following the one simple step of staring into a bright light for long hours at a time to increase eye wrinkles AND squintiness, thus creating 'mysteriously cool badass look'. The guy is a hundred for pete's sake and I'm sure the lady's are still banging down his door. You think that if Horse Face (aka Hilary Swank) hadn't lost her arms and legs in that movie about girl's gone wild in the boxing ring shouldn't wouldn't have jumped his bones by the end of the movie?

Come on, let's be serious people... of course she would've.

[Scooter]

David, it's December 16th, 2009. Happy 30th birthday.

Don't let those wrinkles or the crusty old vets get you down.

- Scooter