Escape From The Sun Scare

Kyra says she is going out this summer outdoors to have fun in the sun, play some volleyball with her friends and relax with nice cold drinks – all thanks to Lakme sun expert.

How would I live it up this summer? I am trying to live it up not only this summer but every season of the past few years playing the game of survival in the sun, rain and wind. As a kid, I had no fear of sun or moon, and loved the outdoors. Later on as I grew up, there were restrictions as to my activities outdoors and I did not get to venture out in sun much. Yet there was no fear or threat of the yellow ball in the sky harming me in any way. It was only after going through cancer and chemotherapy for treatment that I realized how harsh the sun can be.

How would Kyra feel venturing out in sun with a total bald head and skin oversensitive to sun rays? Hmmm … just like I felt 16 years ago. It was really awful going out in sun with a bald head, and a skin so sensitive that it would turn something similar to brinjal with spots in half an hour out in sun. There was burning sensations everywhere the sunrays touched me. All those magic creams that turned girls into airhostesses, brought marriage proposals, made them successful professionals, and won the lovely glances and attention from their hubbies failed even to provide me with basic protections. They made me go through the torture of side effects of chemo and sun combined together and made turn into some kind of a weird creature with spotted skin, lips, and spotted bald head. Doctors told me that spots were not a common and regular feature among the side effects of chemotherapy but they could not rule it out. They said the exposure to sun added fuel to it.

I kind of became invalid person during the days, venturing out for my work only in the evening. But there were things that would not wait for the sun to go down and it was then that I had to bear the sun’s burn. With my curtailed activities I started to gain weight, became lazy and gave reasons for not doing work.

Finally I got tired of my weird look and lifestyle and visited a dermatologist for suggestions. He explained to me that I did not need any kind of fairness or vanishing creams but actual protection from sun. He suggested some medicines that would provide me sun protection with high SPF and explained the unhealthy effects of ultra violet rays on human skin. I had no idea about these matters back then. He told me to keep away from all those fairness and vanishing creams and gave me some medicine that would lighten my spots. He also mentioned if I did not expose my skin to harsh sun rays for a few weeks then the spots would fade away. I came back home a much wiser person.

During and for a few years after my cancer treatment, my umbrella became an inseparable companion in my every venture. The spots did not go away completely but they lightened up and also there was no more new spots and burning of my skin. But the umbrella was a big trouble too, though the trouble was negligible when compared to the side effects of sun’s harsh rays. Managing the umbrella and carrying Farheena for her physiotherapy was a kind of balancing act, and so was carrying the shopping bags. Another problem arose when I had to travel as a back rider of my brother’s bike. I wished so much that I could put an umbrella like cover over the sun itself so that I could have my freedom back.

If the Lakme sun expert could hold the umbrella for the sun, then I would gain my freedom to shop, enjoy the beach, run around with my kids freely, have and fun and enjoy my life. I would be alive instead of struggling to survive most of the time hidden under an umbrella. I would love to run around freely and for sure overtake Kyra in having fun outdoors in the hot sun when all it did was to burn my accumulated fat instead of my sensitive skin.

This blog is a part of I LOVE LAKME, The Lakmé Diva Blogger Contest
 organized by Indiblogger ..........
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