I feel your pain. About five years ago I went for a bike ride. Forgot my sunscreen on my legs. I got a major burn between my shorts end and my knee starts. To this day, I can still see the red line from that mistake.

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Scott McNamee
Cranks Bicycle Shoppe

I have a thigh tan line from IM CdA last year and a sports bra one from 2007. Not cool.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

My worst story about this is when I first moved to Arizona and lounged by the pool, burned a necklace outline into my upper chest. It lasted for 2 years. I don't live there any more and haven't experienced that since... although by the end of the summer I do have the bike shorts line...and the swimsuit lines.

I am pretty good about putting sunscreen on, especially out on long rides or runs, but I have a 'tatoo' on my lower back from the gap between my jersey and shorts. I now put sunscreen there if I am wearing those shorts (lower cut...kind of annoying). This happened about a year and a half ago and is still just as obvious as ever. It looks great when you're wearing a bikini. I also always seem to have the tan lines on my arms from the jersey, no matter how much sunscreen I use.

I definitely have the bike short/jersey gap tramp stamp... its very awkward. After just getting rid of my swimsuit lines from being a lifeguard 3 years back, I now have permanent bike short/jersey lines too. I can't wait for my sisters wedding photos in August - I'll be in a halter top dress, tan from my shoulders down, around my neck where I leave my jerseys open, and to halfway up my face where I'll have the helmet line and sunglass tan. Sexy.

I have one on my lower back and on my left leg. It's frustrating....

Jodi

I am severely tempted to hit the tanning bed with arm warmers an leg warmers on just to get rid of the tan lines.

BTW-We are sexy because we get out there and do. You get less of the "OMG" looks here in Fort Collins, but where I grew up (N KY/Cincy), they pretty much laughed at your tan lines. THose who laughed were mostly obese smokers, so I wasn't too offended. ;)

No matter how much sunscreen I put on my face, I get a tan line from my swim cap. I keep pushing the swim cap up to my hair line every time I think about it, but it just slides back down. It's pretty much year round here too. It's especially obvious right after swimming, so my afternoon meetings I get funny looks after a lunch time masters swim.

PS - I'm envious that yours slide back down after you push them up! My caps, if not the first couple of times wearing them, have a tendency to want to pop off the back of my head and wind up all scrunchy. Not a big deal as we're not swimming outside yet, and I haven't ever run into the "cap line" that I remember (even when a little kid swimmer). I do have the helmet/glasses line permanently though...and a bunch of criss-crossy x's on my back from a training tank top...and the little "gap" line b/w shorts and jersey as well....

Currently sporting 3 different lines on my legs - the shorts, the shorter shorts, the knee warmers and the socks...started working on the flip-flop lines this weekend too....I'm a wreck by late summer even though I try to be pretty diligent with the sunscreen as well.....

I think, from years of NOT being diligent and being a beach/boat/swimmer baby when I was little, that I've got some damage on my cheeks just below the sunglasses lines. They kinda look like freckly spots, just a little off-color. Anyone have any experience with that and how freaked out should I be? They've just shown up over the past couple of years and aren't really changing or getting worse or even that noticeable if I'm not wearing makeup. Just was curious...you're all probably going to say, Go to the Derm and get them removed stat?

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AW

About the spots - I'd have the checked for sure, but I have similar on my cheeks and the backs of my shoulders & it was just general 'sun damage' per my derm. She didn't seem concerned.

btw - I now wear very heavy duty sunscreen on my face every day plus use Vit C serum, and have noticed a big improvement in the discoloration.

Go get a spray on tan a few days before the wedding. Hopefully they will be able to even you out a bit!

haha, I just mentioned it to my extra-girly sister... and she is already checking out places that do the spray tan by hand, and if they have experience evening out lines... You would never guess we are from the same gene pool.. haha

I think, from years of NOT being diligent and being a beach/boat/swimmer baby when I was little, that I've got some damage on my cheeks just below the sunglasses lines. They kinda look like freckly spots, just a little off-color. Anyone have any experience with that and how freaked out should I be? They've just shown up over the past couple of years and aren't really changing or getting worse or even that noticeable if I'm not wearing makeup. Just was curious...you're all probably going to say, Go to the Derm and get them removed stat?
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I would get them looked at. My dad was a farm boy and had a bad battle with skin cancer when I was 10-12 years old. He has survived, but it raised the awareness in our family big time. I was raised in the pool too and with my mother's insistences I had a mole removed when I was 21 years old. I thought at that time, "lady you are crazy." Came back pre-cancerous so we had to take more out around the initial cut. Needless to say it scared the crap out of me and now as a father of 2 kids of my own, it's sunscreen central as we still spend a lot of time in the water/outside.

My lesson was to go to a doctor earlier rather than later. My doctor takes pictures of my moles now once every year or two and he keeps them on file for review. My father now has to wear longsleeve shirts and full length pants year round... that sucks, it gets hot in Kansas.

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In a year from now, you'll wish you would've started today.