Summer is here! Yes Chicago, finally! It’s my favorite time of the year especially for outdoor swimming! When the summer of 2015 rolled around I had completed my chemotherapy and had whisps of fuzz on my head. I was so tired and weak, and was trying to get ready for surgery. Before I had my double mastectomy, I was treated to a getaway, a little break from treatment. My husband and I traveled south to Kiawah Island, South Carolina to stay with my parents. My sister and her then boyfriend (now fiancé) joined us on the trip as well.

Growing up my sister and I lived in the sun, we were either at the pool or on the beach for most of our vacations. We were always told to put on sunblock and to “cover up,” but our skin absorbed the sun very easily. As I grew up, I became more aware of covering up, especially my face. Even before my diagnosis, I was starting to wear hats and apply lots of SPF 50!

About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 4.3 million cases of BCC are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. (skin cancer.org) Nothing can completely undo sun damage, although the skin can somewhat repair itself, especially with on-going sun protection. So, it's never too late to begin protecting yourself from the sun. (webmd.com)

After losing my hair and learning I would need to limit my exposure to sun while going through chemotherapy, I knew that I needed to continue my SPF regime. But what would I do for my bald head and skin? Should I put the SPF lotion on my head? Should I wear a baseball cap? I wasn’t sure about wearing a beach hat as I feared it would blow off, but also did they have SPF? Should I wear a wet suit? I did a lot of searching and came across the best items (for me)! Hope you like one or all of them!

Hats

Nammu Swimming Hat

Nammu Hats was established in 2008, with a clear mission and goal to provide comfortable, stylish and useful sun protection in the water to everyone. Fashioned like a trendy bandana, Nammu stays in place during any water activity. Nammu UV protective swimming bandanas was created originally for kids. However, it currently has customers all over the world varying from active water sports enthusiasts such as surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, to handsomely bald men and health aware parents. They are especially proud to be adopted by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), people with Cochlear Implants and chemotherapy patients all over the world. Their customers use Nammu hats not only for health reasons, but to boost their self confidence on the beach or at the pool.

For more information visit: https://www.nammuhats.com

Eric Javits Hat

The hat I have on in the below photo is available here. It is a broad-brim sun hat woven from airy, lightweight straw. It blocks 95% of UVA and UVB rays and has an elasticized inner band that fits most.

Packable Wide Bow Sunhat

This is the hat I have on below. It is available here. This one doesn’t have UVA and UVB blocking, but I liked that it was packable! My sister (the one next to me in the photo) has on another one of my hats that was a gift from friends. I wore this hat a lot too!

Swim Suits and Rashguards

I wore lots of sunscreen and tried to wear rash guards or swim suits with UPF. I liked wearing the rash guard to cover up my port too. The rash guard I found was from SeaFolly Rash (in photo above and below). I tried to find it to share, but they no longer have it available.