Summer: known for late nights, good times and, of course, high temperatures. Though the actual start of summer is still a good month away, the brutal heat so characteristic of the summer months has been making appearances across the country as early as weeks ago in the beginning of May. With high temperatures often come trips to the beach—for those of us fortune enough to live close to a beach, that is.

Many people go to the beach with intentions of cooling off, going for a swim, relaxing, and simply just having fun. If you’re anything like me, you like to get your tan on and you never consider a beach trip a success unless you leave at least a shade darker and with the tan lines to prove it. If you’re like me, you can also admit to going a bit too far sometimes to get that bronze-y glow you crave. I openly admit to being “tanorexic”, a phrase I’ve created describing my constant desire to be tanner and my distorted self-image of never being tan enough. I know that there are plenty of other girls, and guys too, out there like me who crave a little bit too much sunshine.

I think a good majority of the problem I, and other tanorexics, have is the fact that we don’t recognize the severity of the potential consequences of our tanning ventures. We see sunscreen as the enemy, keeping us pale, instead of as a necessary tool, keeping us safe by fighting off harmful UV rays. Just last week I spent a day at the beach and deemed one layer of SPF 30 appropriate for my body’s first full exposure to the sun since the previous summer. No reapplication, no time in the shade. All my thoughts focused on how tan I was going to get that day. Clearly a mistake. Here I sit, my chest and the backs of my legs in pain, as I have many a time before and I’m starting to realize it might not be worth it.

I always considered myself someone who practiced excellent hygiene, specifically good skin care: washing my face regularly, moisturizing often, and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. But here I’ve been ignoring a very important part of the equation for a quarter of the year. I always joke with my friends and family that it’s not a matter of “if” I’m going to get skin cancer, but a matter of “when”. As I get older though, I’m starting to understand the magnitude my simple choice of skipping the sunblock has in the long term.

Despite the long way I have to go to get myself in the correct skincare mindset, I have always believed and still do believe that the best tans are all natural and I can truthfully say I have never set foot in a tanning bed or salon, nor have I used artificial tanning methods such as lotions or sprays that weren’t for occasional competitive dance purposes. However, that doesn’t excuse my poor sun protection regiment thus far. That’s why I vow to try to take better care of my skin this summer, applying sunscreen more regularly in addition to my other seasonal skin habits. It’ll definitely be a challenge, but who doesn’t like a good challenge?