A few years ago, Mary Schmich wrote a newspaper column in which she pretended to give a commencement address to a graduating class. It was a pretty cool column, and started getting distrubuted over the Internet, although at first people were saying that it was a real commencement address done by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Credit was eventually sorted out, and it even became a song that was popular for a short while.

Though the column was wide-ranging, there's one piece of advice that almost everyone remembered: wear sunscreen.

When I first shaved my head, I was quite pleased with the results, and often went about with my head completely uncovered. It's no surprise, then, that I managed to get a bad sunburn fairly soon. It's a painful experience, and the proper price to pay for not protecting my scalp. I was even foolish enough to try shaving a couple of days later. That was extremely painful, and the proper price to pay for not giving my scalp a chance to heal properly.

We really should wear sunscreen any time we're outdoors for more than a short period of time. This applies to everyone, of course, but us baldies need to pay special attention, since people often forget to put sunscreen on their heads. Once your head is burned, it's very visible.

The following links provide additional information about the proper use of sunscreen.

American Academy of Dermatology press release about the safe and effective use of sunscreen.

Protect yourself from the sun (American Academy of Dermatology).

Facts about sunscreens (American Academy of Dermatology).

Check and protect your skin (American Cancer Society)