trumpet blower88

I have a problem.

After one weekend of DCI audition camps, my lips are all sunburned, chaped, scabbing, and bleeding. I didn't have this problem the last 2 years I marched, and I don't know why, but now after only 2 days my lips are the worst they've ever been.

The problem is that I can't put chap-stick or chop-saver on thoughout the day, because thoughout the day I'll be playing, and I can't play when my lips are covered in chap-stick. I can put it on during our lunch break, and at times when I know we'll be doing marching basics for a while, but thats not good enough.

Does anyone know of any 24-hour protection that I can put on everynight and I'll be alright for the next day without worrying about putting more stuff on?

And does anyone know of any quick-fix stuff I can get to fix my lips before my college juries on Monday?

Derek Reaban

David,

I discovered the same thing that you did about the sun in California the first time that I went there for a drum corps tour. After months of rehearsal and preparation in the Arizona sun (and I had a great tan at the time), when we went to California for the first time, I got a terrible sunburn. I did everything exactly the same that I had been doing in Arizona (rehearsing for hours a day with no shirt and no hat), but something is just different about sun over there.

I’m sure many will chime in with putting Vitamin E on your chops in the evening, but the real lesson to be learned here is to protect yourself if you are going to be marching with SCV this season. Get a wide brimmed hat for rehearsals. Look into getting a “sun shirt”. We purchased these for my boys last summer and it saves the trouble of putting on sun screen every time we go out to the pool. I think we got ours from Lands End.

Learn from this situation that you are going through right now, because it will happen to you every time you go over for a weekend camp if you don’t take the appropriate precautions! And yes, it took me several summers of consecutive sun burns when we got on the bus to California each year before I learned my lesson!

Order your “CA duds” NOW!


Good luck healing quickly!

Lawler Bb

Try a product from Eucerin called Aquaphor. It does wonders for repair and healing for your chops. I use it overnight when I get chapped or have a heavy day of playing. It does not have an SPF rating and I wouldn't use it within an hour of playing, as it does take a while to "absorb" so to speak.