After a chilly winter, many people look forward to spring and summer. Long days enjoying the sun can diminish the winter blues. However, along with days in the sun comes the dangerous potential of the sun’s rays. Therefore, it is important to protect yourself in order to prevent sun damage.
Why Is It Necessary?
You may ask yourself: why do I need to protect myself against the sun? Doesn’t it provide necessary vitamin D and other useful benefits?
Yes, the sun does provide elements that are essential for our health. However, too much exposure to the sun can damage your skin. In fact, it only takes about 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to cause damage to your skin. Not only can this lead to aesthetic issues, but you can also develop cancers.
Photodamage or photoaging is the effect that the sun has on your skin. For example, exposure to the sun without proper protection can cause premature aging, such as brown spots or wrinkles. Additionally, you can get a sunburn. The effects of a sunburn can range from mild discomfort to sun poisoning. A severe sunburn can land you in the hospital.
Finally, unprotected sun exposure over several years can increase the likelihood of developing potentially dangerous skin cancers.
How Can I Protect My Skin?
There are several different ways and methods that you can use to protect yourself against the sun.
Sunscreen
A good sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect yourself from sun damage. You should wear sunscreen every day, especially if you spend any time outdoors. When wearing sunscreen, you should wear one that is a broad spectrum that protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB radiation. In addition, it is important to wear a sunscreen that has an SPF rating of 30 or higher.
Even if you don’t spend every day at the beach, you should wear sunscreen daily. Most dermatologists will recommend wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen even if you don’t venture outside.
If you do go to the beach, be sure to apply your sunscreen at least 15 minutes before sun exposure. This is to ensure that the sunscreen has soaked into your skin, efficiently protecting you from the sun. Additionally, your sunscreen should be sweat or water-resistant. If you go swimming, you should reapply sunscreen every two hours. This is because sunscreen will wash off or sweat off with intense activity.
In addition, you should be aware of the reflective qualities of the water and sand. These can increase the chance of sun damage because of the way they reflect the sun.
Cover Up
Another way you can protect your skin is to cover up as much as possible. Wearing long-sleeved shirts or pants can prevent the sun from causing damage to your skin. If you wear dark clothing, it can reflect much of the sun’s damaging rays from your body. To protect your face, you can wear large sun hats or brimmed hats that cover your face and neck. Additionally, you should wear sunglasses that have UV absorption to protect your eyes and the delicate surrounding skin.