7 Smart Ways to Protect Yourself From The Sun
Wear Sunscreen
Being told to wear sunscreen is nothing new, but surprising many people still don?t do it. If they do, people have a tendency to apply sunscreen only once throughout the day despite continuous exposure from the sun. While the effort can be commended, it is not enough. Applying sunscreen lotion to your face and body should be done every two hours if you are going to be outdoors for long periods of time. Plus, it should be applied to your back, behind your neck, ears, hands and feet if you are wearing open toed shoes. And, don?t forget your lips! Buy a lip balm with sunscreen protection and apply it on your lips throughout the day as well.
Your sunscreen should have Sunscreen Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. The higher the SPF sunscreen, the more protection you will get from sunburns. Also, your sunscreen lotion should be labeled or classified as ?broad spectrum? which means you are being protected both from the suns? UVA and UVB rays. Most sunscreens only give you protection from the sun?s UVB rays and not UVA rays. Get into the habit of applying sunscreen throughout the day by carrying a bottle in your bag or keeping a bottle in your desk drawer or locker at work/school.
Protective Clothing
Wearing protective clothing is really quite simple. All you have to do is make sure you wear clothing that covers up any exposed skin. Of course you can actually buy ?sun protective clothing? specifically designed to block out the sun, but honestly, it is not realistic or practical to buy for an entire wardrobe. You can however wear long sleeve shirts, long skirts, pants, sun sleeves and hats to shield yourself from sunlight. While you are at it, wear UV protective sunglasses to help protect your eyes from UV radiation.
Hats
Although hats fall under protective clothing, you don?t have to wear a hat like you have to wear a top (like a shirt) and a bottom (like pants) when you go outside. However, everyone should wear hat, especially wide brim hats, for sun protection. With all sorts of sun hats like a canvas, straw, boney, golf, bucket, boating or poolside, there should be no excuse about not finding the right hat to go with one of your outfits if you are style conscious. If you wear a baseball cap, it?s better than nothing.� Still, try to invest in a wide brim hat that offers more sun protection to shade your face and ears if possible.
Parasol or Sun Umbrellas
The main difference between a parasol and an umbrella is that parasols give you protection from the sun whereas umbrellas give you protection from the rain. Either way, they are great to use to shade yourself from sunlight. Besides, for many women, using a parasol or umbrella is a nice alternative to wearing hats if messing up a hairstyle is a huge concern.
Stay in the Shade
If you plan on being outdoors for long periods of time like at a picnic, the beach, the park or your backyard for a BBQ, try seeking shade whenever possible. Hopefully there will be a huge, leafy tree nearby or some shade created by a patio umbrella or building. If not, then create your own shading defense. Once more, wear a large brim hat or use a parasol or sun umbrella for protection.
Avoid Tanning Outdoors and Tanning Beds
As I mentioned earlier, skin cancer is on the rise in women and this is mainly due to women tanning outdoors or at tanning salons. Don?t get me wrong, a year round tan looks great, but not at the expense of your health if it means you are putting yourself at risk of skin cancer. Tanning outdoors should be kept to a minimum or simply avoided all together. If you do decide to go tanning, be smart and wear a sunblock (to block the sun?s UVA and UVB rays from penetrating your skin) with a SPF of at least 45 or higher. A true sunblock will mainly contain zinc oxide and titanium oxide to give you the most protection from the sun. If you prefer to wear a sunscreen because it is less messy than a sunblock (sunscreens don?t protect you from the sun?s UVB rays), again wear a broad spectrum sunscreen that?s designed to guard you from both UVA and UVB rays.
As for tanning beds, just don?t do it. If a salon tells you that their tanning beds are safe, they are not being completely honest with you. Think about it for a moment. Do you really think it is safe to blast ultraviolet rays directly into your skin? Not to mention, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation website, melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancersare increased with frequent use of tanning beds. Ask yourself what?s more important, a great looking tan or your health?
Stay Indoors
To conclude, if you want complete and total protection from the sun, stay indoors. Obviously this is not practical and besides, a little bit of sun is actually good for you to help your body produce Vitamin D. However, for those that live in hot weathered climates for the majority of the year, this may be a viable option, especially for small children and the elderly where temperatures in the south and the southern hemisphere can rise to as high as 110�F or more. Therefore, heed all advisory warnings regarding warm weather and if possible, try staying indoors between the hours of 10AM and 3PM when the sun?s rays are the most dangerous.
Written by NisaB
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