My favorite season of the year is here! Summer brings beach days, barbecues, and increased time spent in the sun! This all sounds great, right?! Well, how many of you have ever felt personally victimized by the sun? (Let’s be friends if you caught that Mean Girls reference ?). If you don’t consistently prevent and protect your skin from the sun, you increase your chances of sunburn, leathery skin, dark spots, wrinkles, and skin cancer. The main question is how does someone protect his/her skin in the summer? Follow along to find out!
Please remember the following: Protecting your skin from the sun is the first step in preventing further skin damage!
- Don’t forget your SPF on days that it is sunny or cloudy. It is important to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Make sure the sunscreen says, “Broad Spectrum.” This just means protection against UVA and UVB rays.
- Try to choose an SPF of 30 or higher and don’t forget to check when the sunscreen expires. Please do not use expired sunscreen!
- If swimming or sweating, remember to reapply your SPF.
- Avoid the sun when the rays are the strongest. This is between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
- Sure, everyone loves their tan skin in the summer! But sunbathing is not a good idea! Exposing your skin to the sun for an extended period can be harmful, especially if not wearing correct sunscreen.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat!
- Protective clothing can also provide consistent coverage. Sun-shirts are great for this.
- Don’t forget to protect your eyes! Wear sunglasses when in the sun to protect the delicate skin around the eyes.
- Please forget about the tanning bed!! Indoor tanning beds can increase your risk of skin cancer. Try substituting for a self-tanner instead.
- Lastly, it is important to check your skin! If able, schedule a yearly skin exam with a dermatologist office.
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