How The Sun Affects Your Skin

by Dina Mills

Many people believe that the sun is a great contributor to ensuring good skin, but always be wary that the role of the sun in skin care can only be limited in ways that it actually can do more harm than good when one is not guided accordingly.

Vitamin D from the sun is a good idea for many, but it can only be left to that since we all know that we actually need to safeguard our skin from the sun's harmful rays, especially from prolonged ultraviolet radiation.

Below are great tips to make good use of sun exposure and avoid the risks of getting an excessive amount of of it.

Always try to wear sunscreen formulated with a sun protection factor (SPF) of no less than 15, regardless if the weather is cloudy or not wanting to spend a lot of time outdoors, since this will help keep your body filter out ultraviolet rays that can be reflected on the earth's surface.

Be sure to also reapply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours if you plan to go swimming or get involved in sports activities. Same goes even for sunscreen that is labeled waterproof. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Also look for sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, especially those labeled with "broad spectrum protection" or UVA protection for formulation with an SPF of 15 or greater.

Select a sunscreen that is labeled "nonacnegenic" or "noncomedogenic" to help keep pores clear and also prevents the skin from having pimples or acne.

If possible, stay away from the sun between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, which are the times of the day when the sun happens to be the hottest.

If staying indoors is unavoidable during these times, make sure to reapply sunscreen frequently and take indoor breaks every so often if you can.

One good tip in knowing when it is safer to be under the sun is when your shadow is longer than you are tall, but continue to wear sunscreen just to be safe.

Take note to apply more sunscreen with higher SPF when around reflective surfaces like ice, snow or water, since it intensifies the heat, as well as the ultraviolet radiation of the sun.

Some medications, like prescription acne skin care treatments or birth control pills can increase a person's sensitivity to the sun, so make sure to ask your doctor if you are taking any or both of these treatments, as well as increasing the SPF of the sunscreen to use when exposed to the sun.

If you want the glow of a tan, try to fake it with self-tanners or salon tanning treatments to avoid the risk of getting harmful ultraviolet radiation. You may also want to avoid tanning beds, although manufacturers claim that tanning beds are free of UVB rays, they still use ultraviolet radiation that could also be harmful to the skin.

Never ever consider applying sunscreen on your exposed skin to be wasteful, since the cost of getting skin disease costs much more than several tubes of sunscreen.

Always be sure to give consideration to children and do not hesitate to apply sunscreen on them, even double the frequency as you do on yourself. Children have more sensitive skin than adults and need it more than we do.

To avoid the risk of getting over exposed you may resort to going on a healthy diet that includes vitamin supplements, especially vitamin D and can be sourced from foods like dairy products, fish, oysters or fortified cereals.

Lastly, ensure that you always go to a dermatologist whenever you feel something wrong in your skin, since skin cancer is very treatable when discovered early.

So make the most of the information provided in this article and understand the role of the sun in skin care.

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