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How to Protect Your Skin From the Sun

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A lot of people believe the misconception that they can only damage their skin on sunny days. The truth is, ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can still cause problems even on cloudy days. Do you spend much of your time outdoors each day? If so, you should ensure that you’ve got adequate sun protection for your skin. Otherwise, you could face issues such as the effects of premature ageing or, worse, melanoma (skin cancer). Here are some practical steps you can take to protect your skin from the sun:

Protect Your Skin From the Sun
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Apply Some Sunscreen to Your Skin

One of the most straightforward actions you can take is to apply some sunscreen to your skin. It’s something you should do even on a cloudy day! You’ve undoubtedly seen there are many different sunscreen products you can buy. Which is the best one to choose?

Here are some helpful tips:

  • Choose a product with “broad spectrum” protection, such as the Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF 50 from Zo Skin Health. The term “broad spectrum” means it protects against UVA and UVB rays;
  • Choose a product with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30 or more SPF 30 sunscreens filter out 97% of UVB rays, whereas SPF 50 offers 98%, and SPF 100 is 99%;
  • Reapply sunscreen to your skin every two hours or sooner if you’re going swimming or are sweating a lot.

Limit Your Sun Exposure

Going outside and getting an all-over natural tan is excellent for achieving a bronze complexion. But, over-exposure to the sun is a bad idea for the reasons stated at the beginning of this page.

The sun’s rays are usually most intense between 10 am and 4 pm, so you could perhaps compromise by avoiding exposure between 12 pm and 2 pm.

One thing you could do is practice the “shadow rule”; this is where if your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are at their most intense.

Accessorise

You can help protect the skin on your face and head by wearing a hat outdoors, especially when the sun’s rays are at their strongest. Wearing a hat will help shade your head, face, neck, and ears.

It also makes sense to wear some sunglasses. Be sure to buy ones that offer 99% to 100% UV absorption to provide optimal eye and skin protection. Fortunately, you’ve got an almost limitless choice of such sunglasses that also look great!

Check Your Medicine for Side Effects

Did you know that some medicines can make your skin highly sensitive to the sun’s rays? These are usually antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, and chemotherapy treatments. The medication you take should usually come with information on side effects.

If you’re unsure whether the medicine you take could make you more prone to skin damage from the sun, talk to your GP about your concerns. Alternatively, you could do some research online and download the side effects information from the medicine’s manufacturer.

Thanks for reading this article; hopefully, you’ve found it helpful!

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