Finally! It’s summer! I don’t know about you, but this is my absolute favorite time of year. Backyard BBQ’s, amusement parks, beaches, swimming…..any way you look at it, it’s awesome to be outside. What we probably don’t think about though is what could be happening to our skin. For our skin, summer means extra contact with the sun, heat, and sweat. So how can we protect ourselves? Good question….I have some solutions.
- Sunscreen. Not that SPF 4 business either my friends! That will do you absolutely nothing. You might as well not bother. It is suggested to go with at least SPF 30. If you have fair skin, go even higher. (I’m a redhead. I go the highest I can.) Don’t be frugal with it either. Coat it on! Apply every 2-3 hours and after getting out of the water.
- Avoid sunburns. Did you know that if you’ve had 5 or more sunburns in the course of your life you are doubling your risk of sun cancer? Yikes. I unfortunately, would fall under this category.
- Try to limit being in the midday sun as much as you can. The sun’s rays are usually the strongest between 10 am and 4 pm. Try to stay in the shade if at all possible. If you are at the beach, get under an umbrella.
- Wear protective clothing. Putting on a light pair of pants or a long sleeved shirt could help against the sun’s harmful rays. If it’s just too hot, at least wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Sunglasses! Get glasses that provide 99-100% protection from UVA and UVB rays. This will significantly reduce the sun exposure to your eyes helping to ward off cataracts or other damage to the eye. Check the label though! Not all sunglasses offer this protection.
(Ethan being a goof!!)
- Watch the UV index. Most news stations will provide this important information during the weather broadcast. Plan your outdoor activities around this.
Don’t forget to join my Facebook community!
Have a great weekend!
~Nikki
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/2534753748/">chrisjohnbeckett</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photo pin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/piper/1128331191/">CaptPiper</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photo pin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisgold/3695278284/">ChrisGoldNY</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photo pin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
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