Sun Safety Tips to Live By
Winter might seem like a funny time to be thinking about sun safety, but the truth is the sun’s rays keep shining down on us everyday, no matter what time of the year it is. During winter, if you live somewhere where it snows, all the white everywhere actually creates more reflective surfaces that bounce light onto you from every direction - making sun exposure actually increase! The sun’s rays can cause serious damage to our skin. They can expose us to excess radiation that results in sun spots and skin damage over the years. Incorporating sun safety into everything you do should be a daily thing, not just for days at the beach. Here are a few essential sun safety tips to incorporate into your day to day for the ultimate sun protection.
Why is Sun Exposure Bad for Your Skin?
Sun damage (also referred to as photo damage) of the skin can be acute like a sunburn, or chronic, like the gradual changes of the skin caused by accumulated sun exposure throughout your life.
Chronic photo damage can cause cosmetic changes in the skin's appearance, such as fine and coarse wrinkle. It can also cause changes that signal medical and health concerns like pre-cancerous lesions. Sun exposure can also create freckles, discolored areas of the skin and other discolorations. Evidence supports the idea that ultraviolet light causes premature signs of aging skin.
Wear Clothes That Offer UV 50+ Protection
Did you know that there are clothes and fabrics that offer UV protection? Wearing regular long sleeves already helps, but there are companies investing in SPF protected fabrics to make their clothes. Companies like Pineapple Clothing carry activewear that has built-in UV 50+ protection. Imagine wearing your favorite workout leggings + a matching crop top and knowing that the outfit you’re wearing isn’t just comfortable, flexible and durable; it’s also protecting you from the sun’s UV rays. Incorporating as much protection into your everyday wear will help keep your skin healthy and shielded from all that sun damage. The best part is, you won’t need to take as many extra steps; you’ll be doubling up on functionality with cute activewear and daily wear that happens to also offer the right amount of protection. This way you won’t have to worry about going out of your way, you’re going to need to get dressed for the day anyway, why not integrate sun protection into that, too?
Wear Sunglasses and Hats
One of the easiest ways to keep yourself shielded from the sun is wearing hats and sunglasses. Beyond your skin, these 2 things actually help protect your eyes from the UV rays as well. UV rays can cause damage to the corneas, affecting your vision over time. If you’re out and about, driving, walking, biking or hiking, make sure you’re wearing a hat and sunglasses to limit the direct sunlight your eyes get exposed to. Hats also help shield your entire face and part of your neck from the aging effects of the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Wear Sunscreen
Wearing a layer of sunscreen, at least 30 spf, should be part of your daily skincare routine. The sun’s rays even reach indoors, especially if you have white surfaces in your home and if you keep the windows open, so it’s important to apply a layer of sunscreen even if you’ll be staying indoors most of the day. If you’re going swimming or expect to sweat, make sure you use water resistant spf’s so they won’t just wash off. You can apply a layer under your makeup or you can invest in moisturizers, tinted moisturizers and bb creams, or foundations that have SPF infused into them. Be sure to spread the spf all through your neck, collarbone and chest region as well as your hands, as both of these areas tend to have thinner skin and are some of the first areas to start showing signs of aging.
