Protect yourself from sun damage

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It's easy to properly protect yourself from the sun. You can prevent serious damage by simply using sunscreen and wearing sunglasses.




Forms of Sun Damage to the Skin
Sunburn
Tans
Freckles
Sun spots
Dilated blood vessels
Skin aging
Skin cancer

How Sun Harms Eyes
Snowblindness
Cataracts
Retinal damage

The most delayed effects from sun exposure are skin aging and skin cancer. With skin aging the skin eventually becomes very leathery, bumpy, and extremely wrinkled.

Use Extra Caution
  • Sun's rays are strongest from 10 AM to 3 PM
  • Higher altitudes and locations near the equator contain more UV rays 
  • Avoid tanning beds; they damage skin just as much as sun exposure 
  • People can get sunburn when it's cloudy 
  • Snow and water reflect up to 90 percent of the sun's rays back at people. Use extra protection by reapplying sunscreen more often (at least once every hour if swimming).
Sunscreen Tips
  • Use waterproof SPF 30 sunscreens or sunblocks. Higher SPF numbers offer little to no extra protection.
  • Adding SPF 15 and SPF 20 does NOT give you more protection. With any sunscreen or sunblock you are only getting the amount of protection listed on the bottle. 
  • Ensure sunscreen contains protection from both UVA and UVB rays 
  • Apply sunscreen at least 30-60 minutes before exposure so your skin has time to absorb it 
  • Be very generous when applying sunscreen to all uncovered areas of skin; most people use too little 
  • Reapply plenty of sunscreen every two hours, every hour if doing water sports 
  • Sunscreens that have an oil or cream base also protect against windburn and frostbite
Sunscreen vs Sunblock
  • Sunscreens are composed of chemicals that absorb UV rays before they damage skin
  • Sunblocks physically block the sun immediately, and can be applied right before going outside since they sit on top of the skin (instead of being absorbed into the skin like sunscreens) 
  • Physical sunblocks contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide 
  • Chemical sunscreens contain various chemicals which could include avobenzone, benzophenone (aka oxybenzone), dioxybenzone, homosalate, menthyl anthranilate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate (aka octinoxate), and octyl salicylate (aka octisalate)
  • Quickly review the list of active ingredients when purchasing sunscreen or sunblock. Manufacturers do NOT always use the terms correctly. To make this simple memorize (or make a note of) the two most common ingredients found in sunblocks if you want a true sunblock.
Other Information
  • Wear SPF 15 lip balm and reapply often
  • UVA rays burn top layers of skin 
  • UVB rays penetrate into deeper layers of skin and cause faster aging 
  • In windy conditions reapply sunscreen every hour 
  • Wear a hat along with sunglasses that block UV rays 
  • Protective clothing also aids in preventing sun damage. Fabrics with a tight weave (such as denim) offer more protection than loosely woven fabrics. 
  • Snowblindness happens when people do not protect their eyes (occurs especially when skiing/boarding at high altitudes). The sun's rays reflect off billions of tiny ice crystals and can cause blindness that could last for days. 
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