Overexposure to the sun’s UV rays can damage skin. This damage can show immediately, as in a sunburn or rash, or appear years later as premature wrinkling, sun spots, and skin cancer.
Sun safety is important year round. From a summer picnic or a trip to the beach, to a hike in the fall or a winter day skiing… the sun’s rays can damage your skin.
People that work outdoors need to take precautions, also.
Follow the guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sun protection safety. Reduce damage and preserve your skin!
Sun Safety
Seven Steps To Safer Sunning
Stay in the shade. Avoid the sun from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is when sunrays are strongest. Don’t be fooled by cloudy skies. Harmful rays pass through clouds.
Use sunscreen products on your skin. Products with sunscreens have an “SPF” number on the label. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. A higher number means it protects longer. Buy products with an SPF number of 15 or more. The Best Sunscreen is one whose label says: “broad spectrum,” meaning it protects against the two types of harmful sunrays. Also you can read about “where can fillers be used on face” here
Tips for Using Sunscreen Products:
Put a sunscreen of at least SPF 15 on your skin 15 to 30 minutes before going outside.
Rub the sunscreen evenly on all uncovered skin. Be sure to put it on your eyelids, lips, nose, ears, neck, hands, and feet. If you do not have much hair, put it on the top of your head.
Do not get a sunscreen in your eyes. It can sting!
Occasionally, put on more sunscreen while you’re in the sun. Read the label to see how often to put it on.
Do not use a sunscreen on babies under 6 months old.
On children older than 6 months, use a sunscreen every time they go out.
Wear a hat. A hat with a wide brim helps shade the neck, ears, eyes, and head.
Wear sunglasses. Buy only sunglasses with a label saying the glasses block 100 percent of the sun’s rays. If there is no label, do not buy the glasses.
Cover up. Wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts when in the sun.
Avoid artificial tanning methods. This includes sunlamps and tanning beds, as well as tanning pills and tanning makeup. Tanning pills have a color additive that turns your skin orange after you take them. The FDA has OK’d this color additive for coloring foods but not for tanning the skin. The large amount of color additive in tanning pills may be harmful.
Tanning makeup is put on the skin to make it look tan. The color can be washed off with soap and water. Self Tanning Lotions last up to a week after application. These products are not sunscreen lotions and will NOT protect your skin from the sun.
Check your skin regularly for signs of skin cancer. Look for changes in the size, shape, color or feel of birthmarks, moles and spots. If you find any changes or find sores that are not healing, see your doctor.
Look at the back of your neck and scalp with the help of a hand mirror.
Look at your body–front, back and sides–in the mirror.
Bend your elbows and look at the undersides of your arms.
Look at the backs of your legs and feet.
Check parts that are hard to see–like your back–with a hand mirror.
That’s it… sun protection safety is easy!