Tag: sunburn
Bust out the sunscreen, it’s summer!
You just finished shopping in an air conditioned store. You are walking out the automatic doors and get blasted with the warm air of summer. Ahhhh summers warmth wrapping around you better than any blanket made. Summer in the Burgh means hot days and if you are not careful about protecting your skin while outside it can also mean sunburn or even worse, skin cancer. Are you using sunscreen correctly? We will help you navigate through the sunscreen tips and tricks. So pour your self a cold drink, throw on a sunhat and bust out the sunscreen and we can start to learn some helpful tips!
Lets kick it off and dive into the details of the basics.
-The higher the SPF ( sun protection factor) the better. Always choose one where the SPF is 30 or higher.
-You want your sunscreen to be waterproof. Although water proof you will still need to re apply after sweating heavily or getting wet.
-Be sure that the sunscreen provides broad-spectrum coverage. You want it to protect you from UVA (long wave ultraviolet A) and UVB ( short wave ultraviolet B). Both are responsible for causing skin cancer. UVA penetrates deep in to the skins layers where UVB typically burns the upper most layer of skin. Regardless of what they penetrate you want to be sure to halt their journey on your skin.
–Apply 15 min before heading out. It takes your skin a few minutes to absorb so be sure to give it some time.
-Make sure you are using enough sunscreen. That amount that should be used to cover an adults body will fit in the palm of your hand. Also be sure to rub it in completely.
-Hit all areas on your body. This includes face, ears, tops of feet, lips and scalp.
A good sunscreen for the face is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum Broad Spectrum SPF 100. Brooke swears by this product. She takes it everywhere with her. It’s light weight and does not clog pores which is a really great feature for the face. Brooke used it in the Bahamas and didn’t burn at all so it gets our thumbs up!
For the lips a chapstick that has an SPF of at least 15 will do.
The scalp needs attention as well. You can wear a hat to protect your scalp which also has the added benefit of protecting your face from the suns rays or you can buy a sunscreen specifically for your scalp.
The scalp formulated products are generally less greasy and can also add moisture to your hair while protecting it. Once again with the SPF, make sure its 30 or higher. A product we have used for scalp protection is Banana Boat Quik Dry Sport Body & Scalp Broad Spectrum SPF 30. This is a win win because it can be used for your body and scalp!
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts
Now go have some fun in the sun with your new best pal this summer, sunscreen!
