With summer well underway, it’s important to make sure you are taking care of your skin in the sunny weather. Although it’s important all year round, summer is the time where the most damage can be caused.
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Let’s have a look below at some of the ways you can look after your skin this summer:
Always Check The Use By Date
You need to make sure you are avoiding products that have been hiding in the cupboard, chances are they will be out of date. And if you’re questioning ‘does sunscreen expire?’ then you may be surprised find that it does. The longer they are opened the more the SPF level will reduce and you could find yourself using a suncream that is offering less protection.
Get The Complete Package
When you’re choosing a sunscreen you need to make sure you are looking for a high protection SPF, 30 or above is ideal. This will protect against UVB and UVA rays. Look for the circle log and a 4 or 5 UVA star. The best sun creams will offer you both levels of protection, which you know as ‘broad-spectrum’ suncream.
Apply Sun Protection Properly
It’s recommended that you use at least 6 teaspoons (36g), to fully cover an adult body. If you reduce the amount, the protection level could dramatically decrease.
Eat Water-Rich Foods
Dehydration is a concern in the warm weather, one way you can stay hydrated is through food. Add water-based ingredients to your diet by eating foods like watermelon, cucumber, grapefruit, lettuce leaves, and oranges. These vegetables and fruits are tasty, hydrating and nutritious, your body will thank you for it.
Be Mindful Of Reflections
You may be surprised to learn that snow can reflect can intensify sun radiation by around 85%, and water around 17%, and snow around 5%, this reflected UV can lead to serious damage to the skin if it’s not avoided. Make sure you routinely reapply suncream and cover up as much as you can, especially when you are surrounded by water or snow.
Know About Your Aloe Alternatives
Once you have been exposed to sunlight it is essential for you to use suncream as a way to hydrate your skin, it helps to repair your DNA damage. Aloe vera, however, steals the show with after sun care,it’s the most effective ingredient to look out for.
Green tea does have healing properties that can reduce inflammation, and lavender is sometimes used as a soothing alternative. Vitamin A is used in many body lotions, it encourages skin regeneration and is nourishing. If you want alternative after sun lotion then all of these are great substitute ingredients.
Avoid Alcohol In The Sun
Researchers have now published an article in the British Journal of Dermatology that it has been found that ethanol is converted to a chemical compound called acetaldehyde once it has been ingested.
This may act as a ‘photosensitizer’ that could make skin sensitive to light. This can damage your skin cells and cause some skin cancers. This research is still being looked at, however, it may be best to save any drinking for the evening instead.
Cover Up Effectively
You may be in the bad habit of draping something over your shoulders and feeling like you are well protected from the sun. you should try to use alternatives to cotton however, synthetic fibers like lycra, nylon, polyester, and acrylic are much more protective.
It’s also good to note that the brighter and more vivid the color, the better the level of protection is going to be. Many dyes absorb UV, this help to reduce exposure.
Be Wary Of Vitamin A
Vitamin is fantastic for your skin, it has many befits, however, when you are being exposed to the sunlight it can make this vitamin become unstable. When it’s exposed to the UV rays from the sun, retinol compounds start to breakdown and they produce destructive free radicals that are extremely toxic to cells, can lead to cancer, and damage DNA.
Although vitamin A does have healing properties and anti-aging properties, body lotions that contain this should only ever be used at night time and never during the day.
Know Your Ingredients
There is an abundance of different ingredients in the variety of sun creams that are on the market. They contain all kinds of chemicals that help to prevent sundance and filter UVA rays. But you need to know what effect these have on your skin.
Some can cause skin irritation, which is why you may find you get prickly heat or rashes with some sun creams but not others. You need to make sure you stop using any cream that you react to and find one that works for your skin.
These nine tips should help you to protect your skin this summer. Is there anything that you do to protect your skin in addition to the list above? Please share some of them in the comments below.
This content was origonally published on HollybeeTells.com