How To Protect Your Skin From The Harmful Sun Rays All Year Round
How To Protect Your Skin From The Harmful Sun Rays All Year Round
Sun Can Still Damage Our Skin Even During The Winter Months
While it’s necessary to protect our skin from the sun throughout the summer, it’s equally important to protect the skin throughout the rest of the year, too. This includes the cold winter months and even the rainy spring and autumn days.
For certain types of skin cancer, such as squamous cell carcinoma, the cancer risks from sun exposure can accumulate throughout your lifetime. So even though the strength of the ultraviolet radiation may be limited in winter months compared to summer months, it still raises the overall risk of developing skin cancer.
Although the sun’s presence usually pleases us, everyone knows that prolonged exposure to the sun can have negative effects on our skin. In fact, the sun radiates ultraviolet rays.
While UVB rays are held responsible for the classic sunburn, UVA rays are often responsible for the appearance of a suntan during sun exposure. Both contribute to the premature aging of the skin. Moreover, it has been shown that sun exposure can lead to various serious health problems, including the development of skin cancers. Fortunately, sufficient c reduces the risks linked with UV rays.
What Causes Sunburns?
UVB rays, the main cause of sunburn, are the strongest in the summer. However, UVB rays can burn and damage your skin year-round, especially at high altitudes and on reflective surfaces such as snow or ice. Snow reflects up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV light, so the amount of sun rays hitting the skin is doubled, further increasing the risk of development of skin cancer and premature aging of the skin.
UVA rays remain constant throughout the year and can penetrate through clouds and fog. UVA rays can also penetrate glass, so it’s still possible to damage your skin while spending a bright winter day indoors or while driving long routes.
What Can We Do To Protect Our Skin From Harmful Sun Rays
Here’s what you could and should do to shield your skin from harmful sun rays:
Apply high- factor sunscreen
While many people don't apply sunscreen in the winter using it on the areas of your body that get exposed to the sun reduces your risk for winter sun damage. Dr. Shyamali Sighal, surgical oncologist and founder of H&B suggests applying sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 or higher to exposed parts of your body before you go outside in the winter even on cloudy days. Some facial moisturizers, such as our Emu Oil: Very Dry Sensitive Skin can be used as a leave-in hair conditioner.
Use a lip balm with SPF ingredients
As part of your winter, sun safety regimen use a lip balm with an SPF of 15 or higher. You may already use lip balm in the winter to keep your lips moisturized during colder months. Make sure that the moisturizing product you fancy also protects you from UV damage. Look for SPF on all lip balm labels.
Wear high-quality sunglasses
If you're thinking about setting your sunglasses away into storage during the winter months please reconsider. Your eyes aren't fully shielded from harmful UV rays in the winter especially when the sun glares off snow and ice unless you're wearing UV-protective sunglasses. Eyelid skin cancer makes up 5 to 10 percent of all skin cancers and suggests wearing sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of damaging UVB and UVA rays in the winter. When shopping for emergency sunglasses or ski goggles look for ones with tags proving that they block at least 99 percent of UV light.
Wear a hat for protection
Scalp and neck cancers are especially dangerous because patients with these cancers are less likely to survive than individuals with other types of skin cancer, said Dr. Sighal. Fortunately, there's an available winter sun safety fix that helps block harmful sun exposure to your scalp. Dr. Singhal suggests using a hat when you're outside in the winter to shield your scalp from the sun's rays even when it's cloudy.
Keep Up The Sun-Safe Habits You Had During The Summer
Winter is still here, but that’s no reason to let up on the sun-safe habits you followed during the summer. Lasting sun protection efforts through the colder and cloudier months of the year lessens your risk of forming the most common cancer.
Despite the season, getting a sunburn is never fun. Furthermore, during winter, the cold, wind, heating, and dry air all take a toll on your skin. Take care of your skin by shielding it from the sun’s damaging effects.
Talk to your doctor for further information about sun protection.