Do you love to stay outdoors especially when the weather is at its finest and bask under the beautiful sun? Summer is the time when people spend so much time outdoors enjoying as much sun as they could possibly have before the cold weather comes back again. Who doesn’t love to go sunbathing? However, do you love the sunburn too?
Sunburn is not something you would want to have after a day basking under the sun. Not only because it doesn’t look good but studies show that sunburns and prolonged exposure to the sun can actually stimulate skin cancer and can cause dramatic changes in your skin.
Are you at risk of developing skin cancer? The answer actually depends on a lot of factors. The amount of sun exposure may say a lot about how much of at risk are you? How much exposed are you to the sun and are you protected during these long hours of exposure? Color also plays a role in a person’s risk of skin cancer due to sun exposure. Light colored individuals are often at higher risk. Welsh, Scottish, and those from English descent and considered among the whitest people have higher risk of developing skin cancer due to sunburns and extended hours of sun exposure.
Not only people from English descent have higher risk. Some Europeans and Asians too share the same amount of risk. Darker skinned individuals on the other hand offer lower risk of contracting skin cancer however they are not safe too from sun induced types of cancer. Sunburn can also affect even the darkest individual and may develop skin cancer when there is constant over exposure.
Save yourself from the damaging effects of sunburn. There are ways you can do to make sun exposure a little safer for your skin.
When you are planning to go out and enjoy the sun be sure to block the sun rays from penetrating into your skin. According to the Cancer Foundation, one of the best ways to prevent the development of skin cancer is to wear protective clothing. A wide brimmed hat is not only fashionable but it also helps block the sun. You can also wear long sleeves and long pants. Just try to be imaginative and wear your protective clothing with style.
You can also use sunblock especially if you are fair skinned. It is often advisable that you need to put a sunblock with a high sun protection factor before you go out in the sun. The SPF or sun protection factor should be at least 15. This should be applied 15 to 30 minutes before sun exposure. This will allow your skin to absorb the sunblock well enough.
Finally, if you don’t want to get sunburned, stay under the shade. Be sure to be protected from the sun especially between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. This is the time when the sun rays are strongest. Also use lip protection since skin cancer can also affect the lips. Enjoy the sun but be safe as well and stay away from so much sunburn.