Protect
the Skin You're In
Summer is approaching
and thousands of people will be working on their tans
before they whip out their shorts and swimsuits. However,
improper skin care can cause permanent damage from the
suns rays. Regardless of your skin type, it is very
important to protect your skin. Here are some key tips
to keep in mind this summer.
Choose an appropriate sunscreen. If you’ve been
to the store lately, you’ve probably seen a complete
aisle full of sun block products. It’s often hard
to know which one to buy. Look for one that protects
against UVA and UVB rays. (UVB rays are actually more
harmful for sun burning the UVA rays). It’s crucial
that your sun screen protects against both of these
sun rays. Don’t waste your time with half the
protection.
What about the SPF?
The SPF number simply tells people how much longer
they can last out in the sun without being burned. The
higher the SPF number, the longer your skin is protected
against the sun.
For example, lets say you put on a sunscreen with SPF
20. This would protect your skin up to 20 times longer
than your average amount of protection time. To find
out how long your sunscreen will protect your skin (multiply
how long it normally takes you to burn * SPF of your
sunscreen) So, if you normally burn after 30 minutes
in the sun and you have sunscreen with an SPF 15, your
skin would be protected for 450 minutes ( or 7.5 hours)
It’s also important to consider skin types when
choosing the proper sunscreen.
For young children (6 months and up) : Choose a sunscreen
with SPF 15 or higher to protect against both sun tanning
and burning. Look for a product that offers UVA and
UVB protection. This is known as the “broad-spectrum”.
For Very Fair Skin: This type of skin burns quickly.
Look for a sunscreen containing SPF 20 to 30.
For Fair Skin: This type of skin burns fairly easily
but some tanning occurs. Look for sunscreen products
containing SPF 8 to 12.
For Medium Skin: This type of skin yields a moderate
brown shade when exposed to the sun. Look for sunscreen
products containing SPF 4 to 8.
For Dark Skin: This type of skin rarely burns. Look
for sunscreen products containing SPF 2 to 4.
After choosing an appropriate sunscreen, apply it before
going out into the sun. Be sure and apply it generously
over all skin that will be exposed.
Taking good care of your skin now will give you great-looking
skin well into the future.
P.S. Your skin is your number one defense mechanism
against the environmental elements. Exercise, rest,
and good nutrition are the foundation for beautiful,
healthy skin.
About the Author
GranMamma is the webmaster at First Name Meanings -
Baby Names Box - http://www.babynamebox.com - Where
you can explore over 20,000 baby names and their meanings.
Read articles on parenting, family, home and gardening.
Be sure to say hi to GranMamma!
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