How to protect your skin from the sun?

Many people love outdoor activities. Walking on the beach, having a picnic in the park, exercising in the yard, etc., all these are good things. Make sure you take enough precautions each time you went out, as the ultraviolet rays can cause damage to your skin.

Stay in the shade

One easy way to reduce the influence sun rays have on your skin is to stay in the shade. The shades from the tree or umbrella can protect you to some degree. Generally speaking, the UV light between 10 am and 4 pm is the strongest. To prove for that, use the shadow test: if the shadow is even shorter than you are, the sun rays are the strongest. Note that cloudy days or hazy days are not the same with shades, as UV rays are based on many factors, including the time of day, the season of the year, altitude, latitude, and reflection of surfaces.

Wear the right clothes

The fact is that what you wear will protect your skin from the sun more or less. If you go outside, try to choose dark-colored, tightly woven fabric clothes that cover your skin as much as possible. Now more and more companies make clothes that are lightweight, comfortable, and reflective of UV rays. They behave better than normal clothing because there is a special coating on the surface. If you decide to have one, have a look at its label indicating the UPF (UV Protection Factor) value. The higher the UPF, the higher the protection is.

Use sunscreen

Sunscreen contains ingredients that can protect your skin from UV rays. Its capability to prevent sunlight is based on the sun protection factor (SPF). A higher SPF means more UVB protection, which can effectively free you from being sunburnt. However, sunscreen is just a filter. That is to say, it cannot fully protect you from all UV rays. It is better to combine sunscreen with other protection plans like seeking shades and wearing protective clothing. If you want to go outside, apply sunscreen before that at least 15 minutes in order for it to form into a protective film on your skin.

Other protections

There are many other ways to protect your skin from the sun. You can wear a hat with at least 2-3 inch brim to protect your eyes, ears, forehead, and nose. Large framed sunglasses are also very helpful for protecting the delicate skin around your eyes. Of course, some people may ask that sunlight is an important channel for the body to create Vitamin D, and sun protection plans are exactly against that. While the fact is, Vitamin D from diets is more than enough, and it will not increase skin cancer risk.

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