Prevent Sun Damage 3 Simple Ways to Stop Your Skin from Aging
The sun, particularly its harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, is no friend of our skin. Chronic exposure to UV radiation will cause damage, making your skin to age faster and even develop melanomas and skin cancers. Unless you’re a vampire or a shut-in, there’s no avoiding the sun. However, there are simple ways to avoid sun damage and protect yourself from harmful UV rays.
Fashionable Protection
You can stay safe from the sun and still look good. For instance, you could wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun’s rays away from your face. Find stylish straw cowboy hats for sale in your local mall or online stores, and even celebrities have taken to wearing them for sun protection. A simple straw hat can block direct sunlight from hitting your skin. Choose one with a tight weave for maximum protection.
Get a pair of shades while you’re at it to complete your “celebrity” look. Sunglasses with adequate UV protection can filter out 99% of harmful UV rays. Chronic exposure to UV rays has been associated with the formation of cataracts in the eye and age-related macular degeneration.
If you want more protection and a stronger fashion statement, bring along an umbrella on sunny days. Umbrellas, especially the dark-colored ones, provide excellent shade. In fact, umbrellas were originally used to provide shade from the sun — only in recent years were they used to provide cover from the rain.
Road Safety
Accidents and getting a ticket aren’t the only dangers you’ll encounter while driving. Your daily commute to work exposes you to enough UV radiation which causes cumulative sun damage. The left side of your body is more exposed to the sun’s rays, making that side age a little faster.
The incidences of melanomas and skin cancers more frequently appear on the left side of the body, and research has attributed this to UV exposure while driving. If you drive a modern vehicle, your windshield probably has adequate UV protection, but your car windows don’t. Have your car windows treated with UV filtering film. These films can be colorless or tinted and can block to 99% of UV radiation.
Don’t Forget the Sunscreen
You can’t avoid the sun entirely, but you can make sure your skin is protected. You can’t always wear a hat or stay inside your car, but you can always apply sunscreen. Sunscreen is very effective in blocking harmful UV radiation — both direct and indirect. Even the ones with low SPF can block 94% of harmful UV rays. Of course, you’ll need to re-apply sunscreen if you need to be out in the sun for extended periods of time. A typical application lasts a couple of hours, especially if less exposed to moisture or sweating.
Sun damage should not be taken lightly. Not only does it cause your skin to age faster, but it also increases your chances of developing melanomas and skin cancer. Get adequate protection by wearing protective clothing, shielding your car, and applying sunscreen. Your skin will stay healthier and look a lot younger.
