Summer may still be a ways off, but for anyone in Florida, it’s just around the corner! Heck, you may have even decided to go this weekend when this (hopefully!) last cold snap moves through. While the warm temperatures and beach days will be more than welcome, there can be too much of a good thing if you’re overexposing your skin to the sun!
Overexposure can have major consequences, such as painful sunburns, premature aging of the skin, wrinkling and skin cancer. The sun is at its strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., which are the hours most of us are out at the beach. Use these basic tips to protect your skin and reduce the risk of damage from the sun:
- Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher (it must have both UVA and UVB protection)
- Do some research and find out which sunscreens are most recommended to protecting your skin (not all sunscreens are created equal!)
- Reapply sunscreen every two hours or after you’ve been swimming or excessively perspiring
- Wear a cover up when you aren’t in the water to get some extra protection from the sun, preferably something with loose-fitting long sleeves
- Wear a wide brimmed had to shade your face, head, ears and neck
- If you’re wearing a baseball cap, use plenty of SPF on your neck and ears
- Wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from UV rays (they’ll also protect the skin around your eyes and reduce the likelihood of crow’s feet from squinting!)
- Wear sunglasses that wrap around your face and block as many UVA and UVB rays as possible
At the Mack Center, we are big fans of the Obagi® sunscreen for beach going as well as everyday protection. Remember: your sunburn can start within 10 minutes of exposure to the sun. It often takes more than 10 minutes to walk from your car across the sand to your favorite spot, which means by the time you reach the water’s edge, you’re already starting to burn…before you’ve had a chance to apply sunscreen.
Use the Obagi® sunscreen for protection from the sun every day to reduce the risks of sunburn, sun spots, accelerated skin aging, and an increased risk of skin cancer.