Opinion

Sun exposure – Are you making any of these 5 mistakes?

Admit it! You wake up in the morning and you struggle not to smile straight away. The sun is shining and the staycation season is starting again! There are so many sunny, wonderful days now that it’s hard not to spend all your free time at a pool right?  I’m sure you are already aware that when you get ready for your outdoor adventures you should apply sunscreen. So far so good, but are you sure you’re doing it right? Here are the five most common sun exposure screw-ups. Go ahead and check to see that you haven’t missed anything for a safe and super enjoyable staycation for your skin.
 
1.  You don’t reapply sunscreen often enough
 
Sunscreen on – check. 
Hat on – check. 
Big smile on – check. 
Sunscreen applied – check.
 
OK, you are ready for your outdoor morning or afternoon (or both). But hold on! To keep your sun protection active, you need to reapply your sunscreen every two hours, or even more often in case you are, for example, swimming or sweating a lot. And yes, this also applies to high SPF sunscreens or the ones branded as water-resistant, so grab a big sunscreen bottle and take it with you to the pool. 
 
2.  You don’t apply enough sunscreen
 
Ok, you apply your high SPF sunscreen every two hours – awesome. But are you applying enough? Every time? And how much is enough? What happens if you actually apply a bit less sunscreen than you should? 
 
To answer all of the above questions we need to start by understanding what Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is and how it is measured.  After unprotected sun exposure, we get sunburned – some of us faster, some of us slower. SPF tells you how much more UV you can withstand before getting burned. So, let’s say that in direct sunlight (please note that this is all very theoretical, because UV levels vary during the day) when you don’t use any sunscreen, you burn after 10 minutes. With SPF 30, your skin isn’t supposed to burn for 30 times longer. Sounds pretty decent right? Well, it depends, because when SPF levels are being determined in labs, they are being tested on the skin at 2 milligrams per 1 cm². This is really a lot of sunscreen to cover your face and neck – roughly 1/2 a teaspoon (imagine how greasy it feels to put so much sunscreen on your face every two hours). Studies show that on average, even people who are super conscious about sun protection apply only a quarter to a half of the recommended amount of sunscreen.  So, if you apply half of the sunscreen you should, you will get only about half of your sunscreen protection time, or less.
 
3.  You use cosmetics with an SPF in place of sunscreen, or you believe fake tan is a replacement for sunscreens.
 
I know, moisturizers or foundations with additional SPF are just so tempting, but are you sure you can apply them taking the previous two points into consideration? Are you applying your moisturizer or foundation every two hours, and most importantly, are you able to apply a super thick layer of them every time? Not really, right?
 
Additionally please remember that not all SPF enriched moisturizers and foundations are broad-spectrum, so they do not necessarily block both UVA and UVB. 
 
4.  You believe since you tan easily and don’t burn, you don’t need to apply sunscreen.
 
If you are one of the lucky ones who gets a beautiful, sexy tan every time sun beams grace your skin, you might be tempted to just skip your sunscreen altogether, or choose one with a lower SPF. Please don’t. I know you might have heard that the fact you tan easily, your skin is protected, but the reality is that this can only give you a boost equivalent to about SPF3. The pigment melanin in your skin is being produced as a result of your skin cells crying for help.
 
Although you might avoid stinging, redness and peeling skin, you are still prone to UV induced damage. The summer will pass, your tan will fade, but your skin will remember your staycation adventures for a very long time. Premature wrinkles, age spots and in extreme situations, skin cancer, will remind you about it in a few years. 
 
5.  You shrug off the necessity for sun protection just because you are not on the beach or because it’s cloudy outside. 
 
When I was little, my parents liked to go for a walk on the beach during late afternoons. They believed this way they were avoiding sunburn, while still getting tanned because of the wind.  They were mistaken of course. There is no such thing as “wind tan” or “wind burn”. All the tan we get comes from UV rays, and it doesn’t matter if we are on the beach, in a park or just shopping in the city. There are so many misconceptions about sun exposure that it’s hard to count them. Many people decide to skip sunscreen altogether because the day is cloudy. However, the reality is that it doesn’t matter if the day is sunny or cloudy. As long as there is light, at least some UV reaches our skin. There is really no point in deciding whether you need sunscreen or not based on the outside temperature or on how sunny the day is. Your best bet is to check the SMG weather forecast as they post expected UV levels throughout the day on their website.
 
Now that we know how to avoid a bad relationship with the sun, let’s all go and prepare big bottles of broad spectrum sunscreen to have on hand while outdoors, and welcome the staycation season in a skin-friendly manner!
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