Saving Yourself From the Sun, One Step at a Time

By Karolyn Castaldo on September 6, 2012

As the summer comes to a close, we’ve all spent months basking in the sun, bronzing our skin to the perfect tan or burn. However, could you be harming your skin too much? Seeing that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. and that we get an average of 300 days of sun in Denver, it’s important to keep these tips in mind when you’re out having fun in the sun.

While there are many levels of SPF sunscreens out there, using a minimum of SPF 30 will help to prevent sun damage to your skin. Anything below 30 will not protect your skin as long or as strongly as you need it to. Tanning oil with an SPF 5 does not do anything except get you a burn. Those of you with tanner skin should still use sunscreen because even though the sunburn is not visible, the damage can still occur.

Photo from Flickr.com by gr33n3gg

Ladies, if you use makeup, try a tinted sunscreen, foundation or concealer with an SPF to cover your blemishes. BB Cream, a new makeup craze, works really well and keeps your skin safe. Tinted sunscreens are also much lighter on your skin than most concealers and foundations, so you will not feel like you are covered with gooey sunscreen, but you are protected.

Layering your clothes isn’t everyone’s first idea when the heat of the sun is on them, but wearing a lighter sleeved shirt rather than a tank top to keep your more sensitive skin covered from the sun’s harmful rays could do more than you think. If you’ve already been burned, just putting sunscreen on won’t help. You need to keep the sun from hitting your burn. On that note, wearing sunglasses or hats can help more than you think you shade your eyes from the sun, which can damage them beyond repair.

Stay away from tanning beds and booths. This goes without saying, but fake-baking is extremely dangerous and can rapidly increase your chances of skin cancer. If you need to get tan quickly, try spray tans that have been tested for safe usage.

But don’t let these warnings keep you out of the sun forever! We need the sun for healthy amounts of Vitamin-D to keep us going. Vitamin-D deficiency can be just as dangerous for your body, so getting the right amounts of sun will keep you happy and healthy. You only have to make sure that you are keeping your body safe from burns and other sun damage while doing so!

Do you have any tips for sun safety?

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