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Ten Ways to Protect Yourself From the Sun

Posted on August 14, 2019June 7, 2023 by Shield Insurance Agency

Shield Insurance Blog | The Sun | Health Insurance |

When my teenage daughter arrived home the other day with a sunburned face, I asked her why she didn’t use her sunscreen. She answered with, “I did Mom! I put it on this morning.” But since she was out all day and never re-applied it, she still got a sunburn.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year and those rates are on the rise.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to take precautions like these to protect your skin from the sun:

If you can’t avoid the sun altogether, cover it up with clothing. Hats and clothing made of dark, tightly woven materials are best.
Keep in mind that UV exposure is harmful to your eyes as well as your skin, so put on a pair of sunglasses and be sure your kids do, too.
Wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Spread it on generously and use the waterproof kind if you’ll be swimming.
Watch the expiration dates on sunscreen. Once it expires, discard and get a new bottle.
Apply your sunscreen early, and unlike my daughter, apply it often, every two hours. If you’re sweating or swimming, apply it, even more, frequently.
Remember to cover those sensitive spots like the tops of the ears, hairline, chest, nose, hands, and feet.
Give up sunbathing, especially if you’re fair-skinned. Avoid sun tanning oils which can enhance ultraviolet rays and worsen sunburn.
Protect your skin all year round, no matter what the weather. Clouds don’t keep the damaging rays from burning your skin, and neither does a winter climate.
Use extra precautions if you take medications like tetracycline, diuretics, or St. John’s Wort. They can make your skin even more sensitive to sunlight.
Avoid tanning beds. They produce UVA rays that penetrate deeper into the skin than the UVB rays of the sun.

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Protect That Skin You’re In—Year-Round UV Safety

Posted on August 14, 2019August 28, 2021 by Shield Insurance Agency

July may be UV Safety Month, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to not care about UV safety the other 11 months of the year. Sun safety needs to be considered every day—even if it is cloudy outside.

As the saying goes—your skin is your largest organ, you better take care of it. Doing so is fairly simple, and you can probably recite the following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) without even clicking on the link. Indulge me while I reiterate:

Seek Shade. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce your skin damage and skin cancer risk, especially if you are outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cover-Up. Wear clothing to protect any exposed skin, even in the shade. This means a hat with a brim all the way around, sunglasses with UVA/UVB (broad spectrum) protection, and clothing made of a tightly woven fabric.
Lather Up. This is the most important, even if you’re in the shade and covered up, you should put sunscreen on before you head outside. Not just any sunscreen, but a broad spectrum protection product with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15. Make sure it’s not expired too.

Now just because you’ve done these three things, you’re not in the clear. If you had been, you wouldn’t be nursing that sunburn. You need to reapply. Sunscreen wears off, washes off, and sweats off. Put it on again if you’ve been out for more than two hours. And while being in the shade is good; know that if you’re sitting on a light-colored surface (e.g., water, sand, cement, etc.) you could be getting hit by a reflection of the sun’s rays.