Sun Safety: October 2008

Image by Rickydavid via Flickr

We all know that winter can leave the skin feeling tired, looking dull, and becoming dry and flaky. However, not many of us actually realize that as well as protecting our skin from the bitter cold winds, we also have to protect it from the winter sun.

Why Sun Protection is Still Important in winter

Although you might not realize it, the sun is actually out 365 days every single year. We associate winter with dull skies and plenty of rain and sometimes snow, but we barely think about the trouble that the sun can still cause. The sun does not necessarily have to be hot for it to be damaging, and it is possible to get damaged by its rays, even if it is hazy and cloudy. Though clouds do block a lot of the suns rays, they still only block 20% of the harmful rays, meaning that the other 80% still gets to us.

In winter, you can even get burnt and damaged by the sun, even if there is snow on the ground. The sun easily reflects off the snow and it can bounce up to 90% of the suns rays back up at you. So always take precautions even in winter!

The Precautions You Can Take

Usually we do not go around in bikinis during the winter months. This means that we do not really have to worry about most of our bodies. However, our faces are always exposed to the sun so it is important to protect them.

A lot of skin care products these days come with sun protection in them. Make up has also started introducing sun protection into it, and often a foundation has a sun protection factor of around 15. This is quite good and it is definitely a good idea to opt for make up which has got sun protection factor in it. Otherwise, you could buy a sun tan lotion and apply that to your face. Some other precautions you can take include:

Stay Away From Sunbeds

Staying away from sunbeds is another good tip as they still expose our skin to UV rays. In fact, most people tend to flock to salons in winter if they live in a country with a colder climate, just to top up their tans so that they can look healthy all through winter. This is really harmful to the skin and is just as bad as exposing it to sun in the summer months. Try and limit your use of a sunbed if you cannot tear yourself away completely, and remember, any tan is unhealthy, unless of course it comes out of a bottle!

Be Careful Whilst Participating in Winter Sports

When you think of winter sports, you do not think of the sun. However, often skiers find that the sun is disastrous sometimes, and the importance of covering up is essential. Not only can the sun blind skiers whilst they are going down the slopes, but it can also play havoc with their skin. It is essential that you cover up properly when participating in any winter sport. Sunglasses and sun protection factor should always be worn and gloves are an absolute must. When gliding down those slopes, the snow and ice can easily cause the hands to become chapped and sore and it is easy to develop frost bite. So always keep them covered up and wear adequate sun tan lotion!

Overall the sun in winter is just as bad for you as it is in summer, only you are more away of the risks in summer. As long as you wear sun tan lotion and stay out of the sun as much as possible, you should be OK. You simply just have be aware of the risks and take precautions just as you would in Summer.

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