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Protecting Your Skin From The Sun
Are you worried about the risk of skin cancer? Do you want to make an effort to maintain healthy skin but are exposed to the sun’s harmful rays a lot of the time? Are you dedicated to maintaining a youthful appearance? Have you had any cosmetic work done to help your skin age more gracefully? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you will want to know the best ways to protect your skin from the sun. In this day in age, more and more people are becoming concerned with the way they look and make an effort every day to look their best. The number of people concerned with looking their best isn’t the only number that’s growing though. Unfortunately, the number of people with skin cancer is on a steady incline. Whether this is due to more people trying to live a healthy and active lifestyle by spending time outdoors, or people’s willingness to do anything it takes to get a good tan. Great developments have been made in the cosmetic industry and the effects of sun damage can sometimes be reversed, but what if we could completely avoid the need to visit your local skincare clinic for sun damage related problems altogether? Let’s explore the best ways to protect yourself from the sun.
Here are 5 great ways to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays
- Cover up: This one is blatantly obvious but for some reason, many people do not abide by this crucial step. The sun’s rays are most intense between 10AM and 4PM so if you can, stay indoors during this time or cover up with sunscreen if you’re outdoors. Hats and clothing made out of dark, tightly woven materials protect you better than cotton fabrics in lighter shades.
- Sunscreen: The centers for disease control and prevention recommend wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. Ensure a thick spread, covering every inch of your exposed skin. Spreading a light layer can reduce the sunscreen’s effectiveness by up to 50%.
- Early and often: In order to get the most out of your sunscreen, it’s important to apply it early and often. Apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before exposure and re-apply every for hours at least.
- Protect your ears: The skin cancer foundation claims that 80% of skin cancers are found on the head. Too often we neglect to cover up sensitive areas like the top of our ears. Either wear a hat to cover these sensitive areas or make sure to cover it with at least SPF 15.
- Reflected light: It’s important to consider that umbrellas and shade trees only protect you from ultraviolet light and do not protect you from rays reflecting off sand, snow, concrete, and other surfaces. Ensure that you protect the underside of the chin, the most targeted area of reflected rays.
Following these steps will get you well on your way to avoiding skin damage and skin cancer. However, if you have experienced the effects of skin damage and would like to reverse the effects, visit your local skincare clinic and find out how they can help!
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Take the first step. Get your questions answered and find out which treatment option is best for your personal situation by meeting with one of our knowledgeable medical staff at Yaletown Laser Centre for an in-person consultation.
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