Protect your skin from sunlight.
It is beyond doubt that our skin must be protected against the damaging action of  the sunlight. This is absolutely necessary, especially if there is a hereditary predisposition to cancer. Cloths and hats can reflect ultra violet radiation and they are the most efficient means.
A high SPF sunscreen must be used to protect the exposed areas.
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and should be at least 15. The figures are typically ranging from 2 to 45. The higher the value, the better the protection against sunlight is. Such sunscreens absorb or reflect the UV and delay the occurrence of sunburns. Moreover, they can prevent, up to a point, the development of precancerous lesions and minimize the risk for melanoma. However, this does not mean that a person, who has used a sunscreen, can do unlimited sunbath by the sea or the swimming pool. Common sense must prevail and as soon as the individual feels discomfort, must move to a shaded, sun protected place.
Numerous factors, such as temperature, altitude, wind or humidity, may affect the efficacy of a sunscreen. In certain cases, more than one preparation may be needed to provide a comprehensive skin protection against sunlight.
How to protect yourself and your beloved ones from sunlight.
Below you can find useful guidelines which we believe must be followed, in order skin photo-chemical damage to be minimized.
 While being on holidays or doing gardening or sports, never get sun burnt. Studies have shown that people with a history of sunburn are more likely to develop melanoma or basal and squamous cell carcinoma.
UV rays can reach you, when you swim or during a cloudy day. While being under an umbrella or a tree you are still exposed to scattered radiation because of its reflection on the surrounding environment. In other words, a sunscreen is necessary even in these cases.
Safe natural tanning requires patience. First of all, do not forget to use your sunscreen. Start with fifteen minutes daily sunbathing sessions for the first five days. Proceed by adding five minutes per day, until you reach forty five minutes per session but never exceed that. The above process will give the skin enough time to defend itself against the harmful effects of the sunlight by producing adequate amounts of melanin. The drawback is that you won’t manage to have the tan of your dreams within fifteen days of holidays. However, the result will still be very good and you will be on a safer side which is the most important thing. After all, a good artificial tanning formula will be able to finish the job.
When having prolonged sunbathing sessions, do not forget to do a bit of swimming every fifteen minutes. This will prevent your skin to dehydrate and protect you from heat stroke.
Do not do sunbathing between 12:00 and 16:00 o’clock, when being on holidays in places relatively close to equator. This is advised, because the sunlight is too intense at that part of the day and potentially very harmful.
Never fall asleep, while sunbathing. On the contrary, it would be great, if you could do some easy sport by the beach combined with short breaks of swimming.
Apply plenty of sunscreen on your body and do that nearly twenty minutes before you go outdoors. Remember that it is better to use too much than too little sunscreen.
While sunbathing or playing outdoors, children must be protected by a 40 SPF sunscreen and a hat, because they are far more vulnerable to radiation.
Always keep babies less than one year old in the shade.
In your daily routine, use sunscreen to protect the skin of your face, neck, chest and limbs, in order to prevent wrinkling and liver spots caused by skin aging. The preparations we have tried and recommend can be used underneath a makeup layer. |
