Despite the fact that summer is coming to an end you can still get substantial sun exposure on cloudy fall days and even on winter days, especially if you are out with the sun reflecting off water while you are fishing or off of snow while you are skiing or snowmobiling. The SPF or sun protective factor is a multiple of the amount of time that it would take you to burn under normal conditions. Meaning that if you are out on a bright, sunny day and you have on a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 and normally it would take 10 minutes of sun exposure before you would start to get a slight sunburn, with the sunscreen on it would take 150 minutes or 2 ½ hours before you would burn. Reapplying sunscreen is beneficial if you have been swimming and it has been washed off, but that does not give you another 2 ½ hours before you would burn. I would recommend that you have a sunscreen with an SPF rating of at least 30-45. Of course, a lip balm containing SPF protection is beneficial and for men who do not like to apply cream to their face, sunscreen sticks, which are like a giant tube of lipstick, are very convenient and are clear and less oily. Also, the new spray-on sunscreens are especially nice for covering an entire area uniformly like the legs, arms and back when you are at the beach in the summer.
Certain medication can increase sensitivity to sunlight and sometimes cause a severe burn or skin reactions. This would include Tetracycline (Doxycycline), Ciprofloxin (Cipro), Sulfa (Septra) and certain blood pressure medications that contain hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).
Sunglasses should be worn on sunny days, not just as a fashion statement, but to help prevent damage to your eyes. The UVA rays increase your risk of macular degeneration and UVB rays can lead to cataracts. Just because sunglasses are dark colored or polarized or mirrored doesn’t mean they offer good protection. Sunglasses should have a label indicating how much protection they offer and you should look for 99 to 100% of UVA and UVB blockage. Of course, wearing a wide-brimmed hat which shades your eyes and face can also reduce by about 50% of the reflected sunlight and also reduce the risk of later getting skin cancers on the ears, forehead and temples.
So, remember, use your sunscreen and sunglasses when you are out on a sunny day, even in the fall and winter months.
Tags: snuglasses, spf rating, sun exposure, sun protective factor, sunscreen
