Safety in the Sunshine

When I was about 15 years old, I spent a beautiful March day relaxing in the fresh spring like air. The breeze was cool, but the sun shone warm enough to run my bare feet through the clovers. As my family stretched fishing poles over the water, I was enjoying my afternoon kicking back in a chair, reading a book of unsolved mysteries. The hours were roughly 11-4. And it felt amazing.

But then the afternoon ended. We loaded up into the car, and I realized that during those hours, I had gotten severely sunburned. So severe that in getting up the next morning, my knees gave out from the aching pain of the skin above. I could only limp to walk, and for the next several weeks, I watched my body reject the dead, damaged skin that was once young with life.

Though Thank God skin cancer never developed, extreme temperatures still cause this same area to ache even today – over a decade later.

Moral of the story: March is the beginning of extremely high UV rays. And they are especially dangerous considering your skin likely hasn’t had any sun exposure in months.

So as springtime approaches, and the urge to get out of the house grows stronger, please stay safe and learn how to take the proper precautions of sun safety.

Educate Yourself

UV rays stands for Ultraviolet Radiation. Yes, radiation. And there are two types of UV rays that you need to know about:

• UVA – 95% of sun exposure – causes premature skin aging, wrinkles, indirect DNA (skin) damage, skin cancer
• UVB – 5% of sun exposure – direct DNA (skin) damage, sunburn, skin cancer

Know this: any change in color to your skin is a sign of skin damage. This change is caused by the melanin in your body trying to defend your skin from the sun’s rays. And this weapon of defense can remain in action even hours after sun exposure, worsening the damage.

While some may tan instead of burn, that is only due to genetics. Melanin is still the same deciding factor in any form of change in skin color – meaning both are considered damaging.

This strong emission of energy from the sun can even penetrate through clouds, reflect off of water, and reflect off of any form of ground (including grass!), hitting your delicate skin from all angles.

But here is what you can do about it:

Protect Yourself

Wear Sunscreen

Make sure sunscreen is on your list of stockpiled items. An SPF of 30-50 will block 97-98% of the UV rays. Be sure to apply to all exposed skin (including ears, around eyes, etc). But most importantly, remember this key factor: reapply often! These instructions are on the bottle for a reason.

Stay Covered

If you are not wearing sunscreen, make sure to stay covered or at least in the shade during your time out. Be sure to keep your eyes protected as well.

Looking for some Vitamin D? It doesn’t take laying out all day to get it. Approximately fifteen minutes a day (without protection) would be a reasonable amount of time. Also remember, you can still get Vitamin D from your diet!

Stay Hydrated

Burns attract fluid to the skin’s surface, which can quickly leave the rest of your body dehydrated. Though anytime you are outside in the sun or heat, it is always best to drink ahead of your thirst anyway.

Pay Attention

Avoid exposure during the hours of 10-4 when UV rays are often the highest.

UV rays do vary at different times of the day during different times of the year in different parts of the world. Thankfully, you can track these levels on most Weather apps and monitor which times and levels are best for you and your area.

Watch for Photosensitivity

Photosensitivity is essentially a sun allergy where your immune system reacts to sun exposure, causing a rash. While it can be due to a medical condition or genetics, it is often caused by medications such as diuretics, antibiotics, antihistamines, pain killers, skin medications, cardiac drugs, diabetic drugs, etc. Read the bottles or talk to your pharmacist to find out if this may be an issue for you.

Regardless of your skin color or situation, avoiding damage from the sun still all boils down to utilizing proper sun safety by staying educated and protected.

A beautiful time of year is just beginning. Use wisdom and enjoy it!