Summer is an exciting time. We get to spend more time outdoors doing the things we love. However, the UV rays from the sun can have a bad effect on your skin. Sun damage can cause premature aging, wrinkles, dry skin, uneven skin tone, and possibly skin cancer over time.
To make sure that you protect your skin this summer and don’t have to pay the price of sun exposure, here are some useful tips.
1. Sunscreen
Besides the pain and skin damage sunburn causes, it also affects your body’s ability to cool down and causes you to lose vital body fluids. When you go outside, take a protective hat, sunglasses, and apply sunscreen with an SPF greater than, or equal to, 50, at least 30 minutes before going outside. Take the sunscreen with you so that you can keep applying it over a period of time as the sunscreen wears off.
2. Hydrate
Dehydration causes dry skin, spots and lack of glow, so drink lots of water throughout the day, preferably between meals to keep hydrated. The likelihood of being dehydrated in summer is very high because our bodies lose water through sweat, hence it’s important to increase water intake during summer time. It is also advisable to include fruits and vegetables in your diet during summer season, as all of them include water content in some way or the other.
See also: The swimwear hot list for summer 2016
3. Rinse skin after swimming
In summer, we often swim to cool our bodies down from the heat. However it’s important to rinse after swimming, especially in water with chlorine as it can dry out your skin and for some people it can even cause allergic reactions which could damage your skin further.
4. Stay out of the sun between 10am and 3pm
The hottest times of the day are the most damaging to the skin. Don’t stay out in the sun for long periods of time around the hottest hours because the longer you are out, the more your skin is exposed to radiation which causes damage to the skin.
5. Prevent uneven skin tone
Uneven skin tone is a familiar skincare concern which can be caused by the weather, air pollution, bacteria, dirt, and excess oil, causing skin impurities and leaving your skin dull and uneven. Uneven skin tone comes in the form of age spots, sun spots, freckles or acne scarring, which can be difficult to get rid of and affect your confidence. In summer, our skin is more prone to this, due to the harsh rays of the sun that damage our skin and the increased amount of time we spend outdoors.
