Sun protection has always been a must when heading down to the beach but as the years have gone by you may have realised that summers have gotten much hotter and the sun more potent which makes protecting your skin from the suns rays all the more important. Sunburn is no joke and if you’re not careful it can lead to long term damage later in life so to help you guys out we’ve decided to put together some tips on how to use sunscreen and other tips on how to protect yourself from the sun below.
Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB radiation. Make sure it is water-resistant and has an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30 or higher. Other sunscreens may help keep you from getting sunburned, but they won’t protect against skin cancer. A higher SPF may be used but you will most likely get the same level of protection as the SPF rating is just an indicator for how long the sunscreen will protect your skin from the sun for, the higher the SPF the longer it takes for the sunscreen to wear off.
Apply, reapply and apply again, this is very important when it comes to sunscreen, applying it just once will not protect you the whole day it is recommended to reapply sunscreen to your skin every 30 – 60 minutes depending on the SPF but our recommendation is definitely every 30 minutes, although it can be a lot of admin, better safe than sorry. Believe it or not, UV rays can bounce off surfaces like water or sand leading to an increase in UV exposure so if you’re swimming remember to apply an extra thick layer of sunscreen. Apply your sunscreen while out of the sun as chemical sunscreens need time to be absorbed into the skin to work. So they require a head start of about 20 minutes.
Wearing sunscreen is no the only thing you can do to protect yourself from the suns harmful rays, wearing long sleeve shirts or rash vests are a great alternative to sunscreen, accessorising with a hat and some sunglasses to protect the face and you’re good to go, smearing some sunblock over the top of your nose and cheeks isn’t a bad idea either even with the hat and glasses. A pretty simple way to stop yourself from getting burnt is to simply stay out of the sun unless you’re tanning, otherwise, keep yourself in the shade, whether it be under an umbrella, a big tree or even under your towel as silly as it sounds.
