Summer Sun Safety: Our Guide To Protecting Your Skin

August is “Summer Sun Safety Month,” which was established to bring awareness of best practices to protect your skin from too much sun exposure while enjoying the great outdoors. Summer safety is more than just putting on sunscreen; many other factors to consider when keeping yourself and your children safe from damage and potential skin cancer. 

August is when people spend a lot of time outdoors. And whether spending the afternoon at the local pool or playing on the beach, too much sun exposure can be harmful to your health and can result in conditions such as skin cancer, eye cancer, and a host of other dangerous conditions.   

We recommend that you follow this protocol to ensure you and your family are protected from harmful UV rays during the summer months. Here are a couple of ways you can do this.

Use a broad-brimmed hat to cover your face and ears. Broad-brimmed hats provide much more coverage than a baseball cap and ensure that sensitive areas like your face and ears are covered. They even make broad-brimmed hats with ponytail holes in the back, so girls and women can wear them comfortably. A hat also protects your scalp, as burns can occur in the part of your hair or if you are experiencing hair loss. 

"One and done” sunscreen applications aren’t enough: you should reapply sunscreen every two hours. It will wash off with sweat or after being in the water, so count on frequent applications throughout the day. We recommend our patients slather on sunscreen with a minimum of a 30 SPF rating. 

There are a lot of clothing options that will keep you cool while protecting you from the sun’s rays. Generally, the more tight and dark the weave of the clothing, the better sun protection it provides. There is also photo-protective clothing, which has a rating system similar to a sunscreen’s SPF rating. You’ll want to cover your legs and arms, and applying sunscreen underneath this clothing doesn’t hurt.

Drink plenty of water throughout your time outside. While you should always drink plenty of water to stay well-hydrated for general health, most vigorous outdoor activities warrant increased water intake. A lack of proper water consumption could result in dehydration or heat stroke, which can be a life-threatening emergency.

Wear sunglasses and make sure you are using the proper eye protection. Did you know that UV light exposure can leave you at risk of vision impairments such as corneal damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration? We recommend our patients look for 100% UV protection for outdoor eyewear, wear those wide-brimmed hats, and know that just because it’s a cloudy day doesn’t mean you are free from powerful UV rays.

These five tips to protect your skin should give you an idea of what to take to the beach, the mountains, or the swimming pool this summer. You don’t have to give up fun activities because of UV risks. Just be smart about your sun protection, and there’s almost nothing you can’t do!