Who doesn’t love a good sunbathe or a stroll down the beach during summers? As fun and exhilarating it sounds, if not done rightly, it could have a drastic impact on our skin. While sunlight is a direct source of Vitamin D which promises many health benefits and is pivotal to healthy growth of bones, direct and prolonged exposure to sun can lead to severe sunburn, blisters or even skin cancer.

The outer layer of the skin has melanin pigment which not only imparts the color to the skin but also protects the skin from harmful UV rays. Overexposure to sunlight can damage melanin and cause the sun to lose elasticity. When heading out in the sun, it is better to take extra precautionary measures to protect your skin from direct sunlight.

Here are 4 tips that will help you protect your skin from sun damage.

  1. Sunscreen is important: Sunscreen should be an important part of your daily skin care routine. Each sunscreen has an assigned Skin Protection Factor (SPF) number which speaks for its capacity to block UV rays. UV rays are of two types, the UV Alpha rays which penetrate deeper into the skin and are mostly responsible for rapid ageing and skin cancer, and UV beta rays, which impact the surface of the skin and cause skin burn. While heading out in the sun, make sure you cover your skin with a thick layer of face sunscreen for oily skin to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. It is also important to note that sun screen wears off in prolonged sun exposure, so if you are heading out to the beach or a trekking adventure, keep extra sunscreen with you and reapply every 2 hours or when needed. It is also important to wash you face with clean water once you are back home to make sure your skin pores are open. Leaving sun screen on your face can lead to acne.
  2. Hats Are Good: It is great to make use of hats with a larger brim to protect sunlight from hitting your face directly. Hats made with fabrics such as canvas are best to block sunlight. Straw hats might seem fancy and trendy, but do little when it comes to protecting your face from sunlight. Normal P-caps work fine, but only contribute to covering the face leaving your ears and neck prone to sunlight damage. When wearing a P-cap, ensure that you cover your neck and ears with a scarf.
  3. Sunglasses protect Eyes: Direct exposure of your eyes to the sun can cause significant damage to the cornea. When heading out in direct sunlight, make sure you carry a pair of sunglasses with you so you can keep your eyes protected.
  4. Keep UV Index Under Consideration: The amount of UV rays in sunlight is reported in the daily weather forecast. Before you plan a trip to the mountains or a day out at the beach, check the UV index in the daily weather forecast and make a plan accordingly. Exposure to extreme UV rays can lead to skin cancer so it’s better to avoid going out in intense sunlight than to let your skin and body suffer.