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How To Avoid Suffering The Effects of Sunburn

By John Russell

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 24Jul2009 Word count: 585 Viewed: 257 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

The skin condition known as sunburn is associated with microscopic changes to your skin. This is caused when you have experienced excessive exposure to the sun's rays and, more specifically, the ultraviolet UV radiation that is emitted from the sun. The sun, however, isn't the only producer of UV rays; you could also suffer sunburn from exposure to other UV light sources including solaria or tanning salons.

During the summer months, it's hard to avoid sun exposure; let's face it, we can't exactly hide from the sun and with so many factors that could increase your chance of sunburn there has never been more of a need for you to take precautions when out in the sun. So what are these other factors that could increase your chance of sunburn? If you live in regions that are closer to the equator you are at more of a risk just like you are if you are situated in areas that are at high altitudes. The reason for this is UV radiation increases 4% for every 300m increase in elevation. Another aspect that could increase your chance of sunburn is, when you are exposed to the sun at certain times of the day; 65% of UV radiation reaches the earth between the hours of 10am and 2pm so you are at an increased risk during this time. You should also be aware that UV radiation can be reflected by snow and ice, in fact as much as 80% can be.

When you look at factors such as the above you start to get an idea of just how much you are exposed to UV rays, even when the sky is cloudy. With this knowledge in mind, you should do all you can to protect yourself from the harmful rays emitted by the sun, especially as someone who has light skin only needs to spend 15 minutes in midday sun to suffer the effects of sunburn. However, signs and symptoms of sunburn usually only occur after 2-6 hours of exposure.

UV rays cause changes to the surface and deeper layers of the skin. It reduces the stretchiness of the skin and can cause premature aging and wrinkling of the skin, as well as the formation of age spots but the effects don't stop here. These rays can go deeper into the skin and change the structure of cells as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.

Some of the most common sites when it comes to damage to your skin are the neck, ears, temples, lips, face, and nose. One way in which you can reduce the damage done to these areas is through wearing a hat. However, when you are choosing your hat make sure it shades the whole face, neck, ears, and head.

On top of wearing a hat, you also need a decent SPF sunscreen. In order to choose the best one, you need to ensure that it is suitable for your skin type. You need to make sure it still moisturizes and hydrates your skin like your moisturizer does but that it is strong enough to protect your skin. So, if you have fair skin you need quite a high SPF, whereas if you have brown skin you will only need a mild SPF sunscreen as you are less prone to burning. Just make sure that whatever skin type you are you have the right protection and you apply sunscreen throughout the day to minimize your risk of sun damaged skin.

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