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The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. When in the sun for too long, the skin can be damaged, sunburned, leading to the formation of wrinkles and age spots. Proper skin protection can help prevent skin damage and skin cancer.
1. Avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight
You can avoid exposing your skin to the sun in a few ways:
Limit going out when the sun is hot, especially between 10am and 4pm during the day. You can reduce your risk of skin damage and skin cancer by staying out of the sun in the shade, using an umbrella or tree canopy. Wearing sun-protective clothing and wearing sunglasses is also considered an effective measure to help you protect your skin. Before going out, you should choose to wear long-sleeved shirts, skirts or pants made from materials with good sun protection. A dry shirt can provide much better UV protection than a damp one, and dark clothes often provide better UV protection than light ones. In addition, you can also choose clothes that meet international standards with information about its UV protection factor. In addition, to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays, you also need to keep a few things in mind:
Sunlight is most active near the equator or places at high altitudes, such as in the mountains. Your skin is more susceptible to sunburn when you're near surfaces that are highly reflective of UV rays, such as water, sand, pavement, cement, and snow. These surfaces are capable of reflecting more than 1/2 the UV rays. In fact, the risk of being affected by UV rays is different for each skin type. Many studies show that people with darker skin tones are less likely to be affected by the sun thanks to a higher self-protection mechanism.
2. Use a wide-brimmed hat
To give your skin the best protection, you should wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers areas such as face, ears and nape when going outdoors. Sun hats should be made from canvas. Straw hats with holes should be avoided because sunlight can shine through. In addition, you should also wear a dark hat to better protect your skin from ultraviolet rays.
In the case of a cap, you should also protect your ears and nape by wearing sun-protective clothing, or use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher for those areas.
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3. Use the right sunscreen products
You can protect your skin from UV damage by applying sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher before going outdoors, even on cloudy or cool days. In particular, you need to pay attention to apply a thick layer of sunscreen on all parts of the skin exposed to the sun. However, to effectively block UV rays from causing adverse effects on the skin, you need to combine using sunscreen with the other skin protection measures mentioned above.
Most sunscreen products work by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering sunlight. They contain chemicals that interact with the skin to protect it from UV rays. However, not all sunscreens have the same ingredients. Your skin may be irritated by using the wrong product. Therefore, you should choose carefully and test your skin's reaction to any sunscreen.
All sunscreens have a certain sun protection factor (SPF) to help you gauge how effective they are at blocking UV rays. The higher the SPF of a sunscreen, the stronger its ability to protect the skin. Experts recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
Also, every more than 2 hours in the sun and after swimming or sweating, you need to reapply sunscreen again. Besides, you also need to carefully check the amount of the sunscreen's expiration date. Normally, sunscreens will have a shelf life of no more than 3 years, but this shelf life will be shortened if the cream is exposed to high temperatures.
Besides sunscreen, some makeup or lip balm products also contain similar sunscreen ingredients. If they don't have an SPF of 15 or less, you should use extra skin protection.
To learn more about skin care for each age group, you can visit the website of Vinmec International General Hospital.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
Reference source: webmd.com - cdc.gov - cancer.ne
