If you find yourself heading outside frequently, and who doesn’t, you
need to take basic steps to prevent skin cancer. In this case, we are
talking about sunscreen the proper use of it.
Skin cancer is often given short shift when cancer is discussed. In
truth, it can be deadly in some forms and thousands of people suffer
from it. Many of them don’t even know until it is too late.
Fortunately, skin cancer is preventable and easily so. It is all about
using sunscreen. There is more to it, however, than just applying
sunscreen once at the beginning of the day and then forgetting about
it. Here are some tips on how you should use it.
1. Early Application – Sunscreens work in different ways. Some work
immediately, while others much sit on your skin for a bit. As a general
course, you should apply sunscreen 30 minutes prior to going out in the
sun.
2. Reapplication – Sunscreen protection is dependent on it being on
your body. From time to time, you will need to reapply it during the
day. How often? Well, read the instructions first. Also, reapply it
anytime you go in the water or sweat profusely. This is true even for
“waterproof” sunscreens. As an overall general rule, reapply every two
to three hours.
3. Cloudy Days – Don’t be fooled by cloudy days. The vast majority of
harmful rays from the sun penetrate the clouds. You should still use
sunscreen on cloudy days and follow the reapplication guide above.
4. Your Scalp – For many of us, we don’t have as much hair up there as
we perhaps think we do. If you have thinning hair, your scalp is going
to take a beating from the sun. Now is not the time to be proud. Use
sunscreen or where a hat to keep your scalp from being cooked.
5. Lips – Finally, nothing is worse then burned lips. Use a lip balm with sunscreen to protect the delicate lip skin.
When heading outside, it is often easy to get lazy and forget to apply
sunscreen. Skin cancer is a serious thing, so show some common sense
and protect yourself.
