How To Protect Your Skin

Did you ever ask yourself what the results of skin damage are? Well, if you are still young, the damaged inflicted by the sun’s rays might not yet be that visible. The reason for this is the gradual manifestation of the accumulated effects of the sun to our skin. For this reason, people only get to be exposed to these terrifying effects for real if they are already forty years old and above. So, even at an early age, gather information on how you will be able to competently defend your skin from the sun.

Let us then take account of these detrimental effects. The most widespread of them all is sunburn. However, other than being extremely uncomfortable and painful for most people, having a sunburn is actually a great risk for having the most malignant type of skin cancer – melanoma. Another negative result is premature aging wherein symptoms accompanying old age occur even before reaching the aforementioned stage. The sun’s ultraviolet rays contain free radicals which cause wrinkles, age spots, pigmentation and other signs that make people appear older than they actually are. In addition to this, the skin’s dryness and thickening is swiftly becoming obvious. The next negative outcome of the sun, which you might not be familiar with is the immune system’s deteriorating function. Without a reliable immune system, we are highly prone to developing various diseases such as skin cancer. And the most feared skin condition brought about by the sun is cancer of the skin which also happens to become the cancer type that has the highest prevalence. Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma are its three kinds. The type of skin cancer that most individuals suffer from is basal cell carcinoma. The type of skin cancer that forms from actinic keratosis and is the next most common skin cancer type is the squamous cell carcinoma. Lastly, the most threatening of them all, is the malignant melanoma. It is therefore very important to go to a doctor immediately if unusual skin changes begin to appear.

Therefore, in order avoid this list of negative occurrences, you must know how to protect your skin as early as you can. If you know someone from the younger age brackets, encourage them to do the same.

Always wear sunscreen whether you are outside or you are just staying inside your home. Sunscreens are given a certain score to represent their sun protection factor. A milder sunscreen is available for use when you will not be going outside your house. However, a sunscreen designated with a sun protection factor of fifteen and above is what you will need once you opt to go outside. Do not also fail to remember to choose a sunscreen that protects you from the dangers of both the ultraviolet rays A and B. You will distinguish that it is a broad-spectrum type of sunscreen if the label on the sunscreen reports it protects from both UVA and UVB or if the label indicates titanium oxide or zinc oxide as one of its ingredients. When utilizing sunscreens, apply as much as you can and do not think you are being wasteful because this just might cost you your skin in the end. During the time at which the sun’s rays are most damaging – from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon – minimize your activity under the sun. Lastly, wear additional protective clothing such as pants, clothes with sleeves, hats or caps and sunglasses.