Summer is here and the days are getting hotter and hotter. When you are out there enjoying the sun, just remember to wear sunscreen and sunglasses. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared July as the UV safety month. Their primary goal is to spread awareness about how important it is to protect your skin from the UV rays. For those who don't know, UV stands for ultraviolet radiation which comes from the sun or tanning beds. Sunlight is good for everyone. It helps plants do photosynthesis and gives us Vitamin D. But as the saying goes, too much of anything is bad. Without using protection against the UV rays of the sun, it could cause skin cancer; it is one of the most common cancer in the U.S. Skin cancer causes age spots, eye problems, weakened the immune system, wrinkles, and leathery skin.
The sun emits two types of UV lights, UV-A and UV-B, both cause damage to the skin. UV-A rays have longer wavelengths, which could penetrate the middle layer of your skin. On the other hand, UV-B has shorter wavelengths that could reach the outer layer of your skin. There are different ways to protect your skin from the sun. Start by staying in the shade, wearing a hat and put on sunscreen or even avoid to go out on a super sunny day. When you are out under the sun, you should apply sunscreen on your body at least every 2 hours, especially when you are swimming or sweating a lot. You’re supposed to use a shot glass full of sunscreen on all exposed areas to get the full benefit. Sometimes you may wonder what "SPF" stands for on the sunscreens, SPF only refers to how well the product protects you from UVB rays. Dermatologists usually recommend those naturally sensitive, had skin cancer in the past or taking medication that causes sensitivity to the sun to use an SPF 50. Otherwise, SPF from 20-30 is good enough.
You have all heard that exposure to the sun is good for you because it provides Vitamin D. In addition to that, sun exposure can increase your mood and regulate body temperature. It's unfortunate that not everyone gets the appropriate amount of sun. According to KidsHealth, studies showed that about 70% of teens and kids don't have enough vitamin D. Well, the Vitamin D comes from UV-B rays. Since UV-B light has shorter wavelengths, it is more beneficial to us than UV-A light.
Sometimes we should just go out there and enjoy the sunny days, but at the same time, we should also take good care of our skin. Even if it’s cloudy and windy, you will still need protection. UV rays do the damage, not the temperature. Also, any color change on our skin due to time in the sun indicates that you have damaged skin from UV rays. Nature has given us the face we will have at 20, but it is up to us to maintain the face that we are going to have at 50. So be kind to your skin, because we will wear it for the rest of our life.
Where the Sun Does Shine
Katerine Chung Chen, Henry Xie
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