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Summer is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sun but too much sun exposure can damage your skin.
Sunburn is an immediate consequence from getting too much sun but other problems could include brown spots, skin aging and skin cancer.
According to Dr. Sarah Hostetler from Aspirus Dermatology Clinic, there are three ways you can protect yourself and your loved ones from the sun’s rays.
Hostetler said, “First, avoiding the peak hours of the sun from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the strongest. Second, I have them focus on getting one to two items of sun protective clothing. They make a lot of special fabrics that are rated to UPF similar to sunscreen being rated as SPF.”
Dr. Hostetler says she has her patients focus on their main area of sun exposure.
“If patients are boaters, getting a sun shirt to wear in the boat; if people garden or are going to be on the playground with their kids, picking up a UPF sun shirt to wear while they’re doing their activities.”
And thirdly, she recommends wearing sunscreen every day.
She says it’s important to use a sunscreen with 30 SPF or higher, broad spectrum, water resistant, and to re-apply sunscreen every two hours.
