How to Prevent Sunburns

With summer coming soon and the first sunny days chasing away the grayness of winter, it is very easy to forget about sunburn prevention, as we often don't realize that the early spring sun can be just as dangerous to our skin as the summer sun.

Before we run out to enjoy fresh air, go picnicking or hiking, we should remind ourselves quickly how to prevent sunburns, so we can avoid unnecessary pain and exposing ourselves to a risk of causing more permanent damage to our skin and health.

Sunburn prevention tip #1:

The best way to avoid getting sunburned is to stay away from the sun during the hours when the UV rays are strongest.. If it's possible, try to stay home between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Sunburn prevention tip #2:

Don't leave the house without putting sunscreen on! Choose sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 or higher (especially important if you want to stay outside for more than an hour). Remember that you should use sunscreen with a higher SPF if you're going to hotter places and your skin is fair and gets sunburned easily.

Make sure to check on the bottle how often you are supposed to reapply your sunscreen for ultimate protection. Remember that you'll probably need to reapply it every time you go in and out of water.

Sunburn prevention tip #3:

Remember that UV rays have a damaging effect on your hair. If possible, you should use a shampoo or conditioner with SPF protection. You can also protect your hair and your scalp from getting sunburned by wearing a hat with a wide rim.

Sunburn prevention tip #4:

Your lips need to be protected as well. Apply some Vaseline or chap-stick on them to prevent them getting sunburned. Wearing a wide-rimmed hat that will cast shade on your face can also help.

Sunburn prevention tip #5:

Applying sunscreen on your face, especially around your eyes, can be very difficult. To prevent getting sunburned on your eyelids and around your eyes, wear large sunglasses that can protect these sensitive areas. Additionally, wearing them will also help protect your eyes from the UV rays at the same time (try to get sunglasses that block as much of 100% of UV rays as possible).

Sunburn prevention tip #6:

Forget about lying in the sun to get a tan! Trying to do it that way is really harmful to your skin, as you will get sunburned the first few times you do it. Get your tan in a sensible manner, just a little bit at a time - it will take longer to get your tan, but it will be much safer for your skin.

Sunburn prevention tip #7:

When going out to have a picnic or to relax outside, choose a shady spot to sit in (you can sit in the shade of a tree, or bring your own umbrella). Do whatever it takes to stay out of the sun, if only possible.

Sunburn prevention tip #8:

If you have fair skin, you are in more danger of getting sunburned and it is especially important for you to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Remember to never leave the house without sunscreen on (get one with higher SPF) and try to avoid staying out for longer periods of time.

Sunburn prevention tip #9:

If you plan on going hiking in the mountains on a sunny day, you have to remember that the sun is more intense in higher altitudes. This means that you can get sunburned really fast unless you take the appropriate precautions - Put on sunscreen with higher SPF, bring along your hat and glasses, and don't forget about extra water. You can also wear long, loose pants and long sleeved shirt in light colors to minimize the amount of skin exposed to the sun..

Sunburn prevention tip #10:

Today is cloudy. Does that mean I won't get burned? Yes? Wrong! Even on cloudy days, the UV rays are strong enough to go through clouds and you can still get sunburned.

And last but not least - whenever you go out, remember to bring with you enough water to drink, as it's really easy to get dehydrated on a hot, sunny day...

Additional resources:

If you didn't manage to avoid getting sunburned, here are a few links you might want to check out, containing home remedies for sunburns:

Best home remedies for sunburns

Using home remedies to treat sunburn

How to treat sunburn using home remedies

Source:
Author's own experience