Effective Sun Safety Tips for You and Your Family | RetractableAwnings.com

It’s no secret that the sun poses a major threat to the health of you and your family. Dermatologists and other medical professionals around the globe agree that protection from the sun is one of the simplest methods to stopping the millions of cases of cancer seen each year. While the sun provides happiness and a signal of positivity, it is absolutely essential that everyone understands its risks and protects themselves and their loved ones against it. Did you know that more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the United States than all other types of cancer combined? Simply stated, the sun can become a major health problem if not dealt with sensibly.

Skin damage impacts people of all ages and actually accumulates over time. In fact, by the age of 18 a person has only endured about 23 percent of their lifetime sun exposure. By the time a person reaches the age range of 60 to 78, they will likely have been exposed to a full lifetime of sun. As such, skin aging is almost entirely caused by sun damage, with estimates that a whopping 90 percent of aging is directly attributed to sun exposure. With all of that said, it is clearly imperative to be proactive in fighting against all of the dangers that the sun can bring into our lives and the lives of those we care about.

Do you have a specific sun protection plan for the spring and summer months ahead? If not, you’ll need to take careful note of the tips outlined below.

Sun Protection Guidelines for This Spring and Summer

Staying indoors may seem like the obvious solution for protecting against the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, but that is certainly not practical for the average person. At RetractableAwnings.com, we absolutely love outdoor living and everything associated with enjoying being outside, especially during the spring and summer months of the year. With this in mind, we’ve collected some of the most useful, pragmatic sun safety tips for you to utilize starting today.

Feel free to jot down some of the most notable tips so that you and your family can all enjoy the sun this year:

• Buy sunscreen that is water resistant, broad spectrum, protects against both UVA and UVB radiation, and is SPF 30 or higher

• Practice extra care between the hours of 10AM to 4PM when the sun is the strongest

• Wear sunscreen every single day, even when it is cloudy outside

• Sunscreen should be applied about 30 minutes before going outside

• Protect your lips with a lip balm or lipstick that has at least SPF 30

• Reapply sunscreen every hour if swimming or sweating and every 2 hours if not

• Babies under the age of 6 months should be kept in the shade and fully covered from the sun

• Wear items like sunglasses (with 100% UV absorption) and hats to shade your face, ears, and neck areas

• Consider purchasing clothing made with sun-protection materials

• When at home, consider a retractable sun shading option to protect yourself while enjoying outdoor living

• Be aware of any medications that you are taking that may increase your sensitivity to the sun

• Consider taking a sun supplement that boosts your fight against the sun from the inside

• Throw away old sunscreen, as the active ingredients may lose their potency

• Never, ever use tanning beds

• Be aware that UV rays bounce off of water, sand, snow, and concrete

• Do not rely on makeup with SPF, while this is a good base it is not enough to protect your skin from the sun

• When in doubt, seek shade as much as possible (under an umbrella, a tree, or anything that will block the sun)

• Think about tinting your car windows to protect your skin from UV rays

No matter how vigilant you may think you are being in your fight against sun damage, it is important to continually remind yourself and your family members of the best ways to safeguard skin from the powerful sun. Statistics show that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the time they turn 70. Don’t become a statistic, be smart about sun protection.

Sun Protection from RetractableAwnings.com

The team at RetractableAwnings.com is steadfast in our fight to protect those who enjoy outdoor living from the dangers of sun damage. Contact our retractable awnings experts in the USA or Canada toll free at 866-438-2964 or outside the USA or Canada at (305) 628-2424 or use the live help chat tool to learn more about creating a safe outdoor living space today!