In summer, there are a few things you should keep in mind when spending long periods of time outdoors, otherwise you can quickly get sunburned. Above all, it is important that you use enough sunscreen and do not spend too long in the sun. Besides that, there are many more tips and tricks on how to protect yourself from the sun. With our 10 tips you are guaranteed to be spared a sunburn!
1) Slowly get used to the sun
Don’t overdo it with sunbathing in the spring: After all, your skin has hardly received any sun throughout the winter and must first get used to the higher intensity of UV radiation again. The skin‘s own protection builds up only slowly, which is why you should protect yourself during the first sunbaths by wearing light clothing and a sunscreen with a sufficiently high sun protection factor. If the skin is regularly exposed to the sun again, the so-called light callus builds up. This is a thickening of the corneal layer, through which the UV-B radiation can be better filtered. Nevertheless, you should continue to use a sunscreen in any case to protect your skin optimally from the sun. This is because the protection provided by the light callus is only about equivalent to SPF 5.
2) Use enough sunscreen.
When applying sunscreen to your skin, do not skimp on sunscreen. Otherwise, the sun protection factor indicated on the cream will not be achieved. On average, an adult needs about 36 grams of sunscreen to adequately protect the entire body. This corresponds to about a serving of three tablespoons. Particular care should be taken to apply sunscreen to sensitive areas such as the ears, lips, nose, décolleté, neck, shoulders, as well as the top of the feet. In addition to sunscreen, appropriate clothing also protects us from the sun. Dark clothing offers better protection than light-colored clothing. Especially when the sun is intense, you should at least wear a T-shirt with short sleeves and shorts. For longer stays in the sun, special textiles can be recommended, which have a particularly high UV protection.
3) Apply sunscreen in good time
Do not put on cream only when you are already in the sun, but preferably before you go outside. This way, you are directly protected when you go outside. In addition, some sunscreens require a certain start-up time before they can effectively filter the sun’s rays. Such creams with chemical filters should be applied a good 30 minutes before sun exposure. However, nowadays there are also sunscreens that offer instant protection.
4) Do not stay too long in the sun.
The self-protection time of the skin indicates how long you can stay in the sun without sunscreen. It depends primarily on the skin type: Lighter types, for example, have an intrinsic protection time of only ten minutes. For darker skin types, on the other hand, it can be more than half an hour. The self-protection time can be extended by using sunscreen. You can determine how long you are protected by multiplying the skin’s self-protection time by the sun protection factor of your sunscreen. To be on the safe side, however, this time span should only be utilized to 2/3. On the same day, no further stays in the sun should then take place.
5) Also apply sunscreen in the shade.
In the shade, the sun’s radiation is lower than in the sun, but you are by no means safely protected: About 50 percent of the UV light hits namely also in the shade still on the skin. That’s why using a sunscreen with a sufficiently high sun protection factor is important here, too. By the way, it is advisable to apply sunscreen carefully not only in the shade, but also on cloudy days. This is because a large part of the UV radiation manages to reach the earth despite the clouds. Without sunscreen, therefore, sunburn can easily occur, especially in southern countries.
6) Pay attention to UV-A and UV-B protection.
Your sunscreen should provide protection from both UV-A rays and UV-B rays. Make sure both are explicitly stated on the packaging. UV-A light provides an immediate but short-lived tan. While the radiation does not cause visible damage to the skin, it does increase the risk of developing skin cancer, as does UV-B radiation. UV-B light provides a longer-lasting tan and the buildup of a photoprotective callus. However, the radiation is also responsible for the development of sunburn.
7) Avoid midday sun
During the midday period, that is between 12 and 14 o’clock, better still between 11 and 15 o’clock, you should avoid the sun in summer. This is because the radiation is particularly intense during this time – sometimes the sun shines 150 times more intensely than in the morning and evening. This can quickly lead to sunburn. Instead, prefer to use the slightly weaker sun in the morning or late afternoon to sunbathe.
8) At the water extra protection.
If you are in the swimming pool, at the quarry pond or on the beach, you should take extra care to apply sunscreen to your skin. This is because the UV light is reflected by the water and the radiation is thus significantly amplified. Particularly careful sun protection is also necessary in the mountains: because for every 1,000 meters of altitude, UV radiation increases by up to ten percent.
9) Protect head and eyes
If you stay longer in the sun, you should definitely wear a head covering. This will not only help you prevent sunburn on your scalp, but also prevent further heat damage such as sunstroke. When it comes to sunglasses, you should make sure that they actually protect your eyes from UV radiation. Otherwise, the radiation can cause permanent damage to the cornea and retina. Therefore, when buying, look for indications such as “100 percent UV”‘ “UV-400” or “CE”.
10) Re-cream during sports
While sunbathing, you should refresh the sunscreen about every 60 minutes. This is because swimming in the water, drying off with a towel or sweating during sports will cause the protective effect of the sunscreen to wear off. However, you can no longer increase the protective effect by reapplying the cream: for example, you cannot achieve sun protection factor 30 by rubbing in a cream with sun protection factor 10 three times.
