Sufficient light protection is also important in winter, because the sun’s rays can be very intense, especially during winter sports. Don’t be fooled by cold weather and an overcast sky: After all, this does not reduce the intensity of UV radiation. The winter sun is particularly intense in the mountains.
Sufficient sun protection important
Light-colored surfaces such as snow and ice reflect UV rays and thus intensify the sun’s effect. When playing sports and games outdoors, you should therefore make sure you have adequate sun protection, because sun-deprived skin reacts much more sensitively to UV radiation. Tune the protection to your skin type. Especially light-sensitive people with a very light skin tone, blond or reddish hair and blue eyes need a preparation with a relatively high sun protection factor.
The skin needs oil and moisture
Dry air removes moisture from the skin. Water and fatty substances are transported from the subcutaneous tissue to the surface to prevent the outer layers of the skin from drying out. However, the process has nothing to do with sweating. In the cold, the skin’s blood circulation is also reduced. Both can cause the skin to become taut, flaky and itchy. Therefore, it must be protected from the cold.
For outdoor sports activities, you can apply a special cold protection balm. It contains fatty substances that do not harden even at low temperatures. If you take a break in closed, warm rooms, it is recommended to wipe off such preparations. Otherwise, an unpleasant heat build-up may occur under the greasy film. After spending time outdoors, the skin needs moisture. Preparations with moisture-binding substances counteract the drying out of the upper layers of the skin.
Lips need special protection
Lips have neither sebaceous nor sweat glands, which could provide fat and moisture. In addition, a robust horny layer is almost completely absent. That’s why lips become brittle and chapped so quickly, especially in winter when cold and dry air get to them. That is why lip care, most simply with a care stick, is very important.
Because the lips are also very sensitive to the sun, high sun protection factors are useful. For a stay in the mountains you should choose a sun protection factor of 10 or more, for daily use factor 3 is sufficient. For winter sportsmen there are sun protection pastes – also in color – which offer total sun protection. They are visible on the lips, which can also be an intentional fashion gimmick, depending on the color chosen.
Maintain your protective shield
Care and precaution for the skin are by no means exaggerated. After all, with an average area of 1.8 square meters and a weight of 5 to 10 kilograms, it is the largest and also one of the most versatile organs of the human body. It protects us against heat, cold, solar radiation and pressure, against chemical substances and pathogens.
It also prevents the entry and exit of liquids. Water is released from the skin only specifically for heat regulation. The fatty tissue of the subcutis serves as a buffer zone for the underlying organs, as a protection against cold and fat storage.
