by shaun robbins
Summer is a wondrous time of year when a growing number of people get off the couch and start getting out doors. Having just stepped into the first day of summer, more and more of us will start enjoying everything from beach outings to hikes in the woods, and the sun bathing beauties will be out in full force at beaches and pools around the area. However, along with increased exposure to the sun, comes a greater need for sunscreen. The number of people being diagnosed with skin cancer is increasing daily. Everyone either has someone in his or her family or knows someone who has gotten skin cancer, which makes the use of sunscreen even more important.
Sunlight consists of two types of harmful rays: Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB). UVB rays are the major rays that cause the immediate feeling of sunburn, and are the most targeted sunrays that sunscreens seek to protect our skin against. UVA rays also cause sunburns, but are less targeted in sunscreens. They mostly penetrate deep into the skin, causing long-term damage such as wrinkles. While most people think you only need to worry about protecting yourself from harmful Ultraviolet rays during sunny days, you also have to be careful on cloudy days, because about 80 percent of the sun’s harmful rays still make it through.
Sunscreens have a variety of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) ratings ranging from as low as 2 to as high as 60, which refer to the sunscreen’s ability to block out harmful rays from the sun. For the most part, the SPF refers to the sunscreen’s ability to protect against UVB rays, and not UVA rays, because there isn’t a consensus on what percentage of ingredients is needed for adequate UVA protection. The SPF rating results from comparing the amount of time one can spend in the sun unprotected to the amount of time one can spend in the sun protected with sunscreen. In simpler terms, take the amount of time it takes you to normally burn, and multiply that time by the SPF rating to find out how long you can last in the sun without getting burned. Even though you have done the math and you can stay out for 10 hours now without getting burned based on this equation, remember that it is highly recommended by most skincare professionals that you reapply your sunscreen every two hours, because it wears off.
With so many different sunscreens out on the market right now, choosing the right one can be tough. When choosing your sunscreen, you need to think about the type of activities you are going to be doing, and what skin type you are. These factors will help you decide on the proper SPF to use. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends that everyone, regardless of how easy you burn, use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher that provides good coverage against all ultraviolet light. No matter what type of activity you are doing, the sunscreen you choose should be waterproof to prevent it from coming off when doing water activities or sweating. Look on the back of the bottle to see what it is made of. You should look for these key ingredients recommended by the AAD: Benzophenones (Oxybenzone), Cinnamates (Octylmethyl Cinnamate and Cinoxate), Sulisobenzone, Salicylates, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Avobenzone (Parsol 1789), and Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX).
When applying sunscreen you should always apply liberally, making sure to cover all sun-exposed skin. The key areas you should protect include your face, ears, hands, and arms, which usually have the most exposure to the sun. Most sunscreens need to be applied at least 30 minutes before going out into the sun, to give the sunscreen time to absorb into your skin and be effective. If time is of the essence, check into quickly absorbed products like Bull Frog’s Quick Gel line, which dries instantly. When out in the sun for long periods of time, be sure to reapply your sunscreen approximately every two hours, and more frequently if sweating profusely or taking part in prolonged water activity, because sunscreen does wear off.
No surf has been sighted in a while, and the streak continues. This weekend shows no real potential for quality surf, but might produce enough size and power for a longboard. If you don’t have a longboard already, you might want to checkout your local surf shop’s selection, because it looks like it is going to be a longboard summer if this keeps up. Continuing to the week, there is no real potential in sight for any type of surf. But don’t take my weekly word for it, call or log onto your local report daily to find out what the present conditions are for your favorite break.
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