5 Expert Ways to Protect Your Skin This Summer

 We could not have life on this planet without the sun, which provides light and heat and whose solar particles make life possible. The irony is that overexposure to this life-giving star creates problems for many body parts, especially the skin, which absorbs its rays more than any other part of us. 

This is even more of an issue during the spring and summer months when we spend more time in the sun’s heat and increase our risk of skin problems. Preventing long-term skin damage from sunlight requires preparing to protect yourself when out and about. Let’s examine the best ways to accomplish that and keep skin from dealing with sun damage.

Lake Oswego residents who want to stay safe in the summer months can count on Lake Grove ENT’s Laser & Aesthetics team for help.

Common summer skin conditions

When enjoying the sun, beware of these skin problems:

Sunburn

Millions of people deal with this problem annually, with a third of adults and 60% of young people having at least one episode each year. Mild cases are painful but easy to manage if you reduce your time in direct sunlight, but persistent cases lead to various types of skin cancer.

Heat rash

When sweat gets trapped in your pores, you experience prickly heat or heat rash. This causes itchy, irritating small bumps on your skin that aren’t dangerous, but remain very annoying.

Melasma

Common among pregnant women, these blue-gray or brown patches or freckles that appear on your skin can be caused by the sun’s ultraviolet light, among other factors.

Photoaging

Sun damage leads to premature aging of the skin, causing loss of firmness, fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and spider veins.

Ways to keep skin safe

To prevent these and other skin conditions, follow these tips when you’re outside:

1. Sunscreen

Use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to protect yourself against UV radiation, even if the days are cool and less sunny. Reapply it every two hours, or whenever you sweat or swim.

2. Limit direct exposure

Direct sunlight may feel good, but too much will harm your skin’s health. Additionally, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the day, you are at the most significant risk of sunburn and worse because the sun is at its most intense. Stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible.

3. Proper eyewear

Proper vision is equally important to keeping skin safe during the warm months, so sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection provide vital protection when outside.

4. Healthy lifestyle options

Smoking is dangerous for many reasons, but in this weather, it increases damage to the proteins in your skin that keep it elastic and firm, specifically collagen and elastin. Don’t smoke, and be sure to limit hot showers, use mild soaps, and apply a lot of moisturizer.

5. Regular skin checks

When you’ve been out in the warm sun, check your skin for changes like freckles, moles, or unusual patches. Catching these things early will make treating them a lot easier.

These basic tips can keep your skin from sun damage and prevent many related problems that can worsen over time. Contact Lake Grove ENT’s Laser and Aesthetic team for any questions or concerns about skin safety in the summer heat.