Protection of Skin from Sun in Summer

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Understand Skin Condition

Use our AI symptom checker to learn about your skin condition

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Everybody likes to spend their time in the sun in the summer. But this sunlight can be harmful to you when it becomes excess exposure. Excessive sun exposure changes our skin mostly which we think as normal aging. If you stay under sunlight for a long time without any sun protection the ultraviolet light of the sun will damage the elastin of your skin. The elastin is the fiber that makes your skin. When the elastin starts to break down, the skin will stag and stretch an even lose the skin’s normal ability to recover stretching. The bruises and patches on the skin will occur more easily which will take the longest time to heal.

This does not mean that you have to stay at your home idle. You will obviously go out for your work or spending a nice time outside. In this case, you just need to take proper sun protection. Most of the people think that taking sun protection only at the beach, lake or pool is enough. Actually, you must take your protection whenever you are under the open sun because it causes its effect slowly but permanently day by day. In fact, long time sun exposure can cause skin cancer too.

Most common Skin problems for sun exposure:

Skin diseases caused by sun exposure are:

Wrinkles on the skin:

Though wrinkles are the symptom of natural aging, up to 90% of aging wrinkles are caused by the UV light of the sun. These UV rays break the skin proteins, elastin, and collagen which are the main protective tissues of the skin. The flexibility and structure of the skin are maintained by these tissues. When these issues start to be destroyed and become less in amount, the skin becomes loose and several wrinkles start to grow on the skin quickly and even at a young age.

Age spots or liver spots:

The age spots are now solar lentigines in most cases as it grows for excessive sun exposure. These spots are brown or gray in color which looks like large freckles. The age spots are like additional pigments that appear different in size and on the open area of your skin like face, neck, arms, hands, and feet. These spots do not cause any pain, but enough for causing the discoloration of the skin.

Neck sagging

As the open parts of your body are damaged for long-term sun exposure, the skin of your neck can also be affected. The natural sagging of the skin of your neck is generally, enhanced for the sun over-exposure. The collagen and elastin tissue of the neck skin has been broken down by the sun rays and then make the neck skin sagging. With a heavy load of sun rays’ exposure, the neck skin can be turkey neck and in this case, the sagginess of the skin of the neck increases. The skin becomes loose for this.

Chapped lips

People who are cautious about sun protection, even they may forget about their lips. Long-term UV rays’ exposure can cause the “actinic cheilitis” problem of the lips. For this disease, lips become chapped chronically, dry and scaly. The lower lip is affected more for this. This problem is serious enough that it May cause skin cancer when left untreated. So, in this type of disease, quick check-up and the advice from a dermatologist is in need to take.

Red-brown patch

Some red-brown colored patches may occur for the over sun rays’ exposure which is called the actinic keratosis. These patches are rough and scaly resembling scabs. This can cause cancer too if the medication cannot be taken in time from a dermatologist.

Sun allergy

With the exposure of UV light, the skin may feel itchy with the appearance of red rashes. The open skins like the neck, the backside of the hands and arms, and the lower part of the legs get affected for the sun allergy.

Effects on eyes

Long-term sun exposure may damage eyes or may cause vision loss problems temporarily. Different types of eye diseases like macular degeneration, pterygia, cataracts, photokeratitis, and pingueculae. So, sunglasses must be on when you are out of your home. For the long-term, sunglasses should be of good quality. Sunglasses with a large lens can protect the skin around your eyes too.

Moreover, an extreme level of sun rays’ exposure can cause serious diseases like coarse wrinkles and freckles, mottled pigmentation, sallowness, elastosis, telangiectasia, benign tumors, and even pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesion. So, protecting our skin from the sun is the best way to be cured after.

Sun protection measures

Some most common measures that we can take always at great ease are:

Limiting sun exposure

We know that sun rays are more from 10 am to 4 pm, we can follow the shadow rules by staying at the shade at this time.

Maintaining the UV index

We can check the UV index easily from weather reports and then we can plan for our outing on this. When the UV index is higher than 10, we should go out for a long time.

Cautions at reflective surfaces

Reflective surfaces like water, sand, and snow cause more damage to the skin and so, proper protection with sunscreen and sunglasses should be taken.

Sunglasses and protective clothes

Protect your skin by covering more area with clothes. Clothes like the long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a hat that can shade your face, ears, and neck will protect you from the scorching sun. Black colored dresses can block more sun rays than white-colored dresses. Sunglasses should be able to block 99% to 100% UV light. Patients of any skin diseases caused by the sun rays or patients of sensitive skin or eyes must use good quality sunglasses to be protected.

Sunscreen use

Sunscreen is good to use under the scorching sun but it should not be the first defense. It is because sunscreen cannot block every type of sun rays. This sunscreen lotion can only be used as a supportive protection measure. So, avoiding the use of tanning beds and tanning salons will be a good idea.

Depending on the depth of the skin problems, we can be assured that taking proper sun protection measures before going under the sun is a must especially, in summer. As these diseases can turn into skin cancer, people should not take it lightly.

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