5 Safe Sunbathing Tips

Sun can be your skin’s friend, but only if you know how to tan safely. If you want to get beautifully brown skin without being at risk of cancer and sunburn, check out our top sunbathing tips. Here is how you can get a nice-looking tan without harming your delicate skin.

5 SAFE SUNBATHING TIPS

1. Use creams with high SPF

Without doubt, spreading sunscreens before exposing the body to UV light is the key rule of safe sunbathing. You just need to do it to stay clear of serious skin diseases. To protect the body from the adverse effects of UVA and UVB, use sun creams with high SPFs. It’s suggested choosing mineral filters which skin tolerates well. They are mostly made from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Next time you’re shopping for a sunscreen, read the list of ingredients to check if the product contains one of these natural sun protectants.

It’s also worth realizing that SPF30 and higher deliver adequate sun protection. And you don’t have to worry that your skin won’t get tanned if you treat it with a high SPF. Skin protected with SPF50 will get brownish but it will need a little bit of time to synthesize melanin – a body pigment responsible for making skin darker.

2. Reapply sunscreens often

It’s worth keeping in mind that a sunscreen applied right after leaving home provides protection only for a fixed time. This means that if you’re planning to spend a whole day outside, you need to remember to reapply it a few times throughout a day because in this way you deliver lasting protection to your skin. It’s also a good idea to apply a portion of sunscreen every time you get out of water, even if you use a water resistant sunscreen.

3. Take the most out of the sun during the safest time of the day

Protect yourself and the ones you love – especially the elderly! – and enjoy all the benefits of the sun when the radiation is the least hazardous. Play outside until 11:00 AM and later from 3:00 PM. It’s safer and wiser to stay at home in the middle of the day, when the sun is the highest on the horizon and shines strongly. Also, always remember to shield your head with a summer hat and drink plenty of mineral water.

4. Be smart

Do you know what the biggest mistake of sunbathing is? Doing it for too long. It’s not true that the longer you lie in the sun, the faster you get a nice-looking tan. A long-lasting and natural-looking tan appears when the body is exposed to the sun rays frequently, not for long. Many people make the mistake and give their pale bodies to a few long hours of continuous sun exposure. The result? Sunburn and irritation instead of long-lasting and alluring tan. It goes without saying that an hour-long sunbathing gives you far better and safer effects than a whole day spent in the sun.

5. Mind the most photosensitive skin parts

Pay special attention to those body parts that are prone to the negative effect of UV light, thus being prone to sunburn. It’s important to coat them with a thicker spread of sunscreen. What body parts should you mind? Shoulders, neck and nose. Remember also about all moles and birthmarks – they also need to be given special protection. Shield them from the sun to avoid serious skin diseases (including cancer). Last but not least, UV light is able to penetrate even through clothes, and that’s why it’s important to apply sunscreens even to the covered body parts.