| |
Everyone knows that exposure to the sun can have a negative effect on the skin, causing cancer, premature lining and wrinkling, brown spots, not to mention dry texture and coarseness. So, don’t over-sun yourself. Not surprisingly, the days of the deep bronze tan are numbered. If you are too pale, get some colour from the sun by using a screen and then supplement that colour by applying a bronzer, which is very sheer in texture and natural looking.
Here are some foolproof tips for relishing the sun but escaping its wrath:
1. Don’t take prescribed medications before sun exposure. Adverse reactions are common.
2. Apply sunscreen to the skin 15 - 30 minutes before going outside. Most tanning lotions nowadays list a SPF number (Sun Protection Factor) ranging from 2 - 30 [see table below]. In general, a non-greasy product is best. Apply a double-coating to your nose and ears and the back of your hands, where sun-induced “age spots” often crop up first.
3. Since the sun is most intense between 11am and 3pm, try to “bathe” in it or participate in outdoor events early in the morning or late in the afternoon. And don’t bake in the sun for more than 25 minutes at a time. Afterwards, rinse your face with cool water, apply a moisturiser, and then reapply your sunscreen if you’re going back out into the sun.
4. Buy an emollient lip pommade with camphor and a sunscreen in it which acts as a balm. Reapply often during the day.
5. Likewise, the eyes need extra protection. Wear big hats and sunglasses when golfing or sailing. Afterwards, apply eye cream and put cold compresses on your eyes to avoid the puffiness that often follows a day at the beach.
6. Carry a spritzer filled with water on the beach, on the tennis court or the golf course. Every 20 minutes, rehydrate your skin by spraying.
7. The sun bleaches and dries out healthy hair and can burn the scalp. Protect your head with either a cotton or a straw hat. Look for mousses and creamy conditioners with sun protection factors that you can apply before sun exposure. Always rinse your hair with clear water after a swim, since sunlight plus chlorine or salt water combine to cause dry, brittle hair and split ends. If you can’t shower at the beach, take a thermos of club soda or mineral water in your beach bag and give yourself a dunking.
8. Never use cologne on your face if you’re going out into the sun. The alcohol in it will dry your skin and, when the sun hits you, you will burn more easily and get brown spots and other discolouration.
9. Never use a reflector, it is equivalent to baking yourself in the oven. Likewise, never use baby oil or coconut oil slathered on your skin unless you wish to turn your body into French fries. These oily preparations invite burning, itchy rashes, and perspiration.
10. Finally, if you’ve been burned in the sun, cool your skin with a soak in a lukewarm bath with three teaspoons of baking soda. If the skin is inflamed, take two aspirins. Compresses soaked in cool water, milk, or iced tea can soothe burned facial skin or puff y eyelids. If you are “burning up,” apply a head-to-toe plain yogurt mask, leave on for ten minutes, then shower off with cool water.
Never pull off about-to-peel skin:
Exposed red, raw skin will cause more irritation. Never moisturise peeling skin. Instead use a gentle scrub to remove the loose skin.
Finally:
Blistering or highly painful sunburn should be brought to a physician’s attention, and should not be self-treated.
Selecting your sun block:
| 2 – 4 |
Black or darkly pigmented, takes on colour from the sun easily and never
burns. |
| 6 – 10 |
Medium pigmented, tans well but may burn the first few times in the sun. |
| 12 – 18 |
Fair skin, usually burns, rarely tans. |
| 24 – 30 |
The highest rated sun blocks screen out 96 per cent of harmful rays. They
are for anyone, pale or dark, who fears the toughening, wrinkling and
blotchiness that sun exposure can cause. | |
|