A long day at the pool or beach in the hot summer sun is one highlight of the season, but waking up the next day to a painful sunburn can quickly set back your summer plans. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so keep these things in mind to keep your skin healthy and burn-free.
Prevention:
- Wear Sunscreen every day, at least 30 SPF or higher. This is the golden rule beauty experts and dermatologists follow. Sunscreen is not only needed when you are hanging out by the pool or beach for the afternoon, but also while walking your dog or going to the store. You may not always notice, but the sun can be in contact with your skin even while doing the most common everyday things.
- Reapply, reapply, reapply, at least every hour. Prevention is key to minimizing the short term effects, like sunburn, and long term effects, like premature signs of aging. If you are not sure how to incorporate sunscreen into your daily routine, try a moisturizer with added sunscreen or buy the sunscreen in a convenient spray bottle.
- Cover up. Since we all are prone to missing areas on our skin when applying sunscreen (leaving us with ridiculous-looking burns), try seeking extra coverage in the shade. Also, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sun-shielding clothing.
Pro Tip: Don’t expect a base tan to be enough to provide protection from a burn. Sunburns can still happen to even the darkest complexions.
Our first priority should be preventing the sunburn in the first place, but if you do end up with a painful burn, we can help you treat it to calm the worst of the irritation. Check back tomorrow for some more tips and tricks to heal the sunburn if it still happens.
