Opinion Column: Are you burning for beauty? It’s not worth it. - East Idaho News
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Opinion Column: Are you burning for beauty? It’s not worth it.

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Are you enjoying the summer sun when it decides to shine?

Does your mood improve when you get a chance to be out in the sun a little more? Of course it does — the sun enriches the vitamin D our bodies need and it feels great.

But a few of us get carried away thinking we need to burn our skin to enjoy the benefits of the sun. At my salon, I often hear, “I have to get my first summer burn, then I can enjoy my tan.”

But that is a total fallacy – you never have to burn your skin to get a good tan and health experts say you should always protect your skin from the sun.

According to the World Health Organization, there are three types of UV radiation that affect the human body — UVA, UVB and UVC.

We don’t hear much about UVC, because these rays stop at our ozone layer and unless you live very high in the mountains, you’ll never be exposed.

UVB is a much greater concern, this is potentially the most damaging type of radiation and the one that sunscreen provides the most protection against.

The other radiation is UVA – it accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all our exposure from the sun. While less than UVB, UVA rays are also damaging and contributed to the ageing of skin wrinkling.

The scary thing is we are always exposed to it. You can be affected by UVA rays on a cloudy day. You can be driving and get a tan. The UVA rays can affect you even on a cloudy day. You can be driving and get a tan. The UVA rays will penetrate, clouds, glass and even clothes.

So in the summer the safest thing is to always make sure you have sunscreen on.

Here are some tips to remember:

  • UVB rays are the most damaging and most prevalent during 10 a.m. to 4p.m. from the months April to October. UVB rays are also mean and sneaky, it reflects off of water in all its forms snow and ice and is very strong in high altitudes. Protection in these circumstances is key.

  • You should be applying lotion to your body daily, and should be wearing a primer before your make-up. If you aren’t doing it – then start. Most high-end brands of makeup and lotion you will find a minimum of SPF15 in them.

  • This way your morning regimen is taking care of you. I suggest when you get ready in the morning you put on at least an SPF of 15. SPF stands for sun protection factor. The 15 means it takes 15 times longer to redden and will stop 93 percent harmful rays.

  • SPF 30 stops 97 percent, SPF50 stops 98 percent. Anything past 50 is all about the same. Remember that if you get SPF 100 you still have to reapply and protect yourself during extended stays in the sun.

    If you are exposed all day reapply every 2 hours at least. You will still get a tan and you will just not suffer or damage yourself as badly.

  • Also remember to look for the words “broad spectrum” on sun block instead of just UVB protection. Broad-spectrum sunblock protects from both UVA and UVB rays.

  • Finally, when protecting your skin don’t forget the part in your hair, and the tops of your ears. We often forget this is the skin that is the closest to the sun every day.

Enjoy the sun, be smart and don’t burn!

Tami Hymas, The Hair Whisperer, is EastIdahoNews.com’s Lifestyle columnist. She operates a website for her business at Tami’s Salon.

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