Protect the Skin You're In

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Summer is approaching and thousands of people will be working on their
tans before they whip out their shorts and swimsuits. However, improper
skin care can cause permanent damage from the suns rays. Regardless of
your skin type, it is very important to protect your skin. Here are
some key tips to keep in mind this summer.

Choose an appropriate sunscreen. If you’ve been to the store lately,
you’ve probably seen a complete aisle full of sun block products. It’s
often hard to know which one to buy. Look for one that protects against
UVA and UVB rays. (UVB rays are actually more harmful for sun burning
the UVA rays). It’s crucial that your sun screen protects against both
of these sun rays. Don’t waste your time with half the protection.

What about the SPF?

The SPF number simply tells people how much longer they can last out in
the sun without being burned. The higher the SPF number, the longer
your skin is protected against the sun.

For example, lets say you put on a sunscreen with SPF 20. This would
protect your skin up to 20 times longer than your average amount of
protection time. To find out how long your sunscreen will protect your
skin (multiply how long it normally takes you to burn * SPF of your
sunscreen) So, if you normally burn after 30 minutes in the sun and you
have sunscreen with an SPF 15, your skin would be protected for 450
minutes ( or 7.5 hours)

It’s also important to consider skin types when choosing the proper sunscreen.

For young children (6 months and up) : Choose a sunscreen with
SPF 15 or higher to protect against both sun tanning and burning. Look
for a product that offers UVA and UVB protection. This is known as the
“broad-spectrum”.

For Very Fair Skin: This type of skin burns quickly. Look for a sunscreen containing SPF 20 to 30.

For Fair Skin: This type of skin burns fairly easily but some tanning occurs. Look for sunscreen products containing SPF 8 to 12.

For Medium Skin: This type of skin yields a moderate brown shade when exposed to the sun. Look for sunscreen products containing SPF 4 to 8.

For Dark Skin: This type of skin rarely burns. Look for sunscreen products containing SPF 2 to 4.

After choosing an appropriate sunscreen, apply it before going out into
the sun. Be sure and apply it generously over all skin that will be
exposed.

Taking good care of your skin now will give you great-looking skin well into the future.

P.S. Your skin is your number one defense mechanism against the
environmental elements. Exercise, rest, and good nutrition are the
foundation for beautiful, healthy skin.

GranMamma is the webmaster at First Name Meanings - Baby Names Box
- http://www.babynamebox.com - Where you can explore over 20,000 baby
names and their meanings. Read articles on parenting, family, home and
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