Importance of Sunscreen
Tips on how to stay tan but prevent nasty sunburns.
Sunscreen is an important item that should be brought along everywhere during the summer. The CDC reported over half of high school students suffered from a sunburn last year. “Typically sunscreen is not something I use, but I feel like that is not going to be too great later on,” senior Mackenzie Davis said.
July 23, 2018
During the summer most people spend a majority of their days outside in the sun, as it provides us with warm weather, vitamin D, and of course the opportunity to tan. Problems arise when overexposure to the sun’s UV rays creates irritation called sunburns. A person that sunburns too often can develop skin cancer later in life. An often ignored solution to protect the skin is sunscreen.
Sunscreen comes in a variety of forms such as a stick, lotion, or a spray on. The spray is easily covers the most surface area and provides an even coat, although using any type is better than none. When using sunscreen it is important to use an SPF higher than 30. The greater the number offers a higher level of protection from the sun’s UV rays, although there is never 100 percent protection. A higher SPF rating does not mean it lasts longer; sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours at least, the back of the bottle provides the best instructions for each brand, and it should be applied even on cloudy days since UV rays can penetrate cloud cover.
Environmentally friendly sunscreen options are becoming more available as current options are destroying coral reefs. According to the FDA, octinoxate can contribute to coral bleaching and that oxybenzone exposure leads to the death of baby coral, both of which are found in 70 percent of sunscreens. These coral friendly sunscreens provide the same protection from the sun, as well as protecting the reefs.
No matter which sunscreen is used, spots may be missed and sunburns can become a painful issue. The FDA recommends to leave the sun immediately and stay away until the skin is healed. Cold showers or baths can ease the heat from the skin and moisturizers can keep the skin from drying. Aloe is another popular remedy as it provides cooling and is able to moisturize the skin. Frequent sunburns and overexposure can result in skin cancer. When spending the longer summer days outside, it is important to remember that taking an extra five minutes to apply sunscreen is well worth the time instead of spending the next week in pain from a sunburn.
