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Sun Safety Tips

It’s summertime.  It’s time to get outdoors and enjoy the sun.

Follow these sun safety tips to protect your skin and avoid a nasty burn.

  1. Cover up.  Wear clothes and a hat to protect your skin.
  2. Find shade.  Instead of spending all day under the hot, beaming sun, spend part of the day in the shade.  If no shade is available, bring an umbrella or tent.
  3. Avoid the noon sun.  Ultraviolet (UV) radiation peaks at noon, when the sun is highest in the sky.  Time your fun in the sun for early morning or late afternoon when the sun is less intense.
  4. Wear sunglasses.  Protect your eyes from UV radiation.
  5. Choose sunscreen wisely.  Not all sunscreens are made the same.  Use the tips below to pick the best sunscreen.
  6. Put on sunscreen before getting dressed.  If you apply sunscreen around clothes, you may miss a spot.
  7. Apply sunscreen to all exposed skin—including your part or bald patch.  Any skin can burn in the sun.
  8. Allow 20 minutes between applying sunscreen and going outside.  This allows the sunscreen to penetrate the upper epidermis of the skin.
  9. Buy new sunscreen every year so the ingredients stay fresh and potent.
  10. Protect children, especially babies, from the sun.  Their skin is extremely vulnerable

Sun Protection Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

  • Do use products with zinc, titanium dioxide, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX.  These ingredients give good sun protection without penetrating the skin and entering the bloodstream.
  • Do use sunscreen creams or lotions.
  • Do use broad spectrum protection.
  • Do use sunscreens labeled “water resistant for beach, pool and exercise.”
  • Do use SPF 30+.
  • Do reapply often.

Don’t:

  • Don’t use products with vitamin A (retinyl palmitate).  Vitamin A is good to eat but studies show it is harmful on your skin.
  • Don’t use products with oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that can enter the bloodstream through the skin.
  • Don’t use sunscreens with added insect repellent.  Apply insect repellent separately.  Put it on before your sunscreen.
  • Don’t use sprays or powders.  Sprays and powders release sunscreen particles that may not be safe to breathe.
  • Don’t use SPF above 50+.  High SPF numbers are misleading.  They may tempt you to stay in the sun longer, exposing you to types of skin damage other than sunburn.

Points Towards Health

summer2013PTHLocation: At the outside edge of the elbow crease

Function: This is a great point to alleviate heat in the body. It is especially helpful in reducing skin irritation and inflammation, and can be used to alleviate itching. This point is also helpful for burning diarrhea, hot flashes, heat stroke and hives.

Also good for arm, shoulder and elbow pain.

Use this acupuncture point if you have red, itchy, oozing and inflamed.
(ie. Poison Ivy)

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