Love Your Skin
After a long winter, we are all enjoying the nice summer time and want to spend as much time as possible outdoors – whether working in the garden or sunbathing on the beach. Here is a friendly reminder - don't forget to protect your skin from the sun while outdoors.
Moderate sun exposure actually has health benefits. It is known that vitamin D is essential for the formation, growth, and repair of bones and for normal calcium absorption and immune function. It is obtained primarily through exposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.
Overexposure to the sun however, can damage your skin, cause wrinkles, brown spots, and skin cancer. Tips on how to better protect yourself:
- Stay out of the sun when it is strongest (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)
- Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher
- Wear protective clothing
- Wear wraparound sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection
- Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds
The bottom line - as in everything - is moderation: enjoy the sun but don't overexpose, and vice versa, protect yourself but don't be a solar-phobe.
Borrow some books on skin care from the Toronto Public Library:
More information on skin care and sun safety:
- Toronto Public Health: Cancer Prevention and Screening – Sun safety
- MedlinePlus: Sun Exposue, Skin Aging, Skin Cancer, Skin Hair and Nail
- American Academy of Dermatology: Causes of Aging Skin
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Skin Cancer
One thought on “Love Your Skin”
Skin care is one aspect of our health that is often taken for granted. Most of the time, we rely on cosmetic care products for maintenance. But it helps to balance all the options we have, so our skin will be fully enriched.