Thompson Local News

Importance of Sunscreen

With the longer days of summer now here and more hours of daylight, sun screen is a must for anyone spending time outdoors.   Jessie Lawrence, a Sun Sense Facilitator for the Canadian Cancer Society tells us the different between  UVA and UVB rays.

“UVA makes up most of the sun’s natural light.  They penetrate deep into the skin to cause premature aging and wrinkles.  UVB is what causes burning and it’s about a thousand times stronger than UVA.”

Applying sun screen is one thing that stands between you and a nasty sunburn.  Here’s Jessie Lawrence with the Canadian Cancer Society, with some mistakes that people make when it comes to sun screen.

“Mistakes would include not wearing sun screen, missing spots - especially with the spray - and not reapplying every two hours or when we get out of the water.   Lots of people think you just put it on once and then you’re good for the rest of the day.”  

Missing spots when applying sun screen is another common mistake.  Remember to apply it to the back of your neck, your ears, the back of your legs and your feet.     

Lawrence has some other advice to protect your skin from overexposure to the sun.

“We recommend protective clothing, so long sleeve shirts and pants.   They have to be tightly woven.   The other thing with clothing is that it’s better if it’s dry versus if it’s wet. We recommend to wear a hat, preferably a sun hat or bucket hat.  A baseball cap is okay as long as you cover your ears and your neck with sun screen.   Seek shade.   Use an umbrella, go under a tree, go beside a building.   We also want to wear sunglasses because the sun can be harmful to our eyes.”

For best protection, apply sun screen 20 to 30 minutes before being in the sun, to give it time to absorb into your skin.    A broad spectrum sun screen with a minimum SPF of 30 is recommended.  Also check if it has the Canadian Dermatologists logo. 

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