With summer just around the corner everybody is starting to give much concern and focus to the upcoming season and to the sunbathing that many love to engage in. So many people are fixated on donning suntan lotion products on their exposed skin in their dedicated pursuit of that ideal sexy and safe summertime tan.
Everyone is aware of the dangers of sunbathing and certainly of the risks taken should you attempt to attain that highly overrated tan without the use of sunscreens. To say the very least, tanning without sunscreens not only can lead to sunburned skin, excessive wrinkles and premature aging but is simply, flat out, unsafe. It is imperative to make the application of a sunscreen a routine part of your sunbathing regimen. You may ask why. The answer is quite simple.
Sunscreens absorb short wave ultraviolet light and rays from the sun, which are primarily responsible for causing sunburn. However, these very sunscreens do not block long wave ultraviolet radiation, which is the major cause of skin cancer today – a skin cancer known as melanoma. With this said, it is imperative when choosing your sunscreen to select a product that has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF). The higher the SPF the greater the protection to your skin when sunbathing. So a product with an SPF of 25 will keep you safer in the sunlight and allow you to remain exposed to the sun 25 times longer than if you were to apply a sunscreen with no SPF at all.
Though the use of sunscreen is a proven way of protecting the skin for exposure to the sun and indeed those with a higher SPF, it is important to take into consideration any swimming or sweating you may do during those sunbathing hours. Swimming and sweating will definitely reduce the effectiveness of your sunscreen, so it is imperative that you repeatedly apply your sunscreen during your extended exposure to the sun. Please keep in mind though that the number of malignant melanoma cancer cases has increased drastically (almost 200 percent in white men and women) over the years and you certainly do not want to become one of those statistics. Though sunscreens with SPF do protect your skin, it is up to you to be practical and cautious about the amount of time you actually spend exposed to the powerful rays of the sun.
With the new generation of sunscreens and sunblock’s that will soon be introduced into the marketplace, people across the globe will be able to not only protect their bodies and skin from the dangers and high risks of exposure to the sun, but they will be able to do it with products that contain natural organic ingredients that significantly reduce ultraviolet light damage and reduce the risks of melanoma cancer. However, until such time that these innovative new products reach the marketplace and are readily available to consumers the best advice for sunbathing safely is to limit your exposure to the sun and when you elect to sun bathe be absolutely certain to use a sunscreen with a high SPF.
The midday sun is by far the most powerful, so in your attempts to sunbathe safely choose early morning hours or much later in the day rather than basking away in the midday hours. If sunbathing is ever so important to you, then surely sunbathing safely is the best formula for attaining your perfect summertime tan.
Paula Ryan is the creator of Spa tanning tablets. She has a PhD in nutritional sciences and is now studying food supplements further.
She lives in the south of England with her husband, daughter, and 2 cats. In her spare time she most enjoys, being a Mum, learning, cooking, keeping fit, and holidays abroad.
