Advice to prevent sunburn

How to avoid sunburns

The best way to avoid sunburn is to take appropriate preventive measures before they occur. Among them we can mention:

Use a proper solar filter

Sunscreens with a minimum factor of 15, should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure. They must be re-applied every two hours or every hour and a half after being in the water. You must also re-apply them after rubbing with a towel or after sweating a lot.

Apply sunscreen on all exposed parts of skin, including those which may be below the water as sun rays pass through it easily. It should be noted that sunscreens do not protect 100% of ultraviolet rays and the only complete protection against the sun’s harmful effects is to avoid full exposure. (See information on this subject in the listing above)

– Do not expose yourself to the sun too long, especially during the early days, when the skin is not accustomed.

The first exposure should not exceed 15 minutes, regardless of skin type. Expose yourself gradually increasing time exposition a little bit each day.

Take special protection when going to the mountains

As we go up from sea level, solar radiation increases, so we must take into account that sun exposure in elevated places is more dangerous than near the sea. Mountaineers, excursionists o any person climbing or staying in high places must take the suitable measures.

Don’t forget that snow reflects sun rays more than grass or ground. Special protections for the bare skin or eyes must be done for people walking on the snow, skiing or practicing any activity on this white surface.

Other protection measures

– Especial protection must be considered when taking certain medications, especially those containing hormones – acne medications, pill against pregnancy -, antibiotics, medicines for hypertension or diabetes, etc., can sensitize the skin making this more easily react against solar radiation.

– Young children up to 6 months should not be exposed to sunlight. Their skin does not have adequate protection to defend them against the sun’s rays.

– It is not convenient to take the sun in the peak sunny hours, that’s to say, between 10 am and 4 or 5 pm

– We recommend the use of caps or wide-brimmed hats and wear a shirt when we are near water, which reflects up to 25% of ultraviolet rays. This is advisable especially for people very sensitive to light or those people whose skin easily reacts to sunlight.

– We need protection from the sun even on cloudy days because the sun’s rays go through the clouds.

Herbal remedies that increase photosensibility

People must be cautious exposing to the sun when taking certain herbal remedies, such as St. John’s wort.

They produce photosensitization and therefore may be responsible for the appearance of brown spots, redness and even sunburns.

Other plants contain principles that can attain the main results when applied on the skin. (More information about photosensibility)

Among other herbs which can potentially cause photosensibility we have the following:

More information about sunburns and its natural treatment.

Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing