Skin Protection Goes Well Beyond The Beach

Posted on January 3, 2014

Here in Southern California, where the beaches can receive visitors even in the middle of winter if the weather is right, the only type of sunburn that many people are going to think about is what can occur at the ocean.  However, there’s another type of sunburn that persons have to strive to avoid, and it can occur in the environment that is just about the polar opposite of the beach.

If you travel up a mountain to go skiing, the possibility of sunburn is definitely there.  No doubt you’ve seen someone come home from a weekend getaway with their faces beet red (or perhaps you’ve experienced such a painful situation yourself).  That’s because the skin cancer risk is still apparent on the mountain just as it would be down at the beach.

You need to take steps to protect your longterm health, and that will require certain precautions if you’re going skiing or snowboarding.  The Skin Cancer Foundation has put together a resource focused on those ways that the skin cancer threat can be averted during such winter activities, and you must keep these in mind.

You would (hopefully) never go to the beach without sunscreen, and so too should you never head up a mountain without such a necessity.  Not only does the height bring you closer to the dangerous rays that are beaming down, but the snow you’re maneuvering on is shining those rays right back up at you from the ground.

Sunscreen will be your best protection from this danger.  An SPF of 30 should be about the minimum in whatever product you choose, and that should be lathered on in abundance and on a regular basis so that you can be sure your skin is being protected even as the elements wear away that sunscreen quickly.  Cover all portions of your body that could possibly be exposed to the sunlight, and combine that sunscreen with a balm for your lips that can offer you further protection in that area.

You can do yourself a favor by wearing more clothing and accessories than you might originally be inclined to adorn.  That way, the sunlight can’t reach portions of your skin that otherwise might be neglected by sunscreen.  A ski mask is a great idea, and combined with goggles, it offers nearly total protection to your face.  This also helps reduce the type of brightness that can cause you to miss obstacles and sustain an injury.

Just like you want to avoid the middle of the day at the beach, you do not want to chance such times up on a mountain.  The sun is at its most brutal from 10 to 4, and avoiding those hours altogether can help protect you from longterm sun damage.

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