How do you expose your body to sunlight? 9 Tips

Megan Smith
 min read

How do you expose your body to sunlight? Ideally, you only expose yourself to the harsh sun after first applying sun cream.

How do you expose your body to sunlight? 9 tips

Using sun cream is not necessarily enough though, the way you use it is also very important for it to have maximum effect.

The tips in this article will make you get the most out of your sun cream and be well-protected throughout the day.

Tip: Are you on the lookout for a new beach chair? Then check out these best beach chairs for heavy people.

How do you expose your body to sunlight? Introduction

As soon as the sun is out, we rush to reveal ourselves to the sun. To not damage our skin and preserve our health, we must respect some basic rules that are easy to follow!

Many Americans do not protect themselves enough from the sun’s rays.

Sun exposure without protection is dangerous, especially if you live in a sunny area. It’s not uncommon to be exposed to the sun every day!

Find out what to do to avoid taking any risks!

For the optimal effectiveness of sun cream, it’s still necessary to use it in a good way. As a reminder, here are 9 tips to consider to block the sun’s harmful rays.

9 Tips to protect yourself from the sun

How do you expose your body to sunlight? Think about protecting all areas of your body

Even if for some people putting on sun cream is an automatic habit when they are planning to expose their body to sunlight, they may forget essential areas to protect:

The eyelids

Even if you plan to wear sunglasses all day, the thinnest and most delicate skin on your entire body is on your eyelids, so remember to apply sunscreen.

The ears and lips

Two areas with a very high risk of skin cancer.

Constantly exposed to the sun, they must be protected with a minimum of factor 30 cream, just like the rest of the face and body.

Feet and hands

Apply sunscreen to the whole upper part of the skin and between the toes! The same is true for the hands, which tend to show signs of age the earliest.

You can also pick a sun lotion rich in antioxidants that helps block the creation of spots and fine lines.

The neck

Often forgotten in our beauty routines: the neck. The back and front are still exposed to the sun, just like the rest of the body. If you have short hair, you should protect this area even better.

The scalp

If you don’t wear a hat, remember to apply sunscreen until the hairline to avoid sunburn.

But you should be careful. Some products are created to protect them from UV discoloration, but they do not protect the scalp from sunstrokes!

You should then use an anti-UV stick whose texture without water is very covering.

If you get a sunburn, you stop exposing yourself

A sunburn is an actual burn of the skin that attacks the basal layer of the epidermis (its deepest layer). Depending on its intensity, it can cause a burn up to the second or third degree.

You better leave your skin in the shade and rest until it eventually peels if this happens to you.

Even with dark skin, don’t go without sun protection

The phototype of a person is the classification of their skin according to its sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. It determines which SPF (sun protection factor) you need.

So even if your phototype is very high, it’s still necessary to protect yourself from the sun. Even black skin can get sunburned!

Of course, people with light skin, hair, and eyes should care better. This is because they have a low capacity to make brown pigments.

However, at the age of 50, dark skin can be more wrinkled and damaged than light skin if not well protected.

No more after-sun at home! Replace it with a simple moisturizing milk

Everything is good to soothe your skin after sun exposure. Some after-sun creams are full of specific active ingredients with soothing and anti-inflammatory agents.

They are made to satisfy and refresh the skin while compensating for the harmful effect of the sun’s UV rays.

But moisturizing milk will already help to recharge and fight the drying effect of a great day at the beach.

It takes three weeks for the skin cells to regenerate! Apply the moisturizing milk or after-sun lotion on clean skin after a shower.

As years go by, we need to be more alert before exposing ourselves

Tanning is part of the body’s defense system against the attack of UV rays. Over the years (especially with excessive and repeated exposure), the system loses effectiveness.

The melanocytes (tanning cells) eventually become unbalanced, drained, and produce less and less melanin. Over time, the number of melanocytes drops by about 16% every 9 years.

In addition, they are less dark because pigmentation decreases with age. Think about hair turning white at old age.

Therefore, it’s normal to tan and tolerate the sun less from age 50.

How do you expose your body to sunlight? Get out of the water regularly to reapply your sunscreen

Even when out of the water, it is necessary to reapply your solar product at least every two hours.

In water, even if it is water-resistant, your sun lotion does not have an unlimited time of action.

Here again, the reality is quite different. For example, if you go for a swim, you’re not always underwater. There are periods of sweating, drying, and exposure.

The ideal is to go out every 2 hours to reapply your favorite product.

Take care of your skin, so the tan lasts

To get a long-lasting tan, you need to tan gradually.

From the fourth day of exposure, normal skin reaches an equal tanning intensity with high or low protection. But this is only true when you don’t forget to reapply.

Continue to protect yourself even when you are wearing the caramel shade of your dreams!

It is also essential to avoid sunburn, so avoid the hours with a high UVB range between 12 am and 3 pm.

Unlike infrared rays, UV rays do not heat up. The most severe sunburns develop themselves without being felt. People are distracted by wind, swimming, altitude, or the presence of certain clouds.

And finally, always moisturize your skin after exposure.

In summer, protect yourself from UV regardless of the weather

The UV is very little filtered even with clouds: 90% of them pass through, especially since it is cooler and we like to stay outside longer.

The big black clouds are good filters. But beware of certain clouds: cirrus clouds, bright white clouds. They can even increase the intensity of UV.

Also, do you know what time not to go out in the sun? The ultraviolet (UV) rays are strongest between noon and 3 pm.

But what if you want to get your fill of vitamin D? Well, it doesn’t take long for our bodies to produce vitamin D. In summer and spring, 15 minutes of exposure is enough!

Even if you use a high factor, use sunscreen as often as necessary

Suppose that you get a sunburn after 15 minutes without protection. In that case, an index 15 theoretically allows you to be protected 15 times longer. In this example, 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Specialists agree that you should reapply sun cream generously at least every two hours and every time you get out of the water. And this is true regardless of the index!

How do you expose your body to sunlight? Conclusion

Exposing your body to sunlight should be done with great care and a good protective layer of sun cream.

Follow these tips to make sure the sun cream has the most effect:

  1. Protect all exposed areas of your body
  2. Get out of the sun if you get burnt
  3. Use sun protection even if you have dark skin
  4. Apply after-sun or moisturizing milk if you do get a sunburn
  5. Be more careful of the sun as you grow older (skin aging is not to be underestimated)
  6. Reapply sunscreen frequently, especially if you’re in the water
  7. Tan gradually and avoid the times of day when the sun is strongest
  8. Apply sun cream even if it’s cloudy in summer
  9. Reapply sunscreen often regardless of its protection factor

Related posts:

About Megan Smith

Megan has been fighting overweight and her plus size since her teenage years. After trying all types of remedies without success, she started doing her own research. Megan founded Plus Size Zeal to share her findings. She also developed various detailed buying guides for plus-size people in order to make their lives easier and more comfortable. Read More