Enjoy the Sun...While Protecting Ourselves

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

Whether you are working in your yard, involved in watching children play sports, enjoying the outdoors as a family or working in some other way, we have been enjoying some decent weather lately.  This good weather has also resulted in some minor sunburns already from what I’ve seen.  Please listen to the following Extension resources about how to enjoy our weather safely. 

Protect your children.  Damage to their skin now will have serious effects in future years.  Plan summer work so that inside activities occur from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to avoid being outside during the hours of most intense sunlight.  Don’t forget, it is possible to burn on an overcast day.

When working outside, cover skin with gloves, a hat with ear and neck protection, long sleeves, and pants.  Button up the neck of long sleeve shirts.  Light cotton reflects heat and is cooler for working outdoors. 

On skin that can’t be covered with clothing, use an SPF 15-50 sunscreen. SPF (sun protective factor) is a measure of effectiveness in preventing sunburn.  A sunblock is different from a sunscreen and may protect against more ultraviolet rays.  Look for a block containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.  These chemicals are generally safer for children because they aren’t absorbed into the skin. The new “sport” sunscreens are less likely to sweat off.  Otherwise, if working and sweating, reapply the sunscreen or block every hour.

Even with a sunscreen on it is still possible to get burned.  Reapplying the sunscreen doesn’t extend the time of protection, it only replenishes what sweats off.  Don’t forget a sunblock for lips.  Chapped lips may really be sunburned.

Generously apply sunscreen and sunblock 30 minutes before sun exposure.  Sunscreen chemicals take time to bind to the skin’s surface.  Wear a hat to cover your forehead.  By not applying a sunscreen there, one can avoid stinging eyes from sunscreen chemicals in sweat. 

Don’t neglect your eyes in sunlight.  Studies have shown an increased risk of early cataract formation with prolonged sun exposure.  Protect eyesight with sunglasses, but don’t get extremely dark lenses.  Behind darker lenses eyes dilate, allowing more ultraviolet light to enter the eyes.  Buy good quality glasses coated with a UVA blocking filter.

Summertime Sun Safety

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

With summertime activities fully underway I bring you today, some tips from Iowa State University Extension on sun protection.

Research has shown that cumulative sun exposure is a major factor in development of skin cancer.  Small changes occur in the skin each time it is exposed to sunlight.  People who burn easily, rarely tan, freckle or have a fair complexion, have blonde or red hair, or have blue or gray eyes, experience greater skin changes.  Skin cancer usually is not associated with a single, painful sunburn, but rather with repeated exposure to the sun and changes in the skin’s makeup.  The sun’s rays are more damaging during summer months and at midday hours than other times.  However, you can get a sunburn on a cloudy day during other seasons and at other times of the day.  Cumulative sun exposure is the major concern.  The back of the neck, ears, face, and eyes are sensitive to sun exposure. Luckily, these and other body parts easily can be protected by wearing proper clothing, sunglasses, or sunscreen.

Sunscreens recommended for outdoor workers should have a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of at least 15.  This means that you are protected from a reaction to the sun’s effects 15 times longer than you are without the sunscreen.  Read the label to know when to re-apply sunscreen and whether it is waterproof, but the general rule for reapplication of sunscreen seems to be every couple of hours.

Additional protection for the face and other parts of the head can be as simple as wearing a hat.  When selecting a hat, consider how much of your head, neck and face it covers.  Clothing also helps block the ultraviolet (UVR) rays the sun when it covers the skin.  Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks.  Closely woven or knitted fabrics are more protective because they lack open spaces to let UVR through to your skin.  Clothes dyed in dark colors (black, navy, red) have more dye to absorb UVR and shield your skin than light colored ones.  Light colored and white clothes may be manufactured to block UVR or washed using detergent with brighteners to improve their protection.

Even the most effective hats can block only 50 percent of the ultraviolet rays that reach the eyes. A good shade hat combined with the use of sunglasses is a better way to pro¬tect eyes from sun exposure.   Use caution when selecting sunglasses because they vary widely in the amount of protection from ultraviolet radiation. A peel-off label on the lens indicates its UV rating, or percentage of ultraviolet rays blocked by the sunglasses (the best rating is 100).  If no information is provided by the manufacturer, the sunglasses may not offer any added protection.