7 Surprising Ways you may be undermining your Sun Care and Sun Safety

Growing up in an multi-Asian household, the idea of having deep dark tan has never been an appealing summer look that I wanted to work on. Friends and colleagues tend to chuckle when they find some Asian women wearing those “Darth-Vader-like” visors or holding an umbrella out on a bright sunny day.

They’re known as Sun Visors [via Amazon]

In most Asian cultures, we really care about our appearances. One aspect for women is to especially be as light-skinned as possible, as my mother taught us that this shows others that you don’t need to work outside like a “farmer-girl” (i.e.; The tanner one looks, this means the lower they are on the lower-working class scale).

It’s funny how in North America, others have different perspectives on seeing those tanned. Around the office, we are curious to learn about those who had their weekend fun outdoors or who just returned from their recent getaways to places like Florida, Hawaii or the Caribbean.

During one of these many chit-chats by the coffee machine, I was surprised to learn about the different things we do to protect against the harsh rays of the sun.

Here are some surprising ways that you may be undermining your sun care:

Thinking that sunscreen prevents you from tanning

In general, sunscreens do not block out all the rays, thus you can still get tanned
According to SunTips.ca, “Sunscreen can’t protect you on its own, because it can’t block out all the UV radiation the sun produces.”

Applying the first layer of sunscreen in the sun

Despite popular belief, sunscreen starts working immediately after applying them! Just don’t jump right into the water or they may wash off: give them 15 minutes to “set” on your skin first. [via Sunscreen 101 by Dermatology.ca]
Generally it’s a good idea to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before you head out into the sun to allow the active, protective ingredients to bond to your skin
If you apply the first layer of sunscreen when you’re really sweaty while outside in the sun, it will likely not be effective as it likely slips off your skin

Slapping on sunscreen once and forgetting to reapply

Just because you slap on a higher SPF sunscreen doesn’t mean you just need to apply once
Generally it’s a good practice to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, even on cloudy days [via Cancer.ca]
After sweating, swimming or other water sports, it’s also recommended to reapply water-resistant sunscreen often

Only applying sunscreen on your face

Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash

It can be easy to apply sunscreen as you can buy foundations, cover-up and moisturizers that have them blended in
On warmer days, don’t forget to apply sunscreen on exposed skin
For the best sun protection, seek shade or wear clothing that would cover up your skin

Applying your first layer of sunscreen over makeup

As it’s best to apply your first layer of sunscreen beneath your layers of makeup so the sunscreen can bind to your skin, but what about reapplying more sunscreen?
There are traditional creams and sprays you can reapply with or powdered sunscreens that you can dust above your make-up
Or you can layer up with makeup that has SPF blended in

Thinking windows block out all harmful UV rays

It can be nice and balmy to work by a window or drive on a nice sunny day
Some UV rays can also pass through windows. Typical car, home, and office windows block most UVB rays but a smaller portion of UVA rays, so even if you don’t feel you’re getting burned your skin may still get some damage. [ via Cancer.org ]
Clear and tinted window films to be applied to windows for additional protection, depending on the kind of tinting that is chosen to block most UVB rays

Avoiding the sun at all costs

Getting outside can be beneficial for many healthy reasons – mental break, break from the computer screen, standing up and walking around, fresh air…
We don’t need to avoid the sun completely
Like most things in life, too much of anything can be a bad thing, but we can do our best to find a balance

To keep it simple, remember these tips for sun safety