Sacramento, CA – Sacramento County Public Health reminds residents the importance of practicing sun safety and offers tips for protecting skin from damaging UV rays.
Protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays is important all year round. But UV rays from sunlight are greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America. It is important to protect yourself and your family from the damaging effects of the sun. There are several options for protection from UV radiation:
• Seek shade when outdoors, especially between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm
• Wear loose-fitting and long-sleeved shirts and long pants to protect skin from sun exposure. If wearing this
type of clothing isn’t practical try to wear at least a T-shirt or beach cover-up.
• Wear a hat with a brim wide enough to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
• Wear sunglasses.
• Use sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection and with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher.
Remember to reapply sunscreen after swimming, perspiring, and toweling off.
• Avoid indoor tanning.
Skin cancers are just one result of getting too much sun, but there are other effects as well. Long-term sun exposure can cause wrinkles, dark circles, pre-cancerous skin changes, and can also increase a person’s risk of cataracts and other eye problems.
“It’s important to stay physically active for good health and it would be unwise for people to reduce their level of activity by avoiding the outdoors, but equally important is protecting themselves from the harmful effects of UV rays,” says Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County’s Public Health Officer. “Staying in the shade when possible and putting sunscreen on anytime they go outside will greatly reduce the risk of exposure to harmful UV rays.”
