Now that the weather is getting nicer, people are spending more time outdoors. Whether it’s at the beach, at a local basketball court, or doing some gardening around the house – now is the perfect time to enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine.
Unfortunately, many people don’t realize the dangers of exposing their skin to the sun for longer periods of time. Hot weather and sunshine is a beautiful thing, but if you aren’t careful it can lead to some painful damages.
This month the Dermaquip team is focusing on informing you why protecting your skin from the sun is important. Next month we will focus on how to properly protect your skin from the sun.
Let’s jump in!
Why is protecting your skin from the sun important?
There are a variety of reasons why/how the sun can damage skin. We won’t get into every single detail, but we will cover the important ones.
Overexposure to the sun can cause the following:
- Burns
- Wrinkles
- Skin cancer
Burns
Probably the most common risk amongst lighter-skinned people is a nasty burn after sitting out in the sun for too long. The degree of the burn varies from person to person, and ranges from a mild burn to some very serious burns. If you or anyone you know has gotten sun burnt, you know how painful this could be.
Wrinkles
It’s a well-known fact that overexposure to the sun can cause wrinkles to appear more. This means more heavy signs of aging, which no one wants. Although this isn’t a life-threatening downside to being out in the sun for too long, it can be a concern for many people.
Skin cancer
In extreme cases, overexposure to the sun can cause cases of skin cancer. This isn’t the only way that skin cancer is caused, but it’s one of the main ways it can be triggered. This happens because of a decrease in the skin’s immune function when exposed to the sun. Both precancerous and cancerous skin lesions can be caused from overexposure to the sun.
Many people don’t know that skin cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the United States today. In fact, the number continues to rise year and year. Clearly there needs to be more information and knowledge sharing around how to protect oneself from being overexposed to the sun.
We are going to dig into how to protect yourself from the sun in next month’s post. Stay tuned!
