Sun Protection Guide

It is known that sun rays cause premature skin aging and skin cancer.

When ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB) enter the skin, they cause damage to skin cells, causing visible and invisible effects.

One of these is sunburns, which occur a few hours after exposure to the sun. In many people, this causes tanning. In people with fair skin, freckles appear in areas exposed to the sun. Freckles are a sign that sun damage has occurred and indicate the need for protection from the sun. Ultraviolet rays cause invisible damage to skin cells. While some of this damage is repaired, some cell damage accumulates over the years. After 20-30 years, these damages lead to skin wrinkles, age spots and skin cancer. Ultraviolet rays play an important role in the development of three types of skin cancer (melanoma, basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer).

Sun protection should start in infancy and continue throughout life. 80% of the lifetime exposure to sunlight is received in the first 18 years of life. Therefore, it is very important to protect children from the sun.

Recommendations

• Do not stay in the sun in the middle of the day, when the sun rays are intense.

• Schedule games and outdoor activities before 10:00 or after 16:00. In the middle of the day, the sun's rays are more intense because they reach the earth at a right angle. As you get closer to the equator, you are exposed to more sun in mountainous areas and during the summer months. The harmful effects of the sun increase with reflection in water, white sand and snow.

• Do not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time. Sit or play in the shade, especially when your shadow is shorter than your own height.

• Be careful about the time you stay in the sun. It only takes 15 minutes for a light-skinned person to burn in the sun in the middle of the day in summer.

• Block the sun's rays with sunscreen cream, lotion and gel with a UVA and UVB filter of at least 30 factors.

• Renew sunscreen every two hours and Use even in cloudy weather. If you are swimming or doing intense physical activity, apply sunscreen more frequently.

• The protective capacity of sunscreens is indicated by the sun protection factor and increases as the factor increases.

• The sun protection factor determines the time the skin can stay without sunburn. While a light-skinned person normally burns in the sun in the middle of the day in 20 minutes; A person who uses sunscreen with a factor of 15 will burn in 15 times that amount of time, that is, in 300 minutes.

• Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed areas of the body, including the ears and lips, and should not be applied to the eyelids.

• Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before going out. It should be reapplied after swimming and sweating

• Babies under six months should not be exposed to direct sunlight and should wear protective clothing. The use of sunscreen should be started in the 6th month.

• Light-coloured clothes and a hat should be worn outside. One should not be naked outdoors. A T-shirt and a hat should be worn after swimming.

• Tightly woven clothes do not let out the sun's rays and keep you cool by reflecting the heat.

• Sunglasses protect the eyes and eyelids from the sun.

 

_{Read: 0}