SUNBURN AND SUNSCREEN

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First thing that comes to mind when you think of a holiday is lazing around at the beach, enjoying the sun and hoping for a golden tan but often what we get is sunburn. So what exactly is sunburn?
        

It is the damage to the skin often indicated by redness, irritation, skin tightening and darkening due to excessive sun exposure. When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long period our blood vessels dilates and blood rushed to the peripheral of the skin resulting in symptoms such as redness and inflammation.  Sun damage can be defined as the damage caused by the penetration of two types of ultraviolet light namely UVA and UVB on the skin consistently for a long period.

The risk of having skin cancer, premature aging, development of permanent hyper pigmentation and skin irritation can increase as a result of sunburn. In certain cases, the skin becomes excessively dehydrated and starts to peel off; often on the nose, forehead and the back. Therefore, should you have sunburn, immediately get out of the sun, drink plenty of liquids to hydrate and take a cool shower to reduce the inflammation. Alternatively, use   products with lavender , cucumber and clove to sooth the the skin.
Remember to apply sunscreen, wear covering clothes or simply stay in the shade to minimize the risk of getting sunburnt in the first place.

It is near impossible to avoid direct exposure to the sun with our busy lifestyles thus it is advisable that anyone over the age of six should apply sunscreen daily even those who spend most of their time indoors as UVB can enter through windows and open doors. The ability of a sunscreen to prevent USB rays from penetrating the skin is measured by SPF which stands for Sun Protection Factor. Sunscreen with SPF 15 mean that it has the ability to prevent sun damage for 5 hours if it takes 20 minutes to get sunburnt without any protection. However, it is
 advisable to reapply your sunscreen every two hours regardless of its SPF strength because most sunscreens become less effective after the second hour.  On that note, apply sunscreen, enjoy the sun and get tanned!

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