Protecting the skin from solar radiation is important for several reasons. One of them is to avoid annoying and painful burns. But, in addition, there are other more important reasons, such as reducing the risk of suffering from skin cancer.
To this we must add that the sun is a major culprit of skin photoaging. Because of it, the appearance of wrinkles, sagging and spots is accelerated. So if you want to tan your face, it is best to opt for a facial self-tanner instead of exposing your skin to ultraviolet rays.
For all these reasons, photoprotection is essential throughout the year. But its need is even more pressing in spring and summer, when sun exposure is greater. In addition to applying sunscreen before exposing yourself to the sun and reapplying it every two hours, there are some tricks you can put into practice to improve your sun protection. Dermatologist Leire Barrutia has shared on her TikTok profile – @dermisphere, with 112 thousand followers – three “free or almost free” tips to protect your skin from the sun this spring.
The first advice put on the table by the dermatologist is to consult the ultraviolet index, which usually appears in the weather mobile application. “Or, if not, in the UV-Derma application of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology (AEDV)”, she suggests.
He explains that “the UV index measures the power of the sun's rays and tells us whether we should apply sun protection or not. If it is 3 or more, it means that it is moderately high, very high or extreme and, therefore, we have to apply sun protection. If it is 0 to 2, you don't need to apply sunscreen.” Now, he adds that "in general, from 11 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, starting in spring it is usually 3 or higher, which means that we have to use sunscreen." “However, not if we leave first thing in the morning or after 6 in the afternoon,” he concludes.
The doctor emphasizes that consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables also helps to optimize your sun protection. “This is good for our health in general, and in terms of sun protection for the skin, especially those fruits and vegetables with vitamin C or vitamin E contribute to reinforcing sun protection,” she says.
Finally, a third tip that “is not completely free but is usually economical and very profitable to use throughout the spring and summer, is that you invest in a UPF50 t-shirt, which are fabrics that contain protection against ultraviolet radiation,” he notes. “This means that when you put on the shirt in that covered area you do not need to apply sun protection, because it guarantees that it will protect us just like an SPF50 filter,” concludes the dermatologist.
