How to stay safe from the sun on your family vacation? Easy to do, but requires a bit of planning. Knowing what your family needs for vacation breaks may not be on the top of your mental list for staying safe.
Whether it is a summer vacation or a winter skiing vacation, the sun can be a threat. Whatever the temperature, hot or cold, the sun is there. You must be aware.
Just one sunburn for a member of your family can put a damper on the whole trip.
A little planning will go a long way for your family. Whether you are going to ski somewhere in the winter, or to some warm sunny beach, skin protection is important. Skin protection is surprisingly the same, regardless of temperature.
Keeping your skin safe from the sun can become an automatic habit. As it becomes a habit for you, your family will also pick up the habit. Your family will be the one with kids who say, “We always wear our sun hats and sunglasses! We know how to use sunscreen and sunblock creams.” They will do this because you do.
Why You Need Skin Protection While Snow Skiing
Skiing brings you closer to the sun than if you are on the beach.
The higher you are on the mountain, the thinner the protective layer of the atmosphere becomes. Fewer UV rays are filtered out. More rays will hit your skin.
In a nutshell, the higher the altitude where you go, the more radiation you are exposed to.
In addition, the winter sun is reflected onto the skin from the snow. Not only are you being hit by UV rays from above, but also from below or from the side.
This puts you and your skin in danger. Protecting your skin from the sun and the reflections is important to stay safe.
Applying your sunscreen before you get in the sun is important for your sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens, often known as sunblock lotion or cream protect your skin immediately after application.
So How To Protect Your Skin From The Sun?
In today’s world, you have lots to choose from to make sun protection easy. Finding what you like or will work is no longer a question.
With all the sun blocking clothing in the market, you can have sun protection in almost any color, or style you want. With special features to fit the reason, whatever has you out in the sun and venerable.
If you are looking for budget-friendly clothing, that is there too. You can shop big box stores and all kinds of high-end places. Not to mention the options in between. Buy during sales. You know the tricks to make your money go further.
You just have to decide to do it. Start your sun-safe wardrobe with a sun hat. This is the first and most important item you need. Make sure it is actually a sun-safe- hat.
Sun Safety Information: Concentrate on Basics
Has your family only reached for sunscreen to protect their skin from the sun in the past? We just didn’t pay attention to the information and ignored what we saw our parents do.
Grabbing a hat just didn’t seem cool! Hats keep you warmer in cold weather, and cooler and safe in hot weather. We thought that the only time you used sunscreen was to tan faster. That is what we wanted, to get more tan!
So learning about how much protection we get from basic sun blocking clothing was a bit surprising.
When you hold the hat you like up to the sun, do you see little prick or pinholes? Do you see the sun? If yes, put it back and find one from a tighter woven fabric that will keep out the sun.
Putting on your sun hat, a tightly woven fabric with a brim at least 3 inches wide. Bucket styles are practical and give you the wider brim you need.
Your skiing equipment should include protective headgear.
Don’t Overlook Comfort
Try the hat on, make sure it is comfortable. If your hat isn’t comfortable, you will have trouble keeping it on your family’s heads as well as yours. Comfort is important. Remember this is the start of and the most important of your protection from the sun.
When you hear sun blocking clothing, think HAT. Get the start of your sun blocking wardrobe right.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are almost as important as your hat. If you are skiing on snow, or if you are on the beach. Wear your sunglasses.
The best choice for sun blocking is an oversized lens or wrap-around style. Your sunglasses should have 100 % protection from UVB and UVA rays. UVB is more harmful to your skin and eyes, doctors suggest that you protect yourself from both types of rays.
UV protection is especially important for children and teenagers. Sunglasses with scratches should be replaced or repaired as damaged UV protection is important for kids. (Under 18 years old) Kids’ eyes absorb more UV rays than adults do.
Eighty percent of one’s lifetime exposure to UV rays happens before the age of 18. Sunglasses are essential for snow skiing as well. Be prepared.
So we have the basics of sun blocking clothing # 1 sun hat and # 2 sunglasses.
Sun Safety Imfortation For Parents
Sun safety is important. Information about how to stay safe from the sun on your family vacation can keep everyone having fun. If one of you gets too much sun, it can limit having fun while you are on vacation.
The next item to consider for your sun blocking wardrobe is a sun blocking shirt. A shirt covers a large part of the body to protect from sunburn on your shoulders, back, and arms.
Remember the shirt needs to be comfortable just like the hat and sunglasses. A loose-fitting long sleeve shirt will protect you best. If your vacation takes you to where it is warm and sunny, you will need room for the air to circulate under the shirt and cool your body.
UPF clothing will give you good service and protection for your body and is usually more comfortable. While shirts like denim shirts can provide good protection for your body, they may not be comfortable in hotter weather. Tightly woven fabrics are warmer, and it may be practical for hot weather wear.
The newly developed fabric used in today’s sunblocking clothing can offer sun protection with less heat because of the way they are made. Darker lightweight shirts will protect better than lighter colors. Some of the knits are cooler and will wick away moisture.
As the specially designed clothing for sun blocking becomes more common, your choices will become wider. There will be many to choose from. Please read the care directions for your sun blocking clothing. Know how to extend their life by laundering them correctly.
So now we have the #1 sun hat. # 2 is a good pair of sunglasses. # 3 is a sun blocking shirt.
Sunscreen Or Sunblocking Lotion?
What will you use to cover the area that is not protected by clothing? This is what made me so glad to have some sun blocking clothing. Being able to have sun protection without having to stay in the 2-hour cycle of reapplying sunscreen.
In my part of central Texas, it is hot and humid a great deal of the time when you are outside. Applying sunscreen was a continual battle. Going outside after applying sunscreen is like stepping into a sweat bath. No wonder we have so many who ignore it and pay the consequences.
Knowing how to protect your skin with clothing instead of sunscreen will keep you safer. At least you will wear a hat, sunglasses, and shirt.
However, don’t overlook the way sunscreen is more helpful. By wearing sun blocking clothing and adding sunscreen where you are not covered you can give yourself a better chance to avoid sunburn.
By using the sun blocking clothing and sunscreen together you are getting more complete protection than either product alone. Think of protecting your skin from the sun as a layered approach. Use the coverage of clothing to block, and sunscreen to filter some.
Sunblocking cream will do a better job of keeping your body protected, however, it is a bit harder to apply than sunscreen. Often sunblock leaves a white residue that is visible. It has to be rubbed in more. Sunblock sits on top of your skin. Sunscreen sinks into your skin.
- # 1 Sun Hat
- # 2 Sunglasses
- # 3 Sun Blocking Shirt
- # 4 Suncreen or Sunblocking lotion
Sunburn Safety Talk
Too often families try to pack in too many hours in the sun in their fun day. They forget to take breaks in the shade or back in the house where it is cool. Sunburn kind of sneaks up on you and can be dangerous. Use some common sense habits to stay healthy.
Six or eight hours straight of exposure to the bright rays of a bright sun is often all it takes to set up your skin for a good sunburn. The simple act of taking a break in the shade or in an airconditioned place will allow your body to cool to a more normal temperature.
Limiting your sessions of being in the direct sun to reasonable hours isn’t an idea that many consider important. This is a lack of awareness. Taking breaks to cool down is so simple. As you become aware of how this can help you stay safer from the sun you can add break time to the agenda.
Breaking up the playtime to be safe will find you out of the sun from 10 AM until 4 PM in the summer. Wintertime can usually have 11 AM until 3 PM as the break times. Earlier mornings as well as being out in the afternoons after the more dangerous time will give you and your family stay safer.
How To Protect Your Body From The Sun
Be aware if activities are planned during the hotter more direct sun time of day, extra precautions must be taken for your skin and health.
It will be simpler to use sunscreen if you are rubbing on cooler skin. Hot skin will make more accidental incidents of rubbing sunscreen in your eyes or just having it run in your eyes. Your kids will need you to remind them to take breaks and sit in the shade or in a cool room.
You will all have more fun on your vacation if you protect your skin from too much sun.
How To Protect From The Sun
Your family will need to learn to listen to their bodies and know when to have breaks. You as a parent are the role model.
They will soon know that their family is skin safe aware. Protecting their skin with clothing, sunscreen and breaks will be a natural reaction.
Drinking enough water is another way to keep their body cool and healthier. Keeping your family and yourself hydrated is helping keep all of you from sunburn.
Having a sunburn is a dangerous area for your family member to be in. Help them stay safe.
If your family outing includes blocks of time during the hottest time of the day, go prepared with some sunburn awareness.
The Skin CareFoundation
Here is how The Skin Care Foundation describes sunburn:
Sunburn is an inflammatory reaction to ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage to the skin’s outermost layers. At the heart of it all is melanin, a pigment that gives your skin it’s color and defends it against the sun’s rays.
Melanin works by darkening your unprotected sun-exposed skin. The amount of melanin you produce is determined by genetics, which is why some people get sunburned while others tan.
Both are signs of cellular damage to the skin. For people with less melanin, prolonged unprotected sun exposure can cause skin cells to become red, swollen, and painful, also known as sunburn. Sunburns can range from mild to blistering.
After a sunburn, your skin may start to peel.
This is a sign that your body is trying to rid itself of damaged cells. Never try to peel the skin yourself; let it come off naturally. Learn more.
5 Suggestions Safety In The Sun
- # 1 Sun Hat
- # 2 Sunglasses
- # 3 Sunblocking shirt
- # 4 Sunscreen and sunblock lotion
- # 5 Breaks in the shade, Avoiding hours sun is the most dangerous Drink Plenty of Water
These 5 suggestions will help stay safe from the sun on your family vacation. Awareness is how you can get started helping your family learn to stay safe.
Sami’s Take On How To Stay Safe From The Sun On Your Family Vacation
When taking your family on vacation, it will require a bit of planning to make sure you have what you need to help all of you protect your skin. Staying safe in the sun is an ongoing thing for us here in central Texas, in all seasons.
This often makes you think you have seen it all, and that you are ready for protecting your family regardless of the extreme sun you find. But are you really? Take the time to think through your sun safety plan. It is OK to use a pencil and paper to make your notes.
Often we come home with more reminders than we realize at first about too much sun. For me, I notice dryer skin. Then a layer of skin will peel off my lips. Or the first morning back, there will be lines where I have tanned a bit on my face around my sunglasses. Not pretty at all for me.
Remember to check out the new “mineral” sunscreens. They are much easier to use sit on top of your skin, not sink in. All this while protecting you by reflecting away those harmful sun rays. My grandkids will have a bit of sunburn on their noses. They don’t need to be overexposed as young as they are.
Have fun on your family vacation, but take care of your skin. Do what you can to protect your family from skin cancer.