A Healthy Balance: Exposure to the Sun

My family went to the pool today, enjoying the last week of summer we have before the kids begin a new school year. We’ve been so fortunate to enjoy a great pool at the facility where my step-daughter works. Not only do my youngsters get to enjoy a water slide and free swim at the pool, they get to see their big sister with nearly every visit! It has become a Sunday afternoon tradition this summer, one that we’ll be sad to have end.

With every pool visit comes the “sunscreen squirm”. My kiddos are not very cooperative when it comes to applying their 80 SPF, especially on their faces. I understand their wishes to dismiss this step in the preparation but want to teach them early in life how important protecting their skin is! After-all, they do have Danish skin (very fair) like their mom does and it’s actually more critical to their skin’s health than someone with darker toned skin to apply protection.*

The team at Eucerin wants to remind us to put our Skin FIRST and pledge to care for it even as the summer fades into cooler days. Here is some information that is important to understanding the need to care for your skin year round:

Late summer highlights an important theme in the Skin FIRST movement; the dichotomy of risks and benefits of the sun’s warming rays. Though it provides us with vitamin D and a healthy outwards appearance, the sun’s rays can also inflict damage over both the short-term as well as over the course of our lifetime.
Although sunburns and sunstroke are the most evident signs of over-exposure to the sun, we also have to be aware of the cumulative effects of sun exposure over the course of our lifetimes. In fact, up to 80 percent of our lifetime sun exposure is reached by the age of 20. But as we get older, we have a naturally decreasing ability to repair the damage caused by sun exposure. We have to take additional steps to properly maintain our skin as it becomes increasingly easier for it to burn, wrinkle and develop cancers.

Even as our largest organ, we sometimes forget that our skin is our first line of defense against infections and diseases. Over time, sun exposure can actually weaken our skin and suppress our immune systems. This leaves our bodies more vulnerable to both skin diseases like cancer as well as viruses that can take advantage of our sun-weakened skin.

Like all aspects of our health though, we can still achieve a balance between the risks and benefits of the sun. We are dedicating this month’s update to ways we can both offset the damaging effects of the sun and enhance skin health – a regular skincare routine can lead to more than just cosmetic benefits.

Balancing Exposure to the Sun

While basking in the sun can feel replenishing and bring us a sense of both mental and physical renewal, the amount of vitamin D our bodies need on a daily basis can absorbed in just the first 15 minutes of our exposure to the sun. Understanding the factors affecting our skin’s reaction to the sun can help us plan our time in the sun.

FACTOR #1 – SUNLIGHT

• The strength of sunlight is the main factor for the quantity of UV radiation your skin can be exposed to. Latitude, altitude, time of day, season and cloud coverage can all have a dramatic effect on the sun’s impact on our skin. Even reflected sunlight from windows, pavement, water, snow and sand can raise the risk of overexposure.

FACTOR #2 – SKIN COLOR*

• As skin color is determined by the amount of melanin present in the skin, ethnicity can also play a large role in sun exposure. Often a result of a group’s distance from the equator (and its stronger sunlight), darker skins are more resistant to the effects of sunlight than fairer skins. African-Americans, for example, are 20 times less likely to develop melanoma than those with white skin. Conversely, one study found that African-American women aged 15 to 49 have more than 20 times the risk of vitamin D deficiency than Caucasians. Different skin colors will react to UV rays at different speeds. So one should be mindful of her skin’s susceptibilities when considering her exposure time or adding protection.

FACTOR #3 – SUNSCREEN

• The strength of sunscreen is determined by its Sun Protection Factor (SPF), a number that measures the amount of UV radiation required to sunburn with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount that would burn skin without it. For example, SPF-15 allows about 1/15 (about 6%) of the UV rays that would penetrate the skin without the sunscreen on. SPF-30 would allow 1/30 (about 3%) and so on.

Use August to Renew Our Collective Commitment to Healthy Skin

With the end of summer almost upon us, many of us look for ways to make sure the sense of freedom and relaxation we find outdoors stays with us in the coming months. This makes August an ideal time to look for ways to enrich your whole self, physically and mentally.

Eucerin wants to help you do that. The first step is to take the Skin FIRST pledge. Even if you’ve already taken it, you can do it again and enlist your friends in the Skin FIRST movement by having them take the pledge with you through our new Facebook application. Visit http://facebook.com/eucerinus today and take the pledge to put the health of your skin FIRST.

Enter to Win:

It’s time for our monthly Eucerin Giveaway!  This month, they want to offer you the following fabulous prize: A $50 Sunglass Hut gift card and Eucerin Everyday Protection Lotion in 15 and 30. I’ve been checking out SunglassHut.com and can tell you there are fantastic styles to choose from!  The Eucerin Everyday Protection Lotion is an easy way to get the SPF coverage you need for your daily living!  This prize package is a great way to help you balance your exposure to the sun.  Who wants it?

Leave a comment below sharing your favorite way to spend time in the sun.

• For an optional bonus entry, TWEET the following:

I’m committed to healthy skin! I entered to win a FAB end-of-summer prize package from @EucerinUS and @amominred http://tinyurl.com/2f27rfm

• For a second optional entry, visit Eucerin’s Facebook page and “Like” it.  Leave this message on their wall:

I’m committed to healthy skin! I entered to win a fabulous end-of-summer prize package from A Mom in Red High Heels! http://tinyurl.com/2f27rfm

Good Luck!

Deadline to Enter:

August 23, 2010 @ 11:59 PM PT
U.S. Residents only, please

The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond in the allotted time, a new winner will be selected.  Eucerin will handle the shipping of the prize.

As a newly appointed Eucerin Skin FIRST Ambassador, I will be sharing tips for healthy skin and giving away goodies throughout the year. Stay tuned!

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