61 / 88
Protection against sunrays
Summertime is when we engage in more
outdoor activities. It is, however, the sea-
son when sunrays are more harmful since
they reach the earth at a more perpendi-
cular angle. Our skin in this season is very
vulnerable to the exposure of sunlight and,
therefore, proper protection is essential to
prevent harmful effects on our health parti-
cularly because the negative effects of pro-
longed exposure are cumulative.
Some of the consequences are sunburns,
heat strokes, eye injuries, alterations in the
immune system, or premature aging of the
skin. The increase in skin cancer (carci-
noma and malignant melanoma) in recent
years is a clear sign of the dangers of these
radiations when we do not take the proper
precautionary measures.
Nevertheless, most of the negative effects
of sun exposure can be prevented by fo-
llowing the simple recommendations of the
Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equali-
ty and of specialised organizations:
1. Avoid sun exposure in the central
hours of the day (from noon to 5:00
p.m.) as well as prolonged exposure or
siestas under the sun).
2. Reduce the body areas with direct
exposure to the sun. Light garments,
thick-woven shirts, long pants, will
block most of the sunrays. The most
comfortable garments for hot clima-
tes are cotton shirts in light colours.
Clothing should be comfortable and
not too tight.
3. The head should be covered with hats
or caps. The sun can also damage
your eyes and, accordingly, it is re-
commended that you wear sunglas-
ses that filter at least 90% of ultraviolet
rays (UV).
4. Apply solar protective creams with a
high factor and appropriate for your
age, type of skin, and the part of the
body to be protected. These solar pro-
tectors should be applied generously,
30 minutes before sunbathing and
re-applied every two hours and after
swimming. Remember that not even
the most effective solar protection
creams that protect against UVB and
UVA rays, can ensure total protection
against the risks posed by ultraviolet
rays. The only way to prevent the har-
mful effects of the sun is to avoid ex-
posure and, when you do, the proper
measures, as described above, should
be taken to try to reduce the risks.
5. Be careful of exposures on top of or in
the water since radiation can penetra-
te in clear water up to one metre deep.
6. Protect children since they are very
sensitive to sun exposure during this
time of the year. Try to avoid sun expo-
sure for children less than 3 years old.
Creams with a high sun factor should
be used (the factors for sun protection
recommended are those of more than
40).
7. If you take medication, check that it
does not increase the skin’s sensitivity
to ultraviolet rays.
8. Bear in mind that the risk of sunburn
increases with height (for each 300
metres, the power of ultraviolet rays
increases by 4%). This means that the
same recommendations should be fo-
llowed to protect against the sun.