5 Tips to Help you Protect Your Skin This Summer

Protect your skin. Chicago's Dr. Nilam Amin says always wear sunscreen and seek the shade.

Summer is here and, if you’re thinking of getting a tan, please rethink that! It’s a really bad idea for both you and your skin. After all, exposure to UV rays is the fastest way to age your skin, as well as increase your risk of skin cancer. Neither is anything you want! So, here are five tips to protect your skin from the summer sun

Wear Sunscreen

The best sunburn is the one you never get! Sunburns have the potential to cause skin cancer years or even decades later. The more sunburns, the higher your odds of developing skin cancer.

That’s why the simplest and best thing you can do for your skin is to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Apply it 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours. If you swim or just play in the water, reapply your sunscreen as soon as you dry off.

Don’t Tan

Don’t sit out in the sun nor use tanning beds! The UV rays generated by sunbathing and tanning beds increase your skin cancer risk. But you still want a summer glow, right? The safer options are using either self-tanning lotions or spray tanning. 

Plan Outdoor Activities

It’s fun to play outdoors in the summer and it’s best to avoid the peak hours when the sun is the most intense. That means you’ll want to spend your outdoor time before 10:00am and/or after 4:00pm, thus avoiding midday when the UV rays are at their highest levels.

Cover Up

At a minimum, you’ll want to wear a wide brimmed hat, and good sunglasses. Cover up clothes don’t have to look like it’s the 1920s. There is a lot of really nice sun-protective clothing on the market. Some brands even have high SPF protective levels. 

As always, embrace the shade. Sit under an umbrella; enjoy the shade of trees and awnings.

Conduct Skin Screenings

Each month, check yourself to see if a mole has changed or if you have any new growths. If you discover something troublesome, schedule an appointment with us for an evaluation. Skin clean and no family history? You should still have an annual skin check. Family history or a previous problem? Let’s set up a personalized skin exam schedule.

Here for your dermatological needs

protect your skin! We perform professional, thorough skin cancer screenings. Feel free to contact us about this or any medical and cosmetic dermatological service.