Sun care
<How can you protect yourself against the sun’s harmful effects?>
A certain number of precautions should be taken.
• Avoid exposure when the sun’s rays are at their most intense. The higher the sun in the sky, the stronger the ultraviolet radiation. In summer, in Western Europe, this phase runs from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm.
More generally, it is not advisable to stay on the beach for the whole day.
• Wear enveloping sunglasses with a high anti-UV factor, a wide-rimmed sun hat and loose, and if possible, long clothing (long-sleeved T-shirts and bermuda shorts or trousers).
• Don’t trust your impressions. Since it is the infrared rays that make you start to feel too hot and not the UV rays, it is quite possible to be the victim of sunburn without having had the feeling that you have exposed your skin rashly.
An overcast sky does not entitle you to be less vigilant about the sun. Indeed, clouds let through far more UV rays than infrared rays and visible light. So the air temperature and brightness can fall without the risks linked to ultraviolet rays being lessened.
In the mountains, there is still danger even at very low temperatures. Indeed, the shield provided by the atmosphere is reduced because of the altitude, so the sun is more aggressive (the quantity of UVB rays absorbed by the skin rises by 4% for every <st1:metricconverter productid="300 metres">300 metres</st1:metricconverter>). Moreover, reflection off the snow significantly increases the quantity of ultraviolet rays reaching the skin (fresh snow can reflect 80% of the UV rays hitting it).
• Opt for shade rather than sun, while remembering that the former does not represent total protection. Indeed, shade offers protection against the sun’s direct rays but not against the sun’s rays reflected off the ground (grass reflects 3% of the UV rays hitting it, sand between 5% and 25%, snow 30% to 80% and water 5% to 90%), and not against the sun’s rays diffused by particles suspended in the atmosphere (at midday, 30% to 50% of UV rays on the skin are rays diffused by atmospheric molecules).
• If the temperature is high, your child is in as much danger of getting heatstroke as sunburn, so make sure he/she drinks very frequently.
• Never expose your skin to the sun after applying perfume or if you are taking certain medicines, without asking your doctor or your chemist for advice.
• Don’t stay longer in the sun on the pretext that you have applied a high sun protection factor. The aim of these products is not to increase the number of hours of exposure but to reduce the risks during exposure.
• Regularly apply a photoprotector suited to the intensity of the sun and to your skin type (phototype).